It's almost Christmas time!

When I was in college, we had this album in our apartment that my roommate got at YL camp. There was a song on it called, "It's almost Christmas time" I always think about that cheesy song this time of year and how much I have grown and changed in these 30 years.

Tyler is coming home in two days. I am glad, but a little nervous about all of us handing his readjustment. I'm glad I have been out of the ocuntry so I can remember how it feels to be so overwhelmed with Ameica, the opulence, the overindulgence, the
materialism...

I hope we can have a Christmas that is simple and about Christ and our family.
I hope yours is too...

Traditions and Milestones.......

Last Sunday we put up the tree, not a big deal for some....
but for team LRVN, it is a huge part of the Christmas tradition.
I made a huge mistake, we actually went to get the tree without the kids!
We were trying to use our time wisely...
All was forgiven and we had a fun day. This year was especially great for me,
I got to hold Max while the kids put the ornaments on the tree, laughing, making fun of the silly ornaments and keeping the tradition of
"voting an ornament off the tree"!

I am truly blessed.........

Today, a milestone! Kacy graduated from the University of North Texas
after a long, long, long and difficult season of school. She wanted to quit so many times, but continued to plug away and today, she reaped the reward of her hard work and perseverance!
I was never so proud of her.
She is exceptional and has overcome so much. I believe her comment at dinner, though serious, marks how we all feel about the day. She said, "Not only did I think I would never finish school, I didn't think I would live long enough to do it"....that says it all.

God has been so faithful to us..........

Merry Christmas to you!

An Amazing Day........

My friends with grandchildren kept telling me how amazing it is...........
I (in my usual way) decided to wait on the decision........but I have to say
THAT THEY WERE RIGHT!!

Seeing your child's child is one of the most amazing experiences.
I am in love in a whole different way......the awe and mystery of meeting a whole new human being. Someone who did not exist this time last year is in our family.
God is so amazing........he is so creative. I am looking forward to getting to know my new love.
I am sure more will follow...............

I will pray for Barak Obama

Well, America has chosen.
While I risk coming across as a bigot and a redneck, I must admit that I am disappointed in the choice. NOT because he is black ( or half-black) but because he is not opposed to taking the life of the unborn. Because he has the audacity to say "that decision is above my pay-grade" when asked if life begins at conception. C'mon, really? When did his amazing daughters come to "life"? At what moment did they become his children? 4 days? 12 weeks? 6 months?
More than 3000 babies are killed every day in America. What if that were soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan? Do you think the media would stand for that? The press would be screaming for an end to the genocide! But we will all answer for this choice......

I believe that America has lost it's compass. I will continue to pray. I will also pray for Barak Obama. He will need it, he has no idea what he has gotten himself into........

Pumpkin Carving Day

I love fall.........
I love the cooler weather. I love the change in colors and decorations. I love that the holidays are soon here.
We have lots of fall traditions, sometimes I think that we are going to outgrow them, but I am always reminded that the kids need them. It is continuity for them in a changing world. I love that Mikey still wants to carve with us.

I am really anxious about the election. I know that God is in control of all things, even the nations. But I am afraid for our country and the direction it is heading. Scooter is confident that God is going to cause a miracle and show the media who is REALLY the influencer of minds and hearts in our country. I am praying he is right........
Pray for America!

Milestones and Musings

Milestones:
Kyle is about to be a mom.
Joey is about to be a daddy.
Kacy is about to graduate from UNT.
JD is leading her well.
Tyler is contemplating a life in China.
Amy is accepted to OU.
Scooter and I have been married 10 years on November 22!
We are a blessed family.
God is good....
Amen!

Musings:
I have become the woman I have always been so critical of.
I have not made dinner for my family since school started. We are gone almost every weeknight. I miss cooking and having dinner as a family. I miss having friends over for dinner and great conversations. I am going to make some changes, I don't like this.........
Lord, help me make the changes I desire for my family...........

Cooler Weather is on the way!

I bought some pumpkins today! I love the fall, the colors, the weather, the clothes, the food!
There is always something exciting about that first crisp morning and fire in the fireplace.

