~H~A~P~P~Y~ ~N~E~W~Y~E~A~R~ !!!

WoW, I didn't realize how long it's been since my last blog post... guess I've been a little busy~

Well here it is another new year. It's always exciting to me and always a little sad~ like saying good bye to an old friend. But then again, a new year is like saying hello to a new friend!

So much has happened since my last post~ I'll give you the quick rundown:

Mother~ since my last post mother became very sick from one infection and another. Physical therapy and home health care came out and helped her along but she soon wasn't able to walk so she became confined to her bed. We celebrated her 75th birthday at home. She was alert and had a good time opening presents and eating cake~ can't ask for any better than that! However, the next day the infection came back and it was off to the ER. We got that cleared up but from there she went to the nursing home here. Dementia has set in and now she is spending her days there. We have good days when she is chatty but then we have not so good days when she can't remember much~ I'm holding onto the good days! just embracing the journey!

Kenton~ had a great year in the 8th grade. He was a track star!! bringing home many blue ribbons and winning the Track Athlete of the Year! He also went to his first formal dance~ he looked so handsome! This school year he started High School and is now a Freshman-9th grade! believe me.. I cried all the way to work! It seems like yesterday when we were taking him to kindergarten~ he looked so small in that big elementary school and today he looked so small among those bigger boys in that high school~ this is the first year we didn't walk him to his class.. man that was the hardest..just dropping him off.. driving away.. He has fit in nicely and seems to like his new school. This year he played football for the first time~ he also made the Homecoming Court as a Freshman attendant!! Again, he was so handsome! He's now playing Basketball and gearing up for another season of Track! ~more to come on that!

Peyton~ he also has had a good time in school! He's been very busy this year! He is playing soccer and is goalie! he loves it!! has to have all the right gear and loves his sweatshirt with his name on it! He was given a music award from the local Kiwanis club~ it was a very big deal!! dinner and an very nice award! He plays his flute all the time and has also picked up a few more like the clarinet and saxophone. Guess he's musical like his dad! This past summer we stayed very busy at the local community theater. He was in Oklahoma and loved every minute of each play! After that he was in The Man That Came To Dinner. He is now taking dance with the dance teacher from OK~ so needless to say we are always at the dance studio! but he loves that too!! He wants to be on Broadway some day and I'm sure he'll make it one of these days!

Ken and I stay busy at work and are very blessed to have the jobs we have!

I promise to post more often~ hope that catches you up on the basics.

~Our 1 Year Anniversary~

It is almost inconceivable to think that it has been a year since we said good bye to Nashville as our home. It was a year ago today that I said good bye to my friends at Crievewood, our friends and church family at Hamilton UMC, our old neighborhood, and our family. I miss them all dearly!

The kids have adjusted well and love their new school. They have made some really good friends. Ken is still loving his new job and has adjusted to all of us being together under one roof~ that year apart was the pits... but at least we are all together again! We love our new church family and Church~ Everyone here has been so sweet and welcoming! I love my new job too and the people I work with are great! School for me has been trying at times.... but it will all be worth it in the end! I've made some really good friends there too. We still have so much to do to the house but that's just part of it!

We are looking forward to making many more memories here- I can' wait to post them as they happen~
Happy Anniversary~

Everything will be Fine in 2009~

I know people say it all the time... but where did the time go... we have had a great year! Every year we always go out to eat on New Years Eve.. and have our picture taken.. This year it was taken at that great Mexican resturant....Las Rancharo. We love eating there and the people are so nice!

I don't know how this new year can get any better... this past year was great! So many wonderful things happened; Mother licking that old Lung Cancer... she is doing so much better, Jaykala licking that old Leukemia.... she is doing so much better, Karen licking that old Breast Cancer... she is doing so much better, and everyone else being healthy! That was the best of all year!

Our house selling was a great way to celebrate the new year! We finally sold our house in March and the kids and I moved in May. We love our new house and new town. We have so much to do to our house but that's half the fun! The kids are really settling in and making some really nice friends.

