A Year in the Life

This year has been CraZY!  Kids moving in, kids moving out, jobs, volunteering & just life, in general, has made this year fly.  We did take some time out this Christmas to go visit my brother & his family in Tampa.  Every time we go down there I have to remind myself that if Cotton wants to engage in high-risk behavior I will go & have fun & think about potential consequences later.  Cotton has a history of having us do dangerous activities. What are some of those you might ask?  Well, I'm glad you did.  Canoeing with alligators, hang-gliding, trapeze lessons, and paddleboarding (potentially with sharks).  The main thing missing from this list is skydiving.  We knew there was a high probability Cotton would book us all tandem jumps for Christmas.  I accepted it, because what am I supposed to do, let my kids go & me not?  I don't think so.  In the car, we were all in agreement Cotton was going to tell us w...

The last two weeks have been CrAZy!  Oh wait, our weeks are always crazy.  :)  Because of what we did over Christmas vacation I have some definite opinions about a few things.  I know, hold your comments, I have opinions about pretty much everything.  Here goes... This reminds me of a Christmas Carol. We left Christmas day for Park City, Utah for the fam to take our vacation skiing.  We are usually spring skiers, but because Hop's spring break is different from the other three, Harry had the idea to go at Christmas.  We left the 25th so I didn't really decorate the house for Christmas.  I put out our favorite decorations, but I didn't put out everything, and it was all packed up before we left.  I didn't even wrap any presents.  I love Christmas, so this part was hard for me to swallow. All my peeps skiing on the 26th. We arrive in Utah to it snowing.  It was in the 20's, which is cold but manageable.  My first hic...

Harry 18, Hopson 20, Elizabeth 14 1/2, Henry 12 1/2 I love this time of year.  I love it for all the reasons I've said in dozens of different posts over the years, but I think today I love it because it means all my chicks are here in the nest, and my home feels complete. The other night I was sitting at the computer writing & heard the high pitched tapping sounds of the ping pong being volleyed from one side of the table to the other from up in the playroom.  I stopped and just listened.  I heard brothers talking & laughing like they did when all four were here all the time.  It was a beautiful sound and it made me smile.  It's amazing how things change when just one is gone.  The schedule isn't quite as robust; there's one less mouth to feed; and there's a little less talking and laughter.  So, I love this time of year. I love it that Friday we will all go see a movie like we did when the four were little.  I love it when Hop wil...

As all moms know, December is CrAzY!  Not only is there the regular schedule to keep up with, but you have added in the seasonal schedule: decorating, cooking, Christmas cards, gift buying & wrapping ~ to just name a few.  Christmas is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but instead it turns into the most dreaded & miserable time of the year. Ask me how many people I've heard complain about their extended families & having to spend time with them.  Ask me how I felt last night at the Galleria.  You know what, I felt sad.  I saw unhappy people trying to find gifts for people they don't really like with money they probably don't have.  The whole season gets kicked off with Black Friday which has turned into something ugly & selfish.  I don't want to be that way at Christmas.  I want to feel the love of my family.  I want to laugh and make happy memories.  I want to lavish in the simplicity of the king wh...

I have MANY things in my life to be thankful for.  Much more than I deserve.  Today is Harry's birthday, he's 17, where did that time go?  Hopson's birthday was yesterday, I won't tell you how old he is, but he's one year older than me.  If you need to know my age, click here .  :)  I was able to do something earlier this month that was one of the coolest things ever. I love to dance.  I always have.  My friend Steven, who was my boyfriend in middle school, used to put his hand on top of my head to try to stop me from dancing.  My theme song back then was, All She Wants to Do is Dance .  You know, not much has changed.  I hear music & I just have to dance.  (granted, things to move quite like they did 30 years ago.)  So does Elizabeth.  I'll be cooking dinner; music is playing; E & I are dancing around the kitchen.  Yes, it's a personal problem, but a good one if you have to have a personal problem, but...

I thought I would go with another Epiphany theme for today's posting.  I love the song We Three Kings.  It's so cool to think about these guys.  Don't think of them as showing up Christmas night to see the baby Jesus, because that is not how it happened. These guys were astrologers in the Orient.  Someone told me they were known as 'king makers'.  While studying the skies they noticed a new star that had settled over Jerusalem.  They knew it was a special star & set off, on their camels, to find out what king was living under that star.  This was a several thousand mile journey, not just a jaunt over the next hill. It is often speculated that there were three wise men, but there could have been more.  What is important is that when they saw Jesus, who is between 1 and 2 when the Magi arrive, they knew he was the messiah.  They didn't hesitate in giving their obedience ...

I love Christmas.  I love everything about it.  The decorations, the music, the time with family, and most of all celebrating the birth of the one person who came to change the world, and break the bonds of sin. I love Christmas carols, especially the ones that have Christian meanings.  Did you know that the 12 days of Christmas have Christian symbols throughout it?  I read them a few years ago but decided to dig them out since right now we are in the 12 days of Christmas making our way to Epiphany January 6th. The 12 days of Christmas were written to help people remember 12 tenants of the Christian faith.  They're fun to know, so I've put them below.  See how many you know; we had fun talking about these Christmas Eve after church.  I hope your family enjoys them also! May your days be merry & bright! Celebrating Life! ~ashley The meaning behind the 12 days of Christmas   Gift Interpretation A partrid...