Time flies. There seems to be no time to keep up with my Blog, and I wonder why.  I don’t have children at home, homework to help with, laundry for four, running kids back and forth to practices, cooking for a big family at night.  So, why can’t I find time to keep up with my Blog?  Even though there are only 2 of us, it’s amazing how busy we are.

As a friend of mine (Joy) did, I want to reflect on what all happened in 2011 as I prepare for new adventures in 2012.

1.      First and foremost, we hosted a wedding – our own.  June 11^th was a really special weekend filled with great friends coming to help out, family visiting, water sports and fun shared by many, awesome 160 lbs of BBQ grilled right in our own front yard on a big pit, and such a sweet romantic ‘ceremony’ for us.  

2.      A snow-ski trip to Snowshoe, WV in January 2011.  Twenty-five of us stayed in a 4-story house on the Mtn and it was a blast.  I did not ski so well, but the experience of it all combined with great friends was a memory I will never forget.

3.      Surgery on my shoulder – I had surgery on my rotator cuff and bicep tendon repair. It turned out to be a lot more than the Dr. diagnosed resulting in a long 7 week recuperation out of work, and a tough time of physical therapy.

4.      Surgery for Don and Luda – Don had surgery on his nose which had been broken a few times.  Repaired deviated septum.  Luda had surgery on some neck vertebrae.

5.      Taking care of aging parents –  mine and his.

6.      Renovations and additions to the cabin – a new fenced-in back-yard, large ramp onto the deck, flower beds, kitchen additions (new cabinets and island), and lots of small repairs and improvements inside.  Not to mention the work it took to combine furniture, kitchen items, etc. and decide what to keep and what to get rid of.

7.      Adjustments !!!!  – The entire year was spent learning and adjusting to the new job, living in Sylacauga then living in Alex City, a long commute to work , leaving the beach and friends there, leaving Ryan and Ashley 4 hrs away.

8.      More adjustments !!!  Living at the lake, sharing a bed with someone, coming home to someone.  And driving home to find someone waiting on the pier with ski’s loaded and the boat in the water, waiting on a late afternoon ski run.  These were GOOD adjustments ! 

9.      New cars –  I was driving an 11 yr old car with over 155,000 miles (and a load of problems). He was driving one with over 180,000 miles and beginning to have problems.  We were frugal, shopped and found the deal of a lifetime.

10.  Travels !!  We went to Callaway Gardens several times, Atlanta (Lake Lanier), the beach (to see Ryan and Ash), Crystal Lake (fantastic time), a N’ville fall-trip, and quite a few day-trips, also.   We spent New Year’s (Dec 30 & 31) weekend in Gallatin, TN, with great friends.  What a way to begin 2012!

11.  Hosting several get-togethers at the Lake – After the wedding we had quite a few weekends filled with family, friends, our kids, a church group. . .  spending time on the water of course is probably our top interest !

What will 2012 hold?  I can only imagine because Don and I have a lot of things going on, decisions, and a ton of things to do around the cabin this year.  But, I am so very thankful we found each other, and we are so blessed.  As we enter our 8^th month of marriage, things are still going great and we look forward to many new adventures.

    From a wedding ceremony: "Nothing is easier than saying words and nothing harder than living them day after day. What you promise today must be renewed and re-decided tomorrow. At the end of this ceremony legally you will be man and wife, but you still must decide each day that stretches out before you, that you WANT to be married.
    Real love is something beyond the warmth and glow . . . beyond the excitement and romance of being deeply in love. It is caring as much about the welfare and happiness of your marriage partner as about your own. But real love is not total absorption in each other; it is looking outward in the same direction -- together.
    Love makes burdens lighter, because you divide them. It makes joys more intense because you share them. It makes you stronger so you can reach out and become involved with life in ways you dared not risk alone."

I almost asked Brother Cullins to say this in our wedding ceremony.  {Yes, Don and I got married on June 11th in what was to us one of the most fun, glorious, meaningful weddings we could have dreamed of.} 

Sometimes I grew weary of people teasing and asking if we had 'lost our minds to get married again'.  If only they new just how serious we took it!  

This is my Blog so I will only speak for myself.... but it was such a deep serious decision. I did not go into this marriage with rose-colored glasses thinking we were different, or that we will not have problems to solve, or that it will be a fairy-tale marriage.  However, I feel we both did go into this marriage with total Commitment.  When I said I'd marry him, there were no thoughts of "well if this does not work out", because I personally believe that is accepting 'doom' before the marriage even begins.  I know we have learned a lot from our pasts, and will do whatever it takes to make this a successful marriage.

