What if...

A friend sent this in an email to me a few weeks ago & I just keep reading it over & over... some good stuff... Hope you enjoy it & it touches your heart like it did mine...

If you never felt pain, then how would you know that I am a HEALER?

If you never had to pray, how would you know that I am a DELIVERER?

If you never had a trial, how could you call yourself an OVERCOMER?

If you never felt sadness, how would you know that I am a COMFORTER?

If you never made a mistake, how would you know that I am a FORGIVER?

If you never were in trouble, how would you know that I will come to your rescue?

If you never were broken, then how would you know that I can make you whole?

If you never had a problem, how would you know that I can solve them?

If you never went through fire, then how would you become pure?

If I gave you all things, how would you appreciate them?

If I never corrected you, how would you know that I love you?

If you had all power, then how would you learn to depend on me?

If your life was perfect, then what would you need me for?

-Love, Jesus

Friday Fragments

It Friday... one day closer to Christmas... the Holiday I'm so ultimately not prepared for.  Yep - as of last post, I've only marked one person off our list.  Only 37 more to go... & how many days left?  I dont want to talk about it... instead, let's FRAG!!

*****

I kept hearing everyone talk about it, & I just found on Hulu that they're showing all the episodes... so I'm proud to announce, I'm now addicted to "Revenge".... wow!  What an interesting show! I think its weird that we cheer on the main character that is set out to ruin people's lives that wronged her... only a good TV show can make you do that.  "YES - she ruined that person's career! (insert, "Family" "Life" "Marriage")" ... not something you say in ordinary life.  At least I hope not.

*****

Source: choco-kun.deviantart.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

I am still so excited that Beauty & the Beast comes out in theaters in 4 weeks!!!!  3D... I cant even imagine.  I keep telling everyone, it'll be like actually being IN the movie.  I may cry!

I'm debating wearing my gold Belle gown to the movie theater.  Wonder if I'd get looks?  I know that'd be one sure-fire-way to make sure Ricky wouldnt go to the theater with me :)  Hey - at least I'm not asking him to wear the Beast Costume I have!

*****

Updates:  No, my tendon hasnt ruptured yet (boo!)... yes, its still painful (boo!) .... the bridge is still shut down (boo!)... & its 77 more days until the PROJECTED opening of the bridge (boo! or yippee?).... & my dad hasnt cut off any fingers or been in any wrecks lately (YIPEE!!!!)

*****

So here's a few pictures from our Christmas party with the youth group

Here's Jordan who dressed up like Cindy Lou Who!!! Isnt that adorable?!?!  I was going to try & dress up like the Grinch with her, but the day didnt allow it.  She still pulled it off looking fantastic!

& we had contests to wrap up a person... in 5 minutes... here's the Junior High winner.  Complete with bows for eyes :)

& our Senior High Winner

Sr High was complete with a hat & an accessory bag.  I wish you coulda seen the back of it.  They had it to tailored to fit her - it was actually impressive.

*****

Hey - Just remembered... go on over to my book blog for a chance to win a new book called "Night of the Living Dead Christian" ... right now, there's only one entry.  (Lynn, you can make everyone stay away & be the for-sure winner!)
http://www.rebeccajosbooks.blogspot.com/

*****
So I took off work to do some Christmas shopping on Wednesday... well, it ended up being 65 degrees & beautiful.  I ended up scrapping Christmas shopping (see why I'm in trouble?) & doing an engagement session.  Look at this girls eyes... these are not touched up in ANY way - they're naturally like this. 

She reminded me so much of my sister in law who has those blue-clear-beautiful eyes...

Here's another shot I love...

