Wednesday, December 9, 2009 - Wordless Wendnesday: Grandeur
Tuesday, December 8, 2009 - More Derailment in Arizona
I've been so slow with blogging lately! The holiday season has us busy! (My photo host has also been giving me fits in uploading pictures. It is usually fabulous, so I'm spoiled.)
I finally managed to upload pictures, so we'll continue the play-by-play of our Arizona trip!
Over there:
And a then from "over there":
What a beautiful and awe inspiring sight. Pictures (at least my pictures) can't do the Grand Canyon justice.
As amazing as the natural wonder is, anywhere we go I enjoy watching people: the people were fascinating, and in return, I realized that people were watching us.
So many people wanted to take our pictures! Oh, yes, a few kind souls offered to take a picture of our whole family (one of them is posted a few posts down). That didn't surprise me. What was odd was those who wanted to take our picture with their own cameras! There were visitors from all over the world--many from Asian countries. The Asian women were fascinated with our children. They'd see Kieran coming around a corner and "ooh!" and "aah" over him. (We think he's pretty cute ourselves.) Then they'd see Keegan and say, "Brother? Oh! he has brother!" A moment later they'd clap their hands in delight seeing the three girls! "All brothers and sisters? All? One, two, three, four, five?" It was astounding to me because while five is more than our national average, it isn't something that usually stops traffic. Several of the ladies asked if they could take the children's picture. Their exuberance and genuine excitement was irresistible, so we were happy to oblige, but I do wish I'd taken a picture of them taking their pictures.
The other picture I wish I'd taken was of the Condor Man. As we were heading back toward the train, we saw a man waving an antenna back and forth. He was off by himself, but as we got closer he looked over at us, and seemed amiable. The children asked what he was doing,. (Ken and I were curious ourselves). We walked over to ask, and ended up being given a wonderful science lesson. He explained that he was picking up signals from California Condors, and provided a wealth of information on the enormous, endangered birds.
Next up, in my super-slow play-by-play, the return train ride. Stay tuned, it might be a day or three unless I can mend my ways.
Dec. 8, 2009 - Christmas Ball pictures
On Saturday Brooks escorted Bekah to the Confederate Christmas Ball. She had an amazing time. Brooks said she didn't stop smiling the whole night. She told me all about all of the dances (Virgina Reel, Patty Cake Polka, Gallop, Carolina Promenade etc...) She can't wait to go again.
And here she is with Grandma and Grandpa.
Sunday, December 6, 2009 - Maintaining excitement throughout THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
QUESTION: "Amy, how do you maintain excitement for 12 days of Christmas Shmily time? I tried it last year and frankly it was hard! Hubby was feeling special but honestly I just wanted to be left alone and sleep. Help me get mentally straightened out to try again!" - JessicaI have to be honest... I struggle EVERY year with this whole thing, to some extent. Now, don't get me wrong, it's so much better than it used to be BEFORE I started the "12 days of Christmas" with my hubby... but that doesn't mean it doesn't go off without some trials, and I honestly believe that the more women that I tell about the 12 days of Christmas in order to bless their marriages... well, do you think that satan is just gonna sit back and watch my marriage flourish? Absolutely not!
I honestly hesitated this year when I realized when THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS was going to be and when the baby was due... I am literally due the day before I normally start this whole thing (which is my hubby's birthday) and so not only did I realize I was going to have the "normal" struggles of prior years... but having a baby at some point before the 12 days is up certainly means I'm gonna need to get a LITTLE... uh... creative... Not only will hormones be in full swing... but I will have a new little one "sucking the life out of me" (I nurse my babies) and that can be draining as well.
But the more I thought about "canceling" the whole thing... the more I knew I needed to do it... not just for my sweet Beloved... but because I needed to look forward to it as well. I needed to remind myself of all those reasons I fell in love with my husband... and the many more that I've fallen in love with since then.
I think we all know that by doing this... we certainly are blessing our husbands and our marriages... but I realized how I've really taken the whole thing for granted by thinking that I'm doing my husband some great big favor... when, in reality... I am equally blessed by these very special 12 days each year. By focusing on the good things about my husband, I "fall in love" all over again with the man I married... but there is still more...
I GET to serve my husband more intentionally then I normally do. Sure, I wash his clothes, make meals for him (although I don't know if he'd say that's a blessing or not considering the cook HE is), make sure his closet is full of clothing that fits and shoes to wear... but I can so easily fall into the routine of being his wife, that I forget the privilege of being so much more... a servant who acts out of love, expecting nothing in return... THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS makes me focus on my husband's wants, needs, and desires more than ever before and I find myself truly loving making him smile. It's no longer about what he's done for me... what I might get in return... or why he isn't do this or that... my focus is not on ME... and honestly women, that's right where God wants me as a wife all the time.