I won't bore you with ramblings of how much I love this man, or how wonderful I think he is, or how much fun we have just doing day-to-day things.  But since we've only been married 6 weeks I will tell you I'm happier than I have been in a very very long time, and very content with life.  As the words from the ceremony above said, every day I wake up and "re-commit that I WANT to be married to this man". 

In my poem/vow I read to him on our wedding day I said, "If I did not LOVE you, I would still want You to be My best friend."  I married my best friend on June 11th, and I pray for our marriage, lives and commitment to each other every single day... several times!! 

{In future weeks I will post other thoughts and views, or experiences I have about life and marriage.... thus I changed the name of my Blog to just that.  I hope you enjoy my new direction in life.}

Prayer - It's Now or Never

My friends, here we are in 2011 and we are seeing very hard times. 

I have friends who are experiencing hardships like I've never seen in my lifetime:  Job loss or big salary cuts, home foreclosures and business losses, deeply injured relationships or divorce, loss of faith and questioning God, and unbelievable financial hardships. 

 

I have experienced some tough times in my life, and have not always turned to prayer and God when I should have.   Yet the Lord has proven to me that He is always here for me, and loves me unconditionally when others have not. 

     "No one is a firmer believer in the power of prayer than the devil; not that he practices it, but he suffers from it" ~~Guy King.

            Well said, Guy King! 

           

     Some have been to the mountain.  I have been to my knees by the side of my bed ~~Robert Brault. 

     

     I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.  ~~Abraham Lincoln

I love these three quotes. I've found myself on my knees in prayer many times in my life, despite the devil's influence.  God has answered some prayers, and he's NOT answered some (or answered my prayers in a different way).  I am sure you've experienced this same thing.

While we all pray. . . We also long to connect with someone who can identify with what we are going through in our daily life.  "Prayer is just that -- a personal experience and intimate connection with our loving Heavenly Father."

 You might be asking how all this ties together?  At the beginning I spoke of untold hardships among friends and family, and many of these friends have spoken to me about prayer.  Many have said 'Without prayer I could not make it through the day', 'We would have never survived this ordeal without prayer", and 'Prayer and God was our only hope'.

     Recently I received a daily devotion by Rick Warren and it contained the most precious prayer that touched my heart in these days of turmoil:

 

“Lord, I have so many things on my plate. They are impossible. I can’t do them all today so help me know what’s important and what’s not important.
Help me not to worry about not getting the unimportant things done.
Help me focus on what matters most.
I need your strength today to do what I need to do today.
I have some financial, physical and emotional needs and I’m depending on you to help me today.”

Recently I read in 'what order' we should pray beginning with "Thanks" to Him for the blessings He's given us and the prayers He has answered.  And thank Him for the good things in our lives.  Follow by praying for others and their healing, help, etc.  Then talk to God about ourselves -- confessing sin to him -- praying for blessings, assistance, forgiveness, guidance, etc. 

  

     "God has editing rights over our prayers.  He will . . . edit them, correct them, bring them in line with His will and then hand them back to us to be resubmitted" ~~ Stephen Crotts.  

Do you struggle with asking for what YOU want, instead of praying for God's Will to be done. . . and trusting that HE knows best?   I do.

I have struggled with this all my life many times failing and asking for certain things instead of asking to be blessed with what "God knows is best for me".   It's almost amusing to look back at some of the things I prayed for, and received, only to deeply regret it later.  

I am no better than anyone else in my faith.  I struggle daily.  But I do know that prayer has helped me through all my life, and through some of the toughest things I've ever gone through. 

I encourage you to continue to pray, and I pray He will ease the burden of many of my friends and help them find peace in these hard times.

      God Bless my Friends

A Passion . . . Photography

"Sometimes I get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter." ~Ansel Adams. Photographer/artist

            Wow, doesn't that quote by Ansel Adams say it all?  I am so blessed that I've stumbled upon several scenes when God was ready for me to click the button. 

            I am NOT a good photographer.  I struggle with composition, and all those camera settings:  aperture, shutter speed, ISO, exposures, and a multitude of things my Nikon D5000 is capable of that I have yet to master.  I have the DVD, I've spent countless hours on Nikon's website, and read two photography books.  I still have so much to learn.

            But what I DO possess is a Passion for photography.  I've had a deep interest in photography since a child.  I would stare at the National Geographic in particular, marvel at the photographs, and dream of recreating those amazing photos.  Different angles, odd shots, and unusual subjects intrigued me.