But the coolest thing of all - we got to go into the Papa John's Football Stadium all by ourselves & do some pictures!  She is a former Lady-Bird (the dance team) & he is a former Cardinal cheerleader. (how neat is that?) & he still works for the sports department of the University of Louisville.  I was actually a little overwhelmed walking in & knowing we had the place to ourselves.  And there was a ladder right there too that I could use... got some cute pics... but here is just one. I told them they had to sit on the 50 Yard line since marriage is about 50/50.  I was just hoping my University of KENTUCKY fan of a husband wouldnt be too upset that I was as star-struck as I was in the stadium :) (He actually thought it was pretty neat himself)

I think in the end, it was a good idea to ditch the Christmas shopping...

******

SPAT OF THE WEEK:  HICCUPS!!!! .... I had just finished dinner when I got hiccups.  Now, just finished eating, I thought I was going to throw up my bean burrito with every hiccup.  I'm not one of those cute little "hiccup'ers"... I'm the kind that has an echo'ing, loud, sound like a fog-horn hiccup-er.  So Ricky comes up behind me & screams & throws something on the counter.  It make me jerk forward like someone stabbed me.  The dogs even scattered.  Zoe, who is nervous anyways, took off like a bat out of Hades... Bruno ran to my legs... Sydney jumped up... & Buffy ran & got a ball. (It doesnt matter what happens, Buffy goes & gets a ball).  I turned around & started screaming "WHY.WOULD.YOU.DO.THAT?" ... he just kept laughing.  The thing I hated.. it did actually work - my hiccups were gone.  I told him if he did it again, my hiccups wouldnt be the only thing gone... my heart would be too because it would have bursted from the scare!

*****

I'm so mad...my favorite Old Navy Grey t-shirt, I got bleach on it while I was cleaning the kitchen... & then I found this idea on Pinterest...

Source: showtellshare.blogspot.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

Now, what to creat out of my "spots" on my shirt... this should be interesting! ... it'll probably just turn into a smiley face... I cant draw.

******

Hope you all have a FABULOUS FRIDAY!!! & wish me luck on the Christmas shopping thing!

30 minutes....

OK... this LOOKS like its long when you see the time on the video,

but its really cool

Full of some neat information, that you may or may not want to hear...

& its just plain neat to watch the video with the sketching

So sit back & take a little time to learn something that will help you in the long run...

Some Christmas Pics...

So I've just done a little bit of decorating at a time...

Here are just a few pictures of our new tree.

We got a new entertainment center & our old tree was fat... wide at the base.  We went ahead & got a skinny tree & I love the way it looks in the corner, next to the entertainment center.

Yes, we still do Disney... everything Disney... except our Nativity Set.  Do they make a Disney Nativity?  I need to go check that out now.

Here are just a tiny example of some of our ornaments...


Love the "unusual" Disney ornaments of characters you dont see very often


We have a massive Disney collection.

I even had a whole Beauty & the Beast Christmas tree one time ... in addition to our Disney tree... so you can imagine just the ornaments I have of Belle & her friends :)



We have a whole series of different Disney characters as Angels ... ahhh



Isnt the Lady & the Tramp cute?  A Christmas Tree on our Christmas tree.

 See that Mickey Belle?  We have those all over our tree... its a set with Minnie, Pluto & Goofy... we have like 4 sets of them on the tree... the lights reflect so beautifull off those red bells


Mickey is just everywhere....

 

This is one of our favorites just because he's ROLLER SKATING!!! :)


But yep... this is always in the middle of our tree...

We know that Christmas is more then Mickey Mouse & all the other Disney characters...

Its about Jesus... & we celebrate His birthday every year :)

I'm sure I'll have more pictures as Christmas gets closer & closer...

Think I need to ask Santa...

Do I look like a thief?

I think Bruno even thinks I'm a thief....

Got this picture snapped of me when I was heading out to run.

I have to wear sun glasses, even though it gets dark early because my eyes water so much with the cold & then they are so dry afterwards.

But Ricky gets mad at me for wearing all this black...

especially when the sun is set by the time I get home...

But black is sliming! :)

Think I need to ask Santa for some reflective gear?

Weekend in Review

Its Monday & I'm exhausted... no, really... exhausted.