So, while I know 12 days IS hard to keep the excitement alive... I want to challenge you to really focus on your husband and not yourself... push yourself to go a little further when you feel like throwing in the towel... go the distance because in the end... it will not only be your husband that will be blessed... but you as well.
FYI: I made a booklet to encourage your husband for 30 weeks... in it there are a few things that might help you to stay focused on your hubby as you prepare for the 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS... and to help you stay that way throughout. You can find the booklet by clicking the following link: 30-week Husband Encouragement Challenge.
Friday, December 4, 2009 - Oops... Got Derailed
I started to post about our trip to Arizona and the Grand Canyon, but got derailed just before posting about the train! We took a train to the north rim, and the ride was an experience to remember!
Before the trip: Kieran got in with a rough crowd, and made the acquaintance of some train robbers!:
The train!
Kieran much prefered this mode of travel to his car seat:
Outside our window--Looks alot like Wyoming!
And in addition to fascinating information told as we traveled, we had great entertainment!
Stay tuned. I really will get to the actual canyon soon! (If I don't get derailed again. It seemed that once we got home and unpacked the Christmas season just hit full force! Life is busy, but good!)
Next stop: The North Rim.
Dec. 3, 2009 - Happy would have been 8 today.
Our sweet Happy dog would have turned 8 years old today. At the first part of September we found out that Happy had cancer. The vet told us she might live two days or two months but her time left was short. She lived just over the two month mark. She gradually got worse and worse. Her sight was the first thing to go. It was amazing how well she adjusted to being blind though. A short time later her hearing would come and go. On Tuesday of this week, Happy couldn't walk. Her back legs would still work but she couldn't get her front legs to move in the position she needed them to to be able to actually walk. So on Tuesday afternoon we took Happy to the vet. The children each wrote a note to Happy and put it in the box with her. The notes were so beautiful. I wish I had known how sweet and precious they were as I would have copied them. I didn't read the notes ahead of time. Each child read their note at a little funeral we had for Happy. So here is a little walk down memory lane of our sweet Happy dog.
Dec. 2, 2009 - 2009 NaNoWriMo Results
I have sadly neglected this blog as of late. The combination of NaNoWriMo (final word count: 20,484 - just a bit shy of the 50K mark!), everyone except my husband being ill for the first two weeks of November, and a trip out of town for Thanksgiving and my high school reunion left me with little time to sit and write the last month or so. Such is life. I do think of many topics that I could blog about, and I begin writing them in my head, and then I forget them completely.
I did learn through NaNoWriMo that it is possible for me to average writing 1000 words per day. Writing more than that, at this point in my life, is not possible. I started a new romance even though I have not yet finished last year's because that is the rule for the contest. This time the story seems to flow better, and I can visualize the characters. (Ask my husband how good I am at visualizing - basically, I stink at it. We chose the place for our wedding reception because I when I walked in, I could visualize exactly how I wanted everything placed.)
I do enjoy writing. It's fun to work in all these little things. I love to learn, to read articles and find out little tidbits, and when writing fiction, I can work those things into my stories. Now I just need to hunker down and finish both of my stories!
Dec. 1, 2009 - Mark's first Black Friday experience
On Thanksgiving Day while at Nana and Papa's house, Mark was looking through the advertisements. He found one for an Nintendo DS Lite for 50.00 (pre-owned) Off and on he mentions wanting one of these but Brooks and I didn't have any plans to make this purchase for him. He has been saving his money this year and had saved $60.00. He said 'if this is 50.00 then I'll have $10.00 left over -- well, a little less with tax" Yep, that's right buddy. He asked if he could purchase it and we told him we would discuss it.
Brooks and I decided that we would let him purchase this if that's how he wanted to spend his money. We told him he would have to get up early on Friday morning. So at 5:30 a.m. on Friday morning, I woke Mark and asked if he still wanted to go. He was in a sound sleep but he flew out of the bed in no time. He looked outside and saw that it was still dark and asked me "Can you drive in the dark?" 
We got in the car and off we went. While the store was crowded, we didn't have to wait in line outside the store or anything. We returned home and he is very happy with his purchase.
We have rules for it and he has been obeying the rules without any problems thus far.
Monday, November 30, 2009 - En Route to the Grand Canyon
Your guesses were right on the photo in the post below! We did indeed go to the Grand Canyon, and it was Grand indeed!
Ken's accustomed to staying up at night, having a night-shift job, so he decided we'd do the bulk of the 14 hour van ride while the sun slept.
