Favorite Ornaments...

Our Christmas tree isn't a theme one.  It's a hodge podge of ornaments Tim's made or we have collected through the years.  I love being able to sit in my living room and enjoy looking at my Christmas tree every year.  I sit and think about Christmas's past with all of it's joy that Scot and I had as we watched Tim's face light up as he opened his gifts.  These days with his being 16 years old there's not as much excitement because it's hard to surprise a teenager with gifts when what they want is parts for a gaming computer...LOL! Stuff like that has to be thought through and carefully picked out with the advice of a computer gaming geek like our son who builds gaming computers for a living.  We always want to make sure that Tim is making the best decision and getting more bang for our buck...LOL! So suffice it to say that my joy comes from looking at the ornaments on the tree, especially the ones Tim made, and remembering Christmas past and all the fun memories we've had over the years.  Enjoying Christmas has a different meaning now and that's ok because there's always joy in sharing in the birth of our Savior Jesus and celebrating Him!  He is the real reason for the season and we have never forgotten that!  I pray you find lots of joy in this season as I do every year at this time.  God Bless You All!

No One Would Even Suspect...

No one would even suspect that Tim was ripped like this seeing how he dresses normally...LOL! His coach calls how he dresses his pump cover...LOL! It's a very true statement.  

I know which one I am. Do you?

 

Christmas Tree Is Up!

We finally got our Christmas tree up for the season.  We don't do a theme tree.  Ours is a hodge podge of ornaments either Tim has made or we have collected over the years.  It is the definition of a family tree and I so enjoy looking at every year once it's up.  This year though we will be having to keep a kitty out of it.  That should be tons of fun...LOL!   We have the kids Christmas done.  The little ones will have gifts but the big ones will get $$$.  It's easier that way because the older kids usually want things that cost a lot of money so if they collect money from everyone for Christmas then they can usually buy what it is that they really want.  

Thanksgiving...

 

I hope that everyone has had a fantastic Thanksgiving Day today!  Tim went to train earlier this morning and we've spent the rest of our day just relaxing at home.  We decided to do a different kind of Thanksgiving this year since it was just the 3 of us so we are having taco's for our meal this year.  Nothing traditional seeing as how cooking that much food is just a waste when it's just us.  

This year and every year I'm thankful for my Lord and Savior Jesus, my family, my friends, my home, running water, electricity, clothes on back, food to eat, a car to drive, a bed to sleep, for our health and for God's Angels who are always keeping watch over us.  I'm thankful for God's hand on our lives guiding us to the future that He has for us.  Thank you Lord for another Thanksgiving and Thank you Lord for all that you do for us and for so many others.  In Jesus Name, Amen!

Wednesday Blessings...

 

It's the day before Thanksgiving.  I hope that everyone has a very blessed day tomorrow with their family and friends giving thanks to God for his many blessings in your lives.  My heart is always so very thankful for all that God has done in my life.  He's my all in all, my everything!  God Bless you all!

My Nephew...

My nephew, Tristan, is a High School Senior this year.  This is his senior photo:

He looks so much like my dad when he was his age although my dad didn't have as long of hair as he has.  Tristan is an amazing young man who can make such a great future for himself.  All he has to do is work hard to make it happen for himself.  He's so smart.  I would even go as far as to say brilliant.  He hasn't applied himself as he should in recent years to his studies to have the grades that I know he would be having if he put in the hard work.  When he really applies himself it amazes me the grades he's made and in advanced courses too.  He was in advanced classes in most all of his subjects leading into high school.  Even though he's let things go in his high school years I still believe so much in all that he can accomplish in this life by just applying himself and putting in the hard work.  

It was never my heart that he be raised as cheerless as me and my siblings were raised but it happened.  I so wanted to raise him when my sister couldn't but she wouldn't give up parental rights to him so my husband and I could.  His life right now would be in a whole other place if we had been given the chance to raise him like we have raised our son.  He would have had all the same opportunities afforded him that our son has had and his life would be in such a great place as he graduates and starts thinking about his future and what that will be.  

Tristan is so handsome.  He can be and accomplish anything that he wants in life.  It's my prayer that he finds his footing and figures out what it is that he really wants to do and that when he figures it out that we will be able to help him accomplish his goals to make a better life himself than the one that has been dealt to him.   

We don't have to be the product of a negative upbringing.  We can make better decisions that lead to a more promising future.  We can press forward to better days than what we've had.  We can determine within ourselves to have better lives and if we bring a baby into the world that we do better by that child than was done to us.  We can have a hope and a future that is way better than where we came from.  I'm living proof that having a better life can happen.  My son is living proof that I broke chains off my life that had me bound that he's never had to experience.  He has total support from his dad and I.  Tristan can have that too but he will have to do as I had to do and break chains that are binding him and make a future for himself that's better than what he's coming out of as his graduates and goes out into this world.  

I'm praying and hoping for the best for this young man. I'm praying and hoping that his uncle and I will be able to help him make a more positive future for himself when he's ready to put in the work and make positive changes in his life for a brighter future.  

Friends...

 

I have to say that God has blessed me with several friends that fit this bill.  They have been constants in my life.  I know that I can turn to them anytime for help no mater the time and they will be there for me.  Some of them I don't talk to a lot but I know they will be there for me as I will be there for them.  Some of them I talk to daily or a least one to two times a week.  