I'm sitting at my desk at 6:30 am barely able to hold my head up... thinking about sleep, which is doing nothing but making me more tired.

My weekend was so amazingly hectic... here's just a small look at how it went

* Friday evening was our Christmas Program at church.  I got to sing with our Christmas Ensemble... love doing that every year.  Its odd though because I have a deeper voice so I sing tenor... but we're short in the tenor department anyways so it works out.  I love when a program all comes together.  We practice for months ahead of time so when it's the actual performance night, there's an energy in the air.

*Our church also put on a Christmas drama... fantastic!  Great to see so many people get to use their talents while giving a great message... so many ways to "preach" the message of Jesus.

*We were out shopping early on Saturday.... trying to knock off the list... & was doing pretty decent until...

*Got a phone call my dad was in a car accident... he was in the ER so Ricky & I took off to see what was going on.  He's OK... just a tad banged up.... I drove him home when he was released & Ricky went to go see his brother whose also in the hospital.  Also just thankful that dad was just "banged up" when I heard a 17 yr old boy in our area of town was also in a car accident that same day & didnt survive... life can change at the blink of an eye.

*I had to be back at church at 6:00 pm for our Junior High Christmas party... I am so thankful for my friends... I was running late since we were coming from Louisville & had to go through the bridge chaos... so I didnt have time to stop at home & put on a Christmas costume or even bring a white elephant gift... I walk in & my friends had me something to put on & an extra gift for me to use.... friends make things better, dont they?

*Sunday was Jr High service & it was an amazing time to hear their view on "Peace" in the world... & in their lives... they said things that literally left me speechless... such amazing minds.

*Off to try & pick up a few more gifts... sshhh... I found Ricky's gift while he was out with his friend

*Had to go to the funeral home... my uncle passed away on Friday.  I got to see so many of my family members I havent seen in YEARS which is always nice, but just wish it was under different conditions.  I told everyone we used to see everyone at weddings, then baby showers & now, I hope its not only funerals we see each other. 

*Back to my neck of the woods for our Senior High Christmas Party... It was a party kinda weekend

*I ended up getting home last night around 9:30 & now, my house is a disaster area... bags thrown all over the kitchen... I have no idea what is where, or where is what... I didnt even care.  I put on my PJ's, got a book  & read for 30 minutes before I crashed with my book in my hands...

....I'm looking forward to Christmas to just sleep in....

Hope you all had a great weekend

(FYI - I do have pictures of my Christmas tree... & the youth party...  & some other things... I just had ZERO time to get on the computer this weekend... but pictures are coming...)

Friday Fragments

Its baaaacccckkkkk.... I didnt realize I havent done Friday Fragments in awhile... but the Thanksgiving posts of November put it on hold... & I never knew some of you would miss my "Spat of the week" so much :)  ... I actually love that you all enjoy mine & Ricky's spats... its what we contribute to the world. So without further ado, let's Frag away again...

******

So I am done with one person for Christmas shopping... one... I have (no joke) 32 more people on the list... I'm in trouble!  Especially because there are only 2 weekends left... & in these 2 weekends, I have 3 Christmas parties, a wedding reception, a Christmas Program to sing in, the youth programs, a family get-together.... I am ready for my Christmas Nervous Breakdown.  Tis the Season

& by the way, what do you get for your boss?  The man who literally has everything & can buy whatever he wants? Seriously?  I need thoughts....

******

Nope, my bicep tendon hasnt ruptured yet... but I was sitting with a youth kiddo in church Sunday & my shoulder POPPED so loud!  She snapped her neck to look at me & said, "Did it just rupture?" ... I thought my whole arm ruptured with that noise, but alas... everything is still holding TIGHT...

******

How sweet is this?  My buddy, Ryan's new wife offered to do all my Christmas wrapping for me to help out with my arm.  Isnt that the sweetest thing ever?  It actually made me tear up that someone even thought of that to offer to me.... now, if only I had present to wrap (see Frag #1)

******

I did get to take a few hours & take a little girl's pictures for her first Christmas... is this the cutest little face?  And its crazy because she looks just like her dad!.... He always eats the fur off Santa hats too...

