Dance Concert & NYC Part 2

Chloe is graduating on Thursday. She is thankful she already has a job lined up doing what she has always wanted to do.


She got a job being a dance teacher!!!!


This is her last college performance. It was bitter sweet for all of us. It was sad that it was the last time, but at the same time, it was lovely to see her dance once again. This child has been dancing since before she knew what dance was....

She is the one in the middle. I don;t remember what she was doing, and I couldn't figure out how to make my camera do what I wanted it to do. Cool picture anyway. And she wouldn't stop moving!!


2nd one in.


More NYC pictures....

At the museum, we poked into the Central & South American section. By accident. We were trying to get out of there. But seeing some stuff was just to tempting not to imitate. Josiah & Chloe going at it.




My future son-in-law. While waiting on line. Yup, thats my 30-pounds-worth-of-mom Vera Bradley he is carrying for me. When you go into the city, you can't forget ANYTHING. It just costs too much.



I FOUND HIM SMILING!!!! He was bummed that Heather was sick, so I was happy to get this shot.




And if I don't get a chance before Christmas...

May your Christmas be holy, beautiful and joyous.

Christmas in New York

These pictures show just how untalented I am in keeping order. lol.




We started the day off going to The Museum of Natural history. This is the front, which has a statue of Theodore Roosevelt. He is probably my personal favourite president, ever. What a cool guy. Don't be fooled by Samuel not wearing a jacket. It was about 25 degrees outside. WE GOT A PARKING SPACE RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE MUSEUM!!! We left the jackets in the car so as not to have to carry them around.




Have you ever seen Night at the Museum? The Dum-Dum!!!




This is in Central Park. Which is right across the street from the museum. There are rocks all over the place. And as the blood running in my family dictates that if there is a rock, you better climb it, there they are. I call this shot " The Album Cover" Now if we only played music.




Josiah and Chloe in front of The Tree. The whole family skated except for me. My joints can't take being on top of ice. They can't take the cold either, but HEY, but don't make it worse with ice. So I found myself a nice couple from Texas to talk with, while their child skated. They were visiting the city for the weekend. They have always dreamed of Christmas in New York. Reminded me AGAIN, how much I take being here, for granted. Let me tell you, though, I picked their brain clean in getting all sorts of info on TX. :)




Waiting on line to skate. Too bad Heather was sick, it would have made a lovely & complete picture.




Museum picture again. The theme for the Christmas tree this year was " The museum in origami" They have everything in the museum on the tree, just made out of paper. It was sooo cool!! We loved going around the tree picking out familiar things. My boys (men)....




Whats wrong with this picture?? We were in the rock/gem room. Samuel was bugging his brother. So he lost his shoe. Don't ask. I didn't.


Final highlights,The Tree this year was BEAUTIFUL. It is probably the best tree in about 10 years. It was huge & full and have more lights them I remember. It took forever to get parking in midtown, I wanted to take the subway down, but John wanted to drive. Well, we won't go there. We went inside St Patrick's Catheral, again. There is no need to be a catholic to appreciate it. You just can't walk by it and not go in to see the amazingness of it all. Is that a real word? We didn't get home until past 11:30pm. But it was lovely and I am once again thankful for the opportunity.

And can you believe I am still not done with my shopping?????