We are so blessed with wonderful and good jobs. Ken is doing great at his job and is really liking it. I too am loving my job. What a blessing! I work with great people and I hope to get to know the community better that I will soon feel that I am doing some good for children here. While I miss all the kids and wonderful staff at Crievewood I can't really say I miss all other junk I had to put up with for the past 10 years... oh well.. that chapter is closed!

We have so much to be thankful for and so much to look forward to. My life is so blessed! I pray that all my friends have many blessing come their way this new year! ~happy N*e*W y*E*a*R everyone!!

The Quilt Shoppe With Mother~

I love nothing more than going shopping with my Mother~

When I was a little girl we used to go shopping every Saturday. We would hop on the bus and ride the bus to downtown Nashville. We would hit Harvey's, Cain Sloan, Woolworth, and then make a stop at the Ben West Library; it was great! Before we would leave we would either eat at Candy Land, the basement at Harvey's or upstairs in the Iris Room at Cain Sloan. We never really purchased anything, but we loved to look at all the "pretties" and then eat lunch. I loved those Saturdays with my Mother~

So today (Saturday, December 6) wasn't any different when Mother and I went out shopping! I was so excited that she was finally here in my new little town! Our first stop was a great quilt shoppe I love to visit - Needle Me This- they have beautiful fabric and it's a great place to just hang out and be inspired! The people there are so sweet! I frequent this place often and had told the manager, Charie about how much my Mother would love this place... I had told her she was coming to visit and how excited I was. She was very happy to see us and helped Mother around and was happy to help her~ what a dear she is!! This was a great shopping trip! One I will never forget, and every time I'm in the shoppe I will always remember my Mother and the fabulous day we had!!

Giving Thanks for So Much!

This has to be the best Thanksgiving I have had in a very long time! I have so much to be thankful this year.

Such as~ I'm thankful my mother was able to spend Thanksgiving with us! I'm thankful we finally sold our house and I'm thankful we are now all together in our new house! I'm thankful my In-Laws were able to spend Thanksgiving with us! I'm thankful for my new job and new friends. It goes without saying that I'm so thankful our kids are healthy! I'm so thankful that so many are on the way back to healthy; Mother, Karen, and Jaykala! ~ Praise God!! I hope you have a lot to be thankful for this year. Blessings, for a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Lions and Tigers and Bears Oh My~

October 31, 2008 - Halloween night~

Unbelievable! Halloween on our street! We made over 500 (no lie) goodie bags for Halloween and now they are all gone! I couldn't believe it - but our street was packed! Cars were lined up all the way up the street - they even had the Police around for crowd control!! They started coming at 5:00! and came until around 8:00. Big ones, little ones and everyone in between.... it was crazy! The weather was great... it had that hint of fall in the air.. it was nice but just chili enough that your costume wasn't too cold or too hot. It was the best Halloween I've ever celebrated~ Wow, look at those scary costumes.. no wait.. those aren't costumes.. those are teenagers... yep, that is even scarier!

September 11, seven years ago~

Seven years ago today our country was attacked. I guess everyone remembers where they were and has their own story to tell. I have one too, but I wont go into all that now....

However, today was just another day... seven years later.... Today was a busy day, Kenton had braces put on and I had to go to class tonight. As I rushed through this day I felt something was missing.. I didn't see any sign of remembrance of this day, seven years ago. Everyone was going about their day as if nothing happened, seven years ago. It made me wonder if anyone stopped to remember those lost in the senseless act of terrorism, seven years ago. And then, there it was an old car with a flag draped over the windshield. It was the only way they could display our American flag; it was their way of saying "we remember, seven years ago".

I love my country. I love that I am an American. I love that there are people who will stand for what they believe in and will guard this country. I thank them and pray for their souls. I pray this war will be over soon and that they can come home to a peaceful America.