I also had 2 little helpers taking these pictures :)  My nieces were all about helping out & standing behind me with rattles & things to grab her attention.  I told them I needed to hire them to go on shoots with me more often.

******

I never started watching X-Factor... am I missing out on something?  I hear there are death threats happening.  Wow... but I am giddy for more Stephen Tyler with the start of American Idol coming up....

& what's up with the rumor Ryan Seacrest could be taking over for Matt Lauer.  Really?  I dont see Ryan Seacrest sitting down with leaders of other countries.  Unless he's giving them news they've been voted out of power.

******

Spat of the Week:  Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer .... oh, its Christmas time.  The time of stress... I have so many spats to choose from here.  But this was definitely the most entertaining... & the one I was right about.  While we were out shopping last week for Christmas tree decorations, I started singing "Silver & Gold"... then asked Ricky, "Know who sings that?" - fyi, we always give pop quizzes on songs & singers.  We'd be ready for Rock & Roll Jeopardy on VH1 at the drop of a hat!  But Ricky said, "your dad sings it"... now, my dad does look like Cornelius from Rudolph & I was confused that he really didnt know this.  Cue the spat... I told him its the snowman, aka Burl Ives that sings it & Ricky went on to do a horrible impression of Cornelius saying "I found silver & gold"... I reminded Ricky it was the worse part of the show as a child - the snowman singing this song that no one cared about.  A kid doesnt care about anything unless you can bounce it, throw it, or eat it... & you cant do that for silver or gold.  This argument went on until we could get home  & solve it with the help of wonderful You-Tube... I just love being right... but Ricky still claims he was right since Cornelius DOES technically talk about silver & gold... no one can say we arent a stubborn folk.

*****

Source: google.com via Lacey on Pinterest

See the resemblance?

*******

I weigh myself once a week... & on the days that I weight, after I get that number, it feels like a 'free eat day' .. afterall, I have a full week until I have to weigh again.  Probably defeats the purpose, but its the games I play with myself that keeps life fun.

Well, hope you all have a FANTASTIC FRIDAY!!!!

Tasting new things...

We live away from anything convenient...

except if you want to smell cow poo... that's convenient...

or seeing dead deer in the back of trucks... that's always fun to see

Living in a country atmosphere does have its advantages, but when you grow up in the city & anything you want is 5 minutes away, its an adjustment.

We have a Tumbleweed that is 10 minutes down the road... the only big restaurant that is near... so needless to say, we eat there .... a LOT....

...good thing we like it.

But lately, I've been on a mission to try new things. 

Know how you go to places you eat & you almost dont even look at a menu?  You already know what you like, & you get the same thing over & over.  That's what I'd do at Tumbleweed.  Ricky always gets the enchilada dinner, with chili as a side... the waitress/waiter even knows us well enough that she just says, "the usual?" to him... that just explain the whole thing in a nut shell.

But I'm doing it.. trying new things... I got a pasta dish there (at a Mexican place?)... & it was actually really good.

I'm finding all kinds of new things that are even tastier then I expected...  & better then the usual things I always order.

I ran across this scripture the other day in my study & it made me think exactly of this situation:

Taste & see the Lord is good

-Psalm 34:8

Dont we sometimes get caught up in the 'everyday' of every day?  And we dont take things to God that we should ... well, because we normally dont.  We keep to our daily 'menu' of things & dont include God in things that we dont normally call His help or blessing on.

So today, try something new.... talk to God more... ask Him to bless someone you never pray for... ask for His guidance in a situation you think you've got control over...

Taste & see...

....

I just looked up the Message version & had to post it because it even has the word "run" in it... oh yeah baby... see?  I just tasted something new with looking up this version :)

Open your mouth & taste...

open your eyes & see how good God is. 

Blessed are you who RUN to him.

