Resolutions

Another year come and gone.   It's been an eventful one, for sure.  Mackenzie graduated high school and started college.  Anna escaped (haha) middle school and started high school.  Jack went through 2 job changes - one from the buy-out of the defense contract he was working on (this was a change he was NOT happy about) and then a job-change by choice (which he IS happy about).  And me?  Well, I realize I've been avoiding any kind of change in the midst of all of that. :) 

But now it seems that it has come time for a new year and some new resolutions.  I find that lately when anyone I haven't talked to for a while asks what I've been up to, I mostly talk about everyone else... so one of my resolutions for this year is to have something at least moderatley interesting to say that I've done myself.  Not sure what that is going to look like just yet, but I'm going to commit it to prayer and look for where God is leading.

Just thought this cartoon was really funny -- and I resolve NOT to make it true for me! haha...

Here are a few other things on my mind:
* I plan to train for and finally run the Cotton Row 10K this year.  (my body seems ready to cooperate with me on this - I hope that continues!)

* Less escaping and more praying...

* Read thru the New Testament this year...  (didn't do that last year as planned, and it is much needed!)

* Daily consider this verse and how I can put it into practice, especially at home where I am, sadly, most selfish:
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Philippians 2:3-4

* And one more verse to pray over daily:
The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
I John 2:17
I believe this verse to be true, but my heart fights with it - I don't grasp it emotionally and I struggle so much with holding on to my own desires over trusting God with His desires for me.  But I am certain that His way is so much better... my prayer will be to feel and trust it deep in my heart.

Oh... and I resolve for Alabama to beat LSU this time and win the National Championship! 
Roll Tide Roll!  :)

So that's it for now... Happy New Year everyone! :)

Catching Up...

On Monday, I should have been celebrating my 24th Wedding Anniversary with Jack, but we spent the day in my mom's hometown of Vernon, AL instead.  My uncle, Emmett Sanford, died this past week and we were there for the funeral.  It was a sad day for everyone.  My uncle was a wonderful man, very giving and generous, wise, funny and outgoing.  He loved to tell stories and was very hospitable.  In these last few years, he and my Aunt Kay (I'm named after her) lived in Destin, FL and we were fortunate on a few occasions to have the opportunity to go and visit them and stay at their condo on the beach.  It's been a couple of years since we have visited because our vacation times just haven't lined up right so that we could go, but I had just realized that this next spring was probably going to work and I really wanted to go see them...  I'm sad now that I won't have that chance.

You realize at times like this how easy it is to get distant from people.  After my grandparents on my mom's side died, that whole side of the family didn't get together as often and we all just drifted into doing things with our own growing families.  I guess that is sort-of a natural thing that happens, but until this past Monday, I hadn't seen some of my cousins in probably 25 years!  Some of that was because we lived in Boston for so long and missed some family events along the way, but still, that seems crazy now.  So I guess one good thing that came out of all of this is that I got to reconnect a bit with my cousins that I grew up with and always spent at least a week out of the summer with every year.  It was really good to see them...

And I enjoyed getting to show Mackenzie and Anna around Vernon where my mom and Aunt Kay grew up.  I have so many good memories of this tiny town in western Alabama.  Playing "shoestore" with my cousin Lori and making movies together. (that was back in the days of reel-to-reel film!)  Earning money doing chores so we could ride into town to the "dime store" and buy candy.  Making mud pies in the back yard and then covering ourselves head to toe in mud!  Telling my younger brother and sister scary ghost stories and rigging a balloon with a sheet over it in their room to scare them in the middle of the night.  (we were mean - ha)  Of course, that backfired when my brother started crying, ran to my grandmother, and threw up along the way!  We were in so much trouble when she realized what we had done... we got to stay up with him and take care of him the rest of the night! 

Anyways, it was fun back in the day... and all my mom's family lived within a block or two of each other... some are still there! So I took a few pictures that I thought I'd post...