I think a photography class should be a requirement in all educational programs because it makes you see the world . . . rather than just look at it.  ~Author Unknown

            I went through all the standard 1970's cameras -- the Polaroid Swinger, the Kodak disc, and a Kodak 110.  I vividly remember my first 35 mm film camera in the late 80's which we purchased to preserve all those treasured photos of our growing children.  Canon and Fugi digital cameras followed over the next 10 years. 

            Yet, the 'delay' of the photographic moment is what frustrated and perplexed me.  I wanted a photo of that split second the baby smiles for the first time, the fish jumps from the water, the bird soars across my head, or the skier cuts precisely around the buoy on the slalom course.  Regular "point and shoot" digital cameras have a 'hesitation' while the mirrors adjust before the image can be transferred to the camera's memory.  Also, auto-focus can delay the instantaneous photo you desire.

            My dreams came true this past summer (2010).  Don and my children gave me a Nikon D5000 digital SLR camera for my birthday.  Yes, I cried. 

            I have had an incredible time with this camera and am constantly learning more and more about it.  I am partial to manual focus especially when photographing fast moving sports/objects such as water skiing. 

My portraits are more about me than they are about the people I photograph.  ~Richard Avedon 

             I can relate to this quote.  Photographs not only tell something about the subject, but about the photographer -- their interests, likes/dislikes, and even how they view the world.  Some enjoy black/white photography, some prefer sports, some prefer landscapes, and so on. 

            When I look back at photograph's I've taken, some of them clearly show my feelings, and how I viewed the subject and the world at that precise moment.

A good snapshot stops a moment from running away.  ~Eudora Welty

         I hope to take a photograph that will make you go "ahhhhhh", create a stirring in your soul, a memory, or as the quote above states, "stop a moment from running away".   THAT is what I strive for.

          In closing, let me leave you with this quote:

"There will be times when you will be in the field without a camera.  And, you will see the most glorious sunset or the most beautiful scene that you have ever witnessed.  Don't be bitter because you can't record it.  Sit down, drink it in, and enjoy it for what it is!"  ~DeGriff

{Thanks to Don, for the most wonderful gift ever !!|

A Stay at the Inn

On the way to Snowshoe, West Virginia we decided to spend a couple of days relaxing at a Bed and Breakfast -- "Inn at Mountain Quest".  What an undiscovered jewel sitting back in the West Virginia hills. 

Late on New Year's Eve after a long and tiring 14 hour drive we rounded a curve to a welcome site.  A large white farmhouse with an adjoining wing of guest rooms sitting out in the middle of a snow covered field brightly lit in the dark of the night with white fences adorned in red Christmas bows.  It was just like a real-life Christmas card.

Here is an excerpt from their website: Nestled in the heart of the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia, this 450 acre mountain complex offers the opportunity for individuals and groups to relax, reflect, enjoy their surroundings, learn and interact with others in exploring the most important aspect of our lives, our organizations, our world. The 150 acres in the valley is a working farm and is home to horses, llamas and Long Horn cattle.  From above, whether misty or clear, the beginnings and endings of daylight are spectacular, and the view of the valley in the quietness of the hills brings with it a sense of peace and wellbeing.

As we opened the door to our "theme" room I was amazed at the splendor and detail. 

There were two queen mahogany carved canopy beds with beautiful brocade bedding, mahogany hardwood floor, punched-tin ceiling, and antique furniture. 

The focus of the room was the huge ornate early 1900's dollhouse on display.

Each of the 10 guestrooms has it's own individual theme such as the "Hangar", "Oriental", and "Rustic Roost". 

For me there were two highlights of the Inn.  The first being the 2 story private library with over 23,000 books.  

The Library in itself is ornate and wonderfully decorated including a grand piano and big comfortable leather furniture perfect for lounging and reading. 

The second highlight of the Inn was the livestock.  There are two huge red barns on the property housing a multitude of goats, Shetland ponies, llamas and Arabian horses.  

After a delicious hot breakfast, we joined the owners in the barn to feed the horses.  It was a beautiful site to see each horse released from it's stall to run into the field of snow.

I've never been up close and personal with a llama but they are adorable creatures.  Andrea received quite a treat ~~~a llama 'kiss'.  

There is a four-story tower joining the farm house with the fourth floor being a glass-domed observatory complete with telescope to enjoy the starry nights.

We hiked to the top of a hill overlooking the farm, enjoyed a snow-ball fight, and had a fun-filled afternoon watching the Alabama game on a large screen TV.  Some played pool, some relaxed in the library, and some took advantage of the serene atmosphere and napped. 