This fall has been so busy.......Volleyball, Captivating,
Wild at Heart, Small group........
All wonderful things, but I am ready for some nights at home watching TV!
I miss making dinner and sitting around talking after a meal. I tried to cook last week and burnt some stuff......amazing how you get out of practice when you stop doing something regularly.

We have our first baby shower this weekend! I have not started on our "kid" room yet! I guess I think I will have time later.....but it is only a few weeks away. I can't wait to meet Max or Olivia and let them spend lots of time being spoiled by GiGi and Pop!
Yes, Joey, I want to be GiGi.....it's my name and I'm sticking with it.

God is so good to us.......we are truly a blessed family.

Scooter's Birthday Surprise!

I sort of pulled off a surprise for Scooter...........we went to see the EAGLES in concert on Saturday night. It was awesome. We had expensive and very HIGH seats at the AA center, but it ended out being just a part of the memory.
After we adjusted to the altitude!
The EAGLES are still great, they sounded great, they are still hot.....even though they are old.
They dubbed the concert "The Assisted Living Tour"...and the crowd was strangely old.....at first I thought we might be at the wrong concert (?)maybe Lawrence Welk, but the music brought us all back 30 years....it was a good night, and did I mention we took the train?
Very 70's eco-minded, Scooter and I......

Sunday we had a cookout with family to celebrate Scooter turning 57...it was fun. The cake was great ,as usual, and we had beautiful weather. We were missing Tyler, but it was fun to think about him being a half a world away. Parker and Amanda are growing so much! They are bigger that my kids............Micah is a cutie pie. It was fun to see everyone.

Tonight I got to drive a Lexus hard top convertible at the KHS homecoming parade. I looked so cool! You have to look cool when you drive that car. I am going to drive a lexus hard top convertible in heaven, black with dark tan leather.........just FYI.

The week begins

I am writing this blog so Tyler can see what is going on at home, but I can't figure out how to connect our blogs! Hopefully, one of my more savy daughters will help me soon...........

We made the stuff for Baby V's nursery on Saturday, it is really cute. The fabric is called "Olivia dreams big." Scooter and I think it is an omen, but we will be really happy to meet Max if he shows up, too!

I am going to feed Amy's VB team on Thursday for their weekly team meal. I am excited that she asked them to come to our house and we get the opportunity to be with them.

Our grand-dog Cocoa came over Sunday to hang out w/ Kacy and JD, she is still calm, but she was exploring a bit more, she is really cute..........

Scooter's birthday is coming up this weekend (57! he is old!) and I have a surprise
I hope he likes.........
I think it is going to be awesome and different than our usual dinner/movie date.

Captivating is going great..........it is so much fun to meet these new women who are hungry to know God in a deeper way........

Here we go.......

I got a new phone today........what a pain. Isn't it wierd how much we have come to rely on our cell phones? I remember a time when it was quite a priviledge to even own one.....now I consider it a necessityand........ I hate predictive texting.........just wanted you to know.



I got an e-mail from Tyler today,he arrived safely, had a whole row on the flight and he is in an amazing apartment. Apparently he is planning to drink Scotch and smoke in China.........oh, Tyler.........some things are best left unsaid.

I am glad to hear he is safe, I am mostly over the angst I have been feeling these past weeks.

God is really answering my prayers that I will rest in his care of my son.



Amy is having a great senior year so far..........all 6 days of it! She is getting to start on the V-ball team, I knew she would if she just hung in there.....she has an amazing parking spot!



Kyle and Joey are getting ready for our baby V......I am getting more excited as the day draws close.........I will be sewing my little fingers off for the next few days, but I am happy to help them get ready for the first team LRVN grandchild.



Kacy and JD have a new addition to their family, a cute puppy named Cocoa (Krisp), she is going to be their guard dog in Honduras, but she doesn't seem like she is going to be very scary to me.

She is actually quite friendly and sweet..........hopefully Scooter will like her so much I will be able to get a puppy when I have an empty nest next year! Hint,hint.......



I guess that's an update for now. I started a "Captivating" Bible study last week w/ 10 ladies, it is going to be awesome, I just adore watching women grasp the truth of God's love for them.

Scooter and his buddy Keith are going to do a "Wild at Heart " study in a couple of weeks.

It is such a priviledge to be a part of bringing this message of life to men and women in our church.



One last thing........Sarah Palin Rocks!