This was my grandparent's house where my mom grew up.  It looks SO tiny now!!  Actually, everything looked so much smaller, including the 'big hill' than ran down the back of this house to Aunt Kay and Uncle Emmett's house.  We rode up and down that hill on our bikes so many times and thought it was SO scary! :)

Just down the hill behind my grandparents' house was Aunt Kay and Uncle Emmett's first house.  That big tree right next to it is a chestnut tree and I stepped on one of the chestnutt burrs barefooted - ouch!  I still vividly remember laying on a bed with my aunt pulling pieces of that thing out of my heel... 

And this is the house that my Aunt and Uncle built right next door to their old house.  Back in the day, it was VERY fancy, especially for small town Vernon. :) 

So that's my trip down memory lane.   The best news from all of this is that my Aunt Kay is recovering and it seems that she is going to be all right.  She has been moved from the hospital in Destin up to a hospital near Vernon and closer to family that can be with her and take care of her.  I hope to get to see her in the next week or so.

It seems like just about every year my wedding anniversary gets 'sidelined' by something else... I believe this was one of the reasons I said, "I'll never get married at Christmas time..."   Yeah, right.  But we did get to go out to dinner with my sister and her husband last night at The Melting Pot, so I think I'll count that as our Anniversary Dinner!  :)  And the neat thing about this anniversary is that it marks the point where we've been married now as long as we haven't been married.  We got married at 24, so we've doubled that now.  :)  I can actually remember thinking a long time ago that it would be funny when we got to that point...  and I'm thankful that we've made it this far.  :)

Just a clarification about the picture.  It was 'tacky sweater night' at The Melting Pot, which meant you got a great discount on your dinner if you were brave (desperate?) enough to wear a tacky Christmas sweater!!  SO, that's what we did.  :)  And believe it or not, these both belong to Mackenzie - ha! 

Holidaze...

* Gymnastics Christmas Party/Sleepover on Friday night
    
     * My Cousin's wedding on Saturday afternoon
         
          * Jack's work Christmas party on Saturday night
              
               * Club Xtreme Christmas party Sunday afternoon
                   
                    * The Way Christmas party Sunday night

Um....  needless to say it was a busy weekend!  But all the planning and preparation got done without too much stress, all the parties were fun, the wedding was beautiful... and the sun still came up on Monday morning when all was said and done. :)   Now I'm looking forward to school being out soon and finals being over for my girls, a little more down time, Mackenzie coming home TOMORROW - yay!!!, a little more shopping, my sister and family being here next week and good times with family.  And here's a picture to share of me and Jack all dressed up for the work party last Sat. night.  (We don't dress like this but about once a year when we have to, so you gotta take a picture - ha!)

A Thanksgiving to Remember...

Several years ago my sister-in-law, Deb, introduced our family to Callaway Gardens' spectacular Fantasy in Lights.  It's a truly amazing display of Christmas lights set up along the pathway through their beautiful gardens.  It takes about 45 minutes to drive through on an open-air trolley.  (the BEST way to see it!)  There are several different scenes such as the 12 Days of Christmas, Jack Frost, The North Pole, The March of the Tin Soldiers, etc. and there is fantastic holiday music playing in the woods to go along with each one as you drive through.  So almost every year for about the last 8 years, we have traveled there with them and Jack's mom -- and usually THANKS to Jack's mom since she often makes this a Christmas present to all of us! :)  You can read about it here:

http://www.callawaygardens.com/info/calendar/calendar.fantasy_in_lights.event.aspx