-Psalm 34:8 (The Message)

Breaking the Habit....

its no secret I love my Diet Coke...

Source: etsy.com via Hayley on Pinterest

& its no secret that people keep telling me how bad it is for you....

I'm not sure what made me cut back... maybe it was the look Ricky gave me when I'd pop another can... but its been 2 weeks now.... & guess what?

drumroll please... I'm down to no more then 2 Diet Cokes a day!!! Some days its 1 can... ONE CAN OF DIET COKE...

That's major for me people!!!!!!

I know you may say, "I thought you were going to say you cut it all out"....

its a slow process....

I only drink one when I wake up... its my coffee... its what wakes me up.

And when I'm at home now on the weekends, I dont drink any during the day.  At work though, I do have one during lunch.... but that's it.

I used to drink about a carton a day.... A DAY PEOPLE!!!! That's a habit.

It's funny because it's almost like I can imagine people with a cigarette. How they have to light another one up immediately?  When I first thought I would cut back, I immediately wanted to hear the pop of another lid as soon as I finished my last drink.   THAT'S when I realized I had a little addiction problem... didnt even think about it till then.

But for 2 weeks now, I've been downing more water & tea then I ever have...

& its not too bad... I think I'm going to be making that change.

My morning Diet Coke isnt even tasting that great to me anymore.

Could it be?  The end of a era?

... all I have to say is, with all this water?  I never knew I could pee so much... you're welcome for that info

Source: termlifeinsurance.org via Rebecca on Pinterest

"When are you going to stop?"

I just registered for another Half Marathon...

It will be my 4th year in a row doing the Kentucky Derby miniMarathon...

I told Ricky that I registered & he just laughed & shook his head.

Then he asked me, "When are you going to stop?"

I asked him what he was talking about & he said, "When are you going to have enough?  What's your goal?  When are you going to be happy with what you've done & just stop doing these big races?"

....I'd never thought about it...

And then I felt like a runner... I knew that I'd keep running as long as I could.  No goal in mind - just the enjoyment & the accomplishment of running & the races. 

I've got running buddies that are in their 50's & even their 60's & THAT's my goal...

... to be still enjoying moving my body with every age that passes

I love this picture & I told Ricky that THIS is the answer to his question :)

Source: google.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

By the way, here are the pictures from the last race I did with my poor, achy knee.

Its kinda hard to make out with the words, but I still need to purchase the pictures.

I dont normally buy them because 1. they are so dang expensive!!! ... & 2. because they are usually horrible, nasty, depressing looking pictures.

But I like these race pictures because I know the pain I was in but made it through anyways.  So this finish line picture represents so much more to me then a race.  Its a reminder of strength I have within me....

(My head is down because I'm totally crying coming up to the finish line... poor little knees)

This is the after race picture...

the tears dried up fast when I got that medal... all smiles then!

I'm holding up 4 fingers for my 4th Half Marathon...

I should have known better then to stand straight forward to the camera though... horrible angle.. adds 10 lbs...

Note:  always angle your  body in a picture, it slims you & always looks better... remember this picture for your example on how NOT to stand... but after 13.1 miles, its just good I'm standing!

I believe more & more each day I'm really a runner :)

Not feeling it yet....

I'm seeing pictures of everyone's Christmas trees & decorations...

Me?

I've got 2/3's of a tree up...

I mean, literally of a TREE...

I usually put my Christmas tree up Thanksgiving night & decorate the day after.  With the grandbabies in, we didnt get around to all things Christmas.  We were too busy with eating left overs....

That threw me off my game...

My life is so busy & hectic, literally, every day since Thanksgiving, I've had something to do so I havent been able to get to our tree & decorations up.

Ricky went ahead & got a new slim tree... its beautiful... except when we went to put it up on Saturday evening, the top section of it fizzled out... we had the tree for one hour & it bombed...

So we had to take it back & exchange the top part of it...

Its so much skinnier then our old tree too, so our normal decorations wont work on it.  So I'm all a scatter what to do.