New Year's Day 2011 ended with our entire group gathering around a beautiful formal dining table for a wonderful meal of pasta, chicken breast in wine sauce, and vegetables.  As we surrounded the table holding hands and said Grace one of the owners, Alex, a former opera star, also serenaded us with one of the most touching Blessings I've ever witnessed in my life.  

I said the Library and livestock were the highlights of the Inn, yet when I think of the days we spent there I believe all of us gathered around the dinner table that night, laughing, anticipating our snow ski trip, discussing our activities of the day. . .  THAT was the highlight of the 'stay at the Inn' for sure.  What a great group of people and I am so lucky to now call them my friends.

The War - Heart vs Mind

She still had the heart of a young person.  We are not talking the physical beating heart that pumps blood through our veins.  We are talking the spiritual ‘Heart’ that experiences joy, happiness, and love; and also the one that can be broken.

Her Heart still felt as it did in her early 20's. Just as when she was young she could feel the pitter-patter of excitement.  Her Heart fluttered to think of a phone call or romantic card in the mail.  Butterflies still erupted when she anticipated the first sight of him after being apart.  The Heart felt hope – it wanted to trust, love and be happy.

But after years of life experiences including deaths of loved ones, suffering, lies, and hurt . . . the Mind deceived her.  It seemed to lock in these experiences.  It felt deception, hurt and had a hard time trusting again. It was suspicious.  The Mind would say to the Heart, “Go ahead and do it. Throw the Heart out there and watch it be hurt or broken. . . again.”

And so the Heart and Mind are at War. 

The Heart is light, it forgives, it needs nurturing ~~ it wants to trust, feel joy, experience love again.  The Heart NEEDS to love again.

But the Mind can be heavy, unforgiving, and screams “Beware.  Look out.  Danger.”   After much hurt the Mind used its Past in choosing how to react. It was if it was tarnished permanently. The Mind cannot forget.

The answer to the War of the Heart and Mind is FORGIVENESS.  Yes, she knew her Mind and Heart must FORGIVE.

She turned her Heart to God and asked for Healing.  She asked him to help her see Good again, distinguish Bad, make wiser decisions, forgive, and she prayed for "His Will to be done" in her life. 

YOU can ask Him to heal your Mind from its hurts, anger, and suspicions.  Ask Him to help You forgive, and trust again, just as she did.

Psalm 51:17
God never rejects a weak and weary heart that seeks Him. No matter how broken-down and overwhelmed we are, God welcomes us and is willing and able to help us.

A Great Way to start the Year. . .

“Real satisfaction is found not in money, but in loving relationships with God, our spouse, children, and friends. Loving relationships are our greatest assets. Most of us could live with less money, and may of necessity have to do so. But, if that helps us focus on relationships, then we still come out winners. Let me remind you of the words of Jesus: "A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." If you understand that truth it will change your life forever.”  

This was excerpted from an article by Gary Chapman, author of the Five Love Languages, and really touched me.  I’ve had times in my life when material possessions played too much a part of what I ‘thought’ would make me happy instead of the family and friendships I should have treasured . . .along with a deeper relationship with God.  But I now realize WHAT is truly important and what really makes me happy.  I’d like to share a recent experience with you that is related to the above discussion. 

  This was one of the BEST New Year’s I’ve ever had in my life and was spent with some great new friends in West Virginia on a snow ski trip.  

We had 25 people in a 4-story cabin/condo and while it may sound crowded, it was a blast.  We cooked hot chili’s and soups to warm us from the cold, took lots of great photos, played hilarious games til midnight or after, played in the snow and had snowball fights, and laughed until my sides hurt.  

“Apples to Apples” and “Catch Phrase” are my two favorite new games.  I will forever hear names crackling over the 2-way radios such as “Moon-doggie” “Helen Keller” “Green Hornet” “Bodacious Betty” “Foxy Roxy” and of course “Tiny Dancer”. 

Most of this group became friends over 30 years ago through water skiing and/or Callaway Gardens and have remained friends through the years enjoying annual beach/Lake weekends, and snow ski adventures. During all of this ‘fun’ it’s always apparent how this group cares for each other despite their ribbing and teasing each other. 

In fact we had a devotional that Sunday night and Dave spoke about the comaraderie and encouragement this group has for each other.

As I lay flat in the snow  from a fall or as I crept down the mountain in my prevalent “pizza slice” stance I received only encouragement (with a few friendly giggles). 

 

As I said, it was one of the best times I’ve ever had, and an adventure I’ll always remember.  "Thanks” Don for inviting me, and a big thanks to all of them for making me feel welcomed on this particular adventure at Snowshoe.