It is especially fun to travel there over Thanksgiving and spend the holiday there.  That's what we did this year.  First we went down to Birmingham and had Thanksgiving dinner with all of Jack's family and Jim's (my brother-in-law) 91-year-old-mom, Charlene.  After eating way too much yummy food, we got together for a big game of Yahtzee.  I think at least 8 of us were playing, so it took a while!  We managed to talk Charlene into playing with us, and the funniest moment of the day came when she had one last roll of the dice and REALLY needed to get a "3" (I can't even remember what she was rolling for - maybe to be able to make the bonus score on top? ha)  So she looked at us and then looked at the lone die in the bottom of the cup, and proceeded to shake the cup, then look in at the die, and shake the cup again, and look in at the die.... this went on for a while until finally, she got the "3" she was looking for and gently slid the die out of cup to make sure it landed on the "3"!  Maybe you had to be there, but it was just hilarious to see her "cheating" the game in such a funny way... she definitely stole the show! :)   Then later that night we presented Jack's mom with a DVD of about 450 pictures that we had converted from several years of slides they had from the early '60s and '70s of Jack's family.  So we had fun watching old family photos that haven't been seen in quite a while.  And it really is true that about a quarter of those pictures are of Deb in a red dress! ha! :)   And the fashion, oh my...  ;-)   Here's a few fun ones of Jack and Deb.  (Jack will probably kill me for the last one...  heehee...)

 

 

 

We left on Friday morning and drove to Callaway, did the Fantasy in Lights on Friday night, and then came back home on Saturday afternoon, just in time for the Alabama/Auburn game, of course.  Roll Tide!! :)  We got a few good photos that I wanted to share and I'm going to include a few fun memories that you probably won't get unless you were there...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

And a few memorable moments:

You just THOUGHT you could check in where you always have!
Yeah, those cabins are right next to each other - sure.
And hey, do you see those cabins that are connected with a screen porch? Now that's nifty! ;-)
2200 Butterflies?  You could've fooled me....
Smile for the camera and no one gets hurt! (and we get this over with faster - ha!)
I'm sorry... everyone has to be holding their own ticket!
Blankets?  Where are the blankets?
I hope they haven't replaced Snowflake!
Wow... it's 3D!
Oh no... don't tell me they aren't going to play Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer!
VIP party of 10?   I'm pretty sure that would be us!  ;-)
And one more time around just for good measure...
Who knew we had Mario Andretti for a bus driver?
So who's really bringing the VIP sign next year?  :)
Awesome Bingo prizes - yay Deb! :)
Tree killers!
Table for 10?  Really?
And finally --- drum roll please ---  NEW MANAGEMENT!

Just had to write down those because they made us laugh - a lot!  Really, it was such a fun Thanksgiving weekend.  And the realization is not lost on me that there may not be many more times, with Mackenzie already in college and almost yearly graduations to follow with the rest of the kids, where we all get to be together like this.  It was certainly a Thanksgiving to be thankful for and to remember.

 

A little old-fashioned

Today I am very thankful for my old-fashioned headphones. :) 

My kids make fun of me when I wear these and I keep thinking that I'm going to get the earbud kind...  but honestly, I've tried the earbuds and they won't stay in my ears! (I've decided I have defective ears - ha.)  Anyways, here's what made me thankful today.  I went out to run this morning and it was C*O*L*D and W~I~N~D~Y.   I was wearing all my cold weather gear, so that was OK...  but then I suddenly realized that with my old clunky earphones on, I not only got to listen to my music without fear of them falling off (or out!) but they also doubled as EAR MUFFS!  yay!  And my ears stayed very warm and I was very happy. :)

Handprints on My Heart

Well, I certainly have fallen off the goal of posting every day my thoughts about thankfulness.  I think perhaps I wasn’t committed enough to the idea to really make it happen.  And maybe I will blame being at the Sr. High Retreat over the weekend where I not only didn’t have wi-fi, but didn’t even have cell phone service – what’s a girl to do?   ;-)  But I’m back and wanted to post a thought that’s been brewing over the last few days.