True friends are hard to find but when you have them hold them close.  Our truest friends aren't just friends to us but they are family.  True friends really know us worts and all and remain our friends.  True friends aren't just our friends when times are good but when the worst of times happen as well.  They stand by us through thick and then.  True friends don't use us for what they can get out of us but they give of themselves to us.  They pour into our lives and we pour into theirs.  True friends aren't fickle.  They have the wherewithal to hang in there with us no matter the circumstances that life throws our way.  I have a handful of friends that are my true friends.  I'm so grateful to God for them.  God has really blessed my life and I will forever be thankful to Him for the blessing of my friends in my life.  I love you my true friends and you all know who you are.  

(I know more often than not this blog is more pointed toward our son and all that he's been accomplishing in his young life.  We didn't do that just to center on him but to give our family and friends a place to see updates on him/us.  More recently I've made more posts to share my thoughts.  So no longer will it be just a place to see updates on us as a family but to share thoughts as well that our son can look back on in years to come that will hopefully be here for him to look upon for a long time to come.  Thoughts that will be uplifting for him that he can learn from as well as others who might read it too.)  

Birthday Thoughts...

 

I'm 55 today.  Some days life seems to be flying by and others is seems to be going at a snails pace.  It's a beautiful sunny day today as I sit in front of my computer looking out the window from my desk.  We are full on in fall now.  The leaves are yellowing/browning on the trees and soon the trees will bare until springtime rolls around.  

My birthday always falls around Thanksgiving.  It reminds me of how much I have to be thankful for.  Everyday I'm so thankful for the basic things in life that I have to enjoy and don't have to suffer from not having.  Like running water, a roof over my head, a bed to sleep in, a kitchen to cook in, electricity to keep me warm/cool, furniture to sit on, clothes to wear, shoes for my feet, soap/shampoo to bathe with and I could go on and on with my list but you get my point by now.  Being thankful everyday to God for his blessings to me is such an easy thing to do.  A lot of days we get busy with our daily schedule and forget to be thankful.  Just being thankful that you woke to see another day is something to be thankful for.  We only have to start by being thankful for one thing in our lives and it doesn't take long before you are growing quite a list of things to be thankful for.  As I grow older and watch those I love pass on I'm thankful for the time that I've had with them.  We are not promised tomorrow so we need to be thankful for today and everyday that we have on this earth cherishing every moment of it.  

I have two amazing men that I get to do life with, my husband, Scot, and my son, Tim.  Outside of God they are my world.  We enjoy every ounce of time that we get to spend together.  We know how important we are to one another.  And we know the gifts that God has given us in this life and we cherish them.  

Having a relationship with God is the single most important thing in my life.  He has saved me from so many bad decisions that could have gone way wrong and snuffed my life out at a young age.  He's protected me through the years.  He's taken care of me and been there in times when I didn't have anyone but Him to turn to.  He's shown me what a life with Him should/can be.  He's blessed me in more ways than I could have ever even thought or imagined.  Life with God is the best part of doing life.  Making a decision to ask him in my heart and be my savior at the age of 12 was the best decision I ever made.  I've failed Him lots but He's still been here with me every step of the way.  I love how all encompassing His love is for me.  His love for me and for you is so incredibly great that it's no wander that I'm so in AWE of Him.  I just want to share this song with you today because it's my heart:

https://youtu.be/zyGfcujmePo

Lyrics:

I am amazed, at Your love

I am amazed, at Your mercy

That the God of forever, 

Would share it together, 

With me

I am amazed

That You chose me

I am amazed

That You show me

All the love of the Father

Taking me farther 

Than anything I've ever seen

I am amazed

I am amazed, at Your love

I am amazed, at Your Mercy

That the God of forever,

Would share it together, 

With me

I am amazed 

That You chose me

I am amazed 

That You show me

All the love of the Father

Taking me farther 

Than anything I've ever seen

I am amazed

I am amazed

I am amazed

All the love of the Father

Taking me farther

Than anything I've even seen

I am amazed

I am always so completely and deeply amazed at His love for me.  There is no explaining the depth of that kind of love but once you have felt it there is no forgetting it ever!!!  It stays with you.  It goes with you everywhere you go and in all that you do.  No earthly love that we have for one another can even compare to it.  God's love is just Amazing!  I'm in Awe of it.  I'm thankful for it.  It's something that I will never let go of.  I carry it with me always because I know what it's like not to have that love in my life and I never wanna go back to that ever again.  

There's no one that can ever touch your heart and life like God can.  And we have this promise that He will never leave us or forsake us.  He will always be with us.  His love endures forever.  He is such an Awesome God!!!  I will always and forever be amazed at His love for me, His mercy towards me and that He shows me His love and takes me farther than anything I've ever seen in my faith walk with Him - I AM AMAZED!!!

Our New Family Member...

In two weeks this adorable little girl will be ours. We found her in a parking lot by the inside back tire of a car. No other cats or kittens were around. It was obvious she was dumped. Tim has begged us for years for a cat and fell in love with her. A cat rescue helped us get her nursed to health and now she’s almost ready to come home😊. We are so excited and can’t wait to get her to her forever home. I’m not normally a cat person at all but it was as if she was God sent to us. We just couldn’t in good conscience not take her in to be a part of our family. She will be so loved and blessed.