The children were fantastic travelers, but some found it easier than others. This photo pretty much sums up Kieran's thoughts about 14 hours in a carseat--he was good and didn't really cry or grumble, but he wasn't exactly excited:
Keegan and the girls were more cheery, but then they understood the destination a little better:
More coming as I get the pictures up. Not only did we stop by and enjoy the Grand Canyon on the way to see Ken's brother in Arizona, but we took the... oopps, I'm getting ahead of myself again! Stay tuned...
Monday, November 30, 2009 - The 12 Days of Christmas is coming!!!!
Now, for those of you who may be unfamiliar with this SHMILY Time tradition, The "Twelve Days of Christmas" isn't talkin' about "A Partridge in a Pear Tree. It's a twist that I'm sure your husband will enjoy!
It all started because my husband and I would wind up arguing during the holidays EVERY YEAR because it was so stressful. Spending time and money on friends and family seemed to get out of control no matter how much we tried to "get better" each year and would result in some sort of argument, so A few years ago, I decided I would something different... Twelve days before Christmas just happens to be my husband's birthday, so I surprised him each day, and got us all the way to Christmas day without an argument! I found it really hard to get angry with someone that I was so focused on loving and praying for!
THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS... SHMILY STYLE revolves around the act of love and anything leading up to it. Now, I know this "strikes a chord" with some of you and I know that sex is not the only thing that makes a marriage good... so please don't send me emails or leave comments telling me this. (In fact, if sex is the only thing good in a marriage that's not healthy either.) What I've found to be true however, is how "taboo" sex is, especially in Christian marriages. We don't talk about it or even acknowledge it's importance in our marriages, when the fact is... God created it... and it was His intention that it is good. I understand that we, as a society have ruined that in so many ways, on so many levels... but THAT is not God's fault, nor does it change what He intended for beautiful and fulfilling and to make a husband and wife as one. Because of what sex has become because of premarital sex, pornography, adultry and the like, we have somehow become "scared" to talk about sex in a Christian marriage as if it's "dirty".
Unfortunately, sex is also one of the first things we "take away" or avoid when things get rough in our marriage as well. Let's face it, when you're arguing with your spouse, do you feel like making love?... probably not... and when that happens, the enemy begins his work at destroying our marriage... Think back to when you were falling in love with your spouse... at some point in time, there was a physical attraction... and chances are good it was pretty "intense". Just because you may have been married for awhile, that does not mean that your love making should get boring, or non-existent. It doesn't matter what stage (or state) your marriage is in right now bring the spark back to your marriage, and start with THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS!
Note: If you are in a process of healing in your marriage, or there is a hurt that hasn't been dealth with or forgiven, then please take a moment to pray the SHMILY PRAYER. I realize that some hurts and problems need more time to heal, and so this year may not be the time for THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS... instead, you may want to tuck this idea away and continue to pray for God to restore your marriage, including the act of love making. (The Power of a Praying Wife is also an excellent book to begin praying every day for your husband.)With ALL that being said, THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS involves some planning, so take some time to be thinking about what you can do to begin a year that will hopefully start a life long tradition!
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It begins on December 14th (12 days before Christmas)... and is for 12 DAYS... 12 consecutive days (or nights)! This is especially fun because most people's traveling and visiting relatives is during these days (keeping in mind that this would be especially fun while visiting relatives because only you and husband will know what's going on...)
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This involves an investment in your "drawer of many blessings" drawer as well... and yes, you SHOULD have one of these drawers, so make room (throw out some clothes if you have to... your hubby would rather see you in these anyway!) Start saving money and get your drawer stocked up! You'll be able to "recycle" here so the money you spend here is worth it in the end. You're investing in your marriage and that is never money wasted. (Your size is NOT an excuse either! Please read, "He loves you... quit hiding!" if you're struggling with your outer appearance. Have all your "little blessings" bought by 14th and plan for each day's surprise, along with any evening you might be able to get a sitter and go out (with your "little blessing" on to tell him about over dinner), or a friend to watch the kids so you can stay in (and put your "gift" to use)!
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Make or get a card to give to your husband on the 13th. An idea would be:
- "To celebrate the next twelve days of Christmas I have planned a special "gift" for you each day with only you in mind! Anticipate what each will bring as we celebrate the next twelve days of Christmas... twelve you're sure not to forget!" (Don't forget to sign it, SHMILY!)
For some ideas, on what you can do for your Beloved, check out the SHMILY Time blog and please feel free to email me with more of your ideas to share with others (include your name and/or your blog address if you're willing to share that too!) AND you can sign up to join the SHMILY Time fan page on facebook too or THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS... SHMILY STYLE event on facebook!
Put the spark back into your marriage and tell others about THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS by posting the blinkie on your blog/website! May the Lord be glorified as we seek new ways to put the spark back into our marriage!