Here are a few lines from the song “For Good” from Wicked:

So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend

Like I said in my last post, this musical is going to be with me for a while…  and the lines from this song have been playing over and over in my mind.   I sat today for a while and went back in time remembering friendships that have changed my life.  There are many.  I actually hate to make a list at the risk of leaving anyone out, but these are the names that came to mind as I ticked through the years... Lise’, KK, Kecia, Lori, Ginger, Sara, Noreen, Kristen, Regina, Toni, Melissa, Laura W., Lilliana, Wendy, Pam, Dorothy, Nancy, Laura M., Judy, Virginia, Colleen, Carol, Amy, Kathryn, Roseanne, Lynn, Cindy, Brenda, Tara, Tanya, Courtney, Misty, Lisa… a vast array of friends from all parts of my life.  Each has impacted me in ways that have forever changed me.  And I love the visual image of the ‘handprint on my heart.’  That’s really what it’s like, isn’t it?  People who touch your lives leave a distinct mark that forever shapes you along life’s journey.  I’m realizing that there have been so many life lessons, happy ones and hard ones, that have been learned in the fiery furnace of friendships over the years and tonight I’m thankful for all of it…  and as the song goes on to say:

Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better?

I do believe I have been changed for the better.
Because I knew you,
I have been changed for good.

Wicked!

I am thankful today, for yesterday. :) 

My parents very generously gave me 2 tickets to the musical, Wicked, for my birthday.  So yesterday, I drove up to Nashville with Lisa to see it.  I have to say that it met and very much exceeded every expectation that I had.  Wow, wow, wow...  if you ever have the chance to see this, please do it.  It's a great story...  the music and dancing were phenominal...  the sets were amazing...   and the age old stories of 'good vs evil' and the bonds of friendship will leave me thinking for a long time to come. 

After Wicked, we went to pick up Mackenzie at Lipscomb and got to go worship with her at Ethos.  Again, another wonderful experience.  The couple of times that I have had the opportunity to visit have left me feeling inspired, refreshed and encouraged, knowing that God is near and is relentlessly in pursuit of my heart.  The lesson for the night focused on Hebrews 12 and I was challenged by how much I am (or am not) striving to 'throw off everything that hinders, fix my eyes on Jesus, and remember that no matter how hard I feel it gets, still, I haven't yet resisted to the point of shedding my blood.'  Jesus was willing to do that for me - how willing am I to go there for Him? Oh how I resist the things that start coming to mind that probably should go that I still hold on to...  At one point the question was asked, "If you found out today that Jesus was just a hoax, would your life look all that different?"  You know, while I can say that would put me in all kinds of inward turmoil, I'm not really sure how different my life would look to the outside observer, and that causes me to pause and wonder what I'm really doing with my life?  Something to think about.

My very sweet daughter surprised me with this wreath that she made for my birthday.  She's decided to get 'crafty' and I was very impressed with her creation - right down to the handpainted 'houndstooth' on the "A" --   :)   It was great to be with her and have dinner together - a perfect finish to a perfect day.

So I thought I'd leave you with one of the last songs from Wicked called 'For Good.'  It's hard to choose between this one and 'Defying Gravity' for a favorite, but I love what this last song says about friendship and the kind of effect that friends have on our lives.  It's very profound...


 


"FOR GOOD"

ELPHABA
I'm limited:
Just look at me - I'm limited
And just look at you -
You can do all I couldn't do, Glinda
So now it's up to you
(spoken) For both of us
(sung) Now it's up to you:

GLINDA
I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you:

Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good

ELPHABA
It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend:
Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a skybird
In a distant wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you:

GLINDA
Because I knew you:

BOTHI have been changed for good

ELPHABA
And just to clear the air
I ask forgiveness
For the things I've done you blame me for

GLINDA
But then, I guess we know
There's blame to share

BOTH
And none of it seems to matter anymore

GLINDA ELPHABA
Like a comet pulled Like a ship blown
From orbit as it Off it's mooring
Passes a sun, like By a wind off the
A stream that meets Sea, like a seed
A boulder, half-way Dropped by a
Through the wood Bird in the wood

BOTH
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
I do believe I have been changed for the better?

GLINDA
And because I knew you:
ELPHABA
Because I knew you:

BOTH
Because I knew you:
I have been changed for good.