I didnt get home from church last night until after 9 pm - so I didnt even attempt to do anything with the tree...

So if you want pictures of my house for the Holidays right now, you'd see a bottom part of a tree, boxes in the floor, bags on the counter, a few presents wrapped, a Christmas list with a bunch of blank space where I have no idea what to get anyone, a empty refrigerator that needs to be filled, a pile of laundry that needs to be done....

Yeah... I'm not feeling the Christmas spirit yet...

Shoulders & Knees

So I was off today to go to back to a doctor for my shoulder...

Yes... the same problem I've been having since JULY!!!!

I've gone to the doctor twice, to a chiropractor, to a massage therapist (which I WILL go back for that... it was the only thing that brought relief), & to a Physical Therapist.

Today's stop was to an Orthopedic Surgeon..

He did x-rays (can you believe I never had any xrays done????) & then pushed & poked & pulled on me.  He said he didnt think it was at all my shoulder (which the PT said)... he even told me to stop doing those exercises, he doesnt think they are doing anything... nice...

He went back to what the chiropractor said, he said it was the Bicep Tendon that was having the issues.  And all the popping that is happening is Bursistis...

He said he's seen this enough to know what it is, especially after seeing the xrays of my shoulder & rotator cuff & that all looked just fine.

So here he comes with a shot... & then he tells me this shot is to make the bicep rupture...

WH-WH-WHAT?!?!?!?

My first thing I said was, "I thought you didnt want anything in your body to ever rupture"

But he told me that being... um... "older"... it makes a difference.  If I was 18, he would try to save the tendon, but being older, he said it would actually bring relief if the tendon just ruptured.  Apparently, its injured & tight & causing all the pain.  If it just ruptured, it will cause a buldge in my arm, but he said the pain will be gone. 

He came at me with the needle & I was like, "WAIT - I have more questions"... but he answered me all for me & reassured me this wasnt his first time ever seeing this. 

He went on to explain how Brett Favre had a similar thing & he went on & played for years after so it wont cause any loss of strength... which worried me...

So I was just talking a million words a minute to distract myself from the shot... & he did it...

Now, we wait.

He said it'll probably hurt before it gets worse... & hopefully it will rupture...

6 weeks is when we will know something.

He said hopefully the pain will go away... & if it doesnt, or if it goes away & comes back, then the next step?  A MRI to get a deeper look at the tendon & then surgery.  He said he will go in & cut the tendon if it wont rupture on its own.. how weird is that?

I dont want surgery though... praying this takes care of it...

And while I was there, I had him check out my knee too...

Runner's Knee... nothing serious... just the side effect of running on "older" knees...

It made me feel like a "real" runner getting a dianogsis like that...

& I was tired of all the talk of my "old" body... geez...

So we wait... pray that my bicep tendon ruptures.. (how bizarre is that?)  & pray that the pain goes away & this is the end of doctor's visits...

... my wallet, my health insurance company & my stress level would appreciate it...

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 29 & 30!!!

I usually do it the day after, but I'm going to finish up on the final day of November...

(is it REALLY the final day of November?)

It's been really fun looking back at each day & finding things to be thankful for.  Especially on those days where it didnt feel like it was a great day, its a good thing to MAKE yourself search for things to be thankful for... because they are always there.  Big things, small things... things you take for granted... the surprises... the highs & even the lows... the smiles, the tears... Gratitude in everything...

November 29 - Thankful for TIME

This is one of those blessings in disguise... one of those things that is hard, but is good...

Since I'm not a parent, its hard... the world, other people - they can make you feel less then a person, less then a woman, since I dont have any children of my own.  Its funny how people treat you when they know you're 39 years old & you've never given birth.

...Funny how people judge you on how well your uterus works...  who knew?

But God takes ashes & turns them into BEAUTY... no matter how the world or anyone sees me, He sees me as useful..

& I try to take that extra time that I would devote to my own children & I like to invest it in God - particularly in other people's children.  Its why I love working with the Youth Group at church...

I feel like people who do have children are so busy in life (Dont see how some of you do it all) & I have this extra time that I can use to bless others... & in the end, I am super busy... & actually have no free time at all... but I feel its what God would have me do with all the time I have on this earth... working to serve Him anyway I can...

November 30 - this is the final one & such an easy one -
Thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ!!!!!

All of the things in this world would be for nothing if it wasnt for the hope, the grace, the mercy, the eternal life we look forward to because of, & with our Savior, Jesus...

He is everything...

He is in everything we have to be Grateful for...

He is my Savior...

... & He is why we head into the Christmas season after a month of gratitude... to celebrate His birth!  Hallejuah!!!

Keep searching every day friends for things to be Thankful for - especially in this Holiday Season we are approaching!!!

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 27 & 28

We're getting near the end here... a full month of Thanksgiving

November 27 - Thankful for LEFTOVERS

Julie & the grandbabies left on Sunday.  It was a gloomy, rainy, yucky day... the weather felt appropriate for the day. 

After they left, the house was just so quite...

Ricky wanted to go shopping but I needed to take a shower & didnt really feel like getting out.  So I just stayed snuggled at home & while Ricky went out skating, I just finished up the frig of Thanksgiving leftovers.  It was the perfect comfort food for the day.

.... but now, no more turkey, stuffing & mac & cheese for a while...

November 28 - Thankful for MY BLOGGY FRIENDS

Its a funny thing to think you 'meet' people through your blog & become friends, but you really do...

I not only get comments on here, but emails from some of my blog friends, & it makes my day.  You all have sent me the kindest words, hugs from afar, encouragement, prayers, smiles.... even cards, surprises made from the heart... so many things... I'm thankful for having such a variety of amazing friends that I hope someday, I get to meet in person....

& you all are spread out from New Jersey, to Florida, to Georgia, to Arkansas, to Ohio, to South Carolina, to Missouri, & even the west coast in Washington... I need to buy an RV & do a road trip! :)  Now THERE would be some fun blog posts!

Know that YOU are what I'm thankful for today!

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 26

November 26 - Thankful for my big brother

It was his birthday on Saturday....

He's older then me...

by 6 years...

I like that...

I also like he's my brother....

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 25

November 25 - Thankful for DEALS!!!!!!

Julie & I headed out at 5:30 am for some Black Friday deals..

only to see that most of them were gone since stores opened at midnight.

....That's just weird...

Didn't stop us from shopping.

We were out from before the sun rose, until the sun set...

.... we were exhausted...

... & a lot more broke...

but we got deals...

My major find?  I got me a new Spinning Bike... $450 LESS then original cost....

My butt when its sore in a few days wont be too happy...

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 23 & 24

Its busy & I almost let today pass by - but what's doing a month of "thanksgiving" if I dont do it ON Thanksgiving?

So we're going to do yesterday & of course, today, THANKSGIVING today...

November 23 - Thankful for GIRLS NIGHT OUT!!!

With Julie being in town, during the week of the "Breaking Dawn" release, we knew we had to head out & squeal along with it... ahh.... the wedding scene...

So we met up with our friends Chasity & Audrey & ate some Panera Bread (our husbands wont go there so its the perfect place for a girls night out) & then headed to the movies.... Such a good time laughing with the ladies!

Novemer 24 - Thankful for THANKSGIVING WITH OUR FAMILY

I am just so thankful that we have Julie & her husband & our grandbabies with us this year.  Its never happened before & its such a blessing.  Lindsay is also supposed to come by - so 2 out of 3 of Ricky's girls with us?  A Thanksgiving miracle...  besides me cooking 2 turkey breasts & a dinner...miracles come in all shapes & sizes....

I know I've reflected on some fun, goofy, weird things to be thankful for... but today, it really is being thankful for a wonderful family - a home - food on our table - ABUNDANCE.... there's my perfect word for it...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!!! God Bless you all!!!