Husbands and Wool Socks

Today is almost over, so what I'm thankful for right this minute (as I just walked in the door) is my good husband who was willing to take the long way home and go by the church tonight to retrieve Anna's backpack from the church office porch where Rodney left it after she forgot to get it out of his car today.  This will enable her to get her homework done tomorrow. :)  And it kept me and Anna from having to make the trek by the church to get it so we could get home a few minutes faster and she could get in the shower and get to bed so she can get up and get to gym bright and early in the morning!  whew! 

Oh, and I'm thankful for warm wool socks and good boots that kept my feet nice and warm while standing outside on a cold night watching soccer games over in Decatur.

The Library

So the Main Library in Huntsville has become a home-away-from-home for me and Anna after school. (and her friend, Lena, who rides home with us)  So today, as I sit here and listen to her and Lena try to figure out what they are going to write in a prose response to Star Wars:  The Empire Strikes Back, I'm cracking up because we're using Wookeepedia (for real) to define sacred gardens and the planet Dagobah.......   anyways, that's enough of that.  Of course, this conversation is also interspersed with Lena looking up the latest on Justin Bieber's supposed baby...  oh my.  It's never dull.  ;-) 

So, I'm thankful today for the library because it's a great place for us to park ourselves and get some things done between school and gymnastics.  We think we get tired of it every now and then and have tried Starbucks and Books-a-Million.  But we always end up back here because it's really the best place.  If we had to go all the way home, it would just be crazy.  And they have free wi-fi, so I can sit here and amuse myself when my homework expertise isn't needed.  ha

We're not sitting near a window today, but a couple of weeks back when we were, there was a squirrel that decided to come and visit us...  that kept us entertained for quite a while! :)

Chasing the Call

Can I start out by saying that I'm NOT thankful for Halloween candy?  It's just too, too tempting! ;-)

OK, now THAT's out of the way -- what I AM thankful to for is my daughter, Mackenzie.  If you haven't discovered her blog, check it out here:

Chasing the Call

As I read through that from day to day and hear about her experiences, I'm inspired and challenged in my own faith and purpose.  And it's just an amazing feeling to see your kids grow in their own faith and relationship with God!  :)

A Month of Thanksgiving...

I've done this once before, and I'm going to try it again because November gets a little melancholy for me and a 'thankful' post every day is a good way to stay in a positive frame of mind!  So here goes...   

Tonight I am thankful for people who have an amazing, incredible, ridiculous talent for singing. (I'm trying to be thankful and not full of envy!  ha)  I know she's been on the scene for quite some time now, but I'm always a bit behind all the trendy stuff, and so I'm just really discovering Adele.  Wow.  Such a rich and soulful voice and such haunting melodies and lyrics that really stay with you...

So I downloaded a few songs and took a walk with them at sunset tonight.  I love her song, 'Someone Like You.'  But I was listening to 'Make You Feel My Love' and had a moment where I thought you could turn this song around and consider that Jesus could be singing this song to any one of us.  He's the only one I know who has truly 'gone to to the ends of the earth' to make us feel His love...

              For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
        so great is his love for those who fear him; 
              as far as the east is from the west,
        so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 
                                                         Psalm 103:11-12

Coincidence?

Maybe.  But I don't think so. 

I needed to get out of the house to pray today.  Too, too many distractions at home.  And Mandy needed a walk, too.  So we headed out this morning and as soon as we hit our stride walking down the sidewalk, I was overwhelmed by what a gorgeous day it was outside.  It was the perfect inspiration for praising God for how magnificent He truly is. 

So we walked and prayed - well, I prayed - I'm not quite sure where Mandy's head was at.  :)   And at one point I was talking to God about how thankful I was for His Spirit and presence in me.  I know that I often wander and stray from my own faithfulness to God, but He is always faithful to me.  And I was asking Him at that point simply to keep me constantly aware of His faithfulness and presence and to help me desire and do my part to stay near to Him...

And this is where the coincidence comes in.  ;-)

I had been noticing all the beautiful leaves on the ground as I walked the neighborhood.  But then I came upon some coins that were scattered on the sidewalk.  I almost passed them by but I was curious... at first glance it looked like it might be about 28cents on the ground.  My birthday is coming up on the 28th and this fleeting thought of "wouldn't it be funny if that was 28cents" flashed thru my silly mind.  I'm ridiculously sentimental about things and little weird things like that pop into my head when it comes to birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and the like... 

anyways...

I stopped and began to pick up the coins and quickly realized it wasn't going to be 28cents...  but you know what it was?  48cents!  And well, I will be 48 on my birthday.  :)   You may think I'm crazy, but given what I had just been praying, that put a smile on my face and made me feel like God was giving me a tangible sign that He was hearing what I was saying.  He is always near and even willing to use my silly sentimentality to let me know He's there.

I was looking back at some posts from this time last year and it was interesting to find that what I was doing a year ago looks almost exactly like what I am doing right now.  Liz Hurley run...  Getting ready for Huntsville vs. Grissom game...  although with both, the players have changed.  I ran with "Team Teri" last year and this year it was with Huntsville Gymnastics...  and last year I was getting ready for "Senior Night" with Mackenzie and today I am waiting for her and a friend to come home from college and Huntsville High is now Anna's school...   I guess a lot does change from year to year.

Speaking of change, I ran into an old college friend the other day that I hadn’t seen in quite a while.  We bump into each other every now and then around town.  We exchanged a quick hug, talked for a little while about our kids and what they are up to, and about what was going on in life.  At one point I was talking about Mackenzie and college and said, “I’m envious of Mackenzie…  I miss the old college days – wish I could go back…”   At this point she and I exchanged a little hint of an uncomfortable look between us because ‘back in the day’ we were really close friends and were an integral part of each other’s lives.  Today we are very far removed from that…  and it’s sad, partly because I know that a lot of the distance that exists between us is because I wasn't there for her when she needed me and I hurt her and we’ve never really gotten past it.  That’s a tough pill to swallow.  :(

I guess you can never really go back in time...  sometimes I get stuck thinking about what I'd like to 'do over' ... mostly these thoughts come in the form of 'doing things better' if I got the chance to and had the wisdom of hindsight on my side.  Sometimes the thoughts are kinda like what I was saying about going back to college and just enjoying times where life felt really good. 

Anyways, I am anticipating that this will be a weekend of good times and making good memories to draw on...  Mackenzie is bringing her friend Meleia home (who lives in Colorado, so it's a little far for her to go home for 'fall break' that is really only a long weekend!) and Anna has her friend Battle spending the weekend with us... so it will go from being very quiet around here to having a house full of girls for the weekend.  I'm definitely in need of the fun that will come along with having them all here...  yay!  :)

Hmmm... I wonder what this post will look like next year...  ?

Liz Hurley Ribbon Run for Breast Cancer

 Just wanted to post a few pictures here from the race last Saturday.  It was such a beautiful day - perfect for the run.  And it was a lot of fun to be part of the Huntsville Gymnastics Team.  Mostly thanks to our Team Leaders, the Kane family, we were able to raise $3745.00 !!  

Go Team!! :)

I always seem to look exacly like this every time there's a picture of me running...goofy.   And I'm only smiling at this point because I'm at the top of the last hill on the course! ha

Anna and Sadie rounding the last turn.

The aftermath...  :)

What gymnasts do when they're bored...  ;-)

Anna tells me that James used to do this with her when she was about half the size she is now! :)

There were so many 'creative' uses of the color pink EVERYWHERE!!

Another goofy picture...

Probably my favorite picture of the day...  Anna and Meggie watching the survivor's walk.  This was, after all, the whole reason we were there!!

Another Day on Green Mountain

Hills to be climbed

Valleys to traverse

Forks in the road

Obstacles to disperse

Empty, quiet chairs

Old covered bridge

Solitary leaf

View from the ridge

Beauty on the path

Sunlight through the trees

Peace across the pond

God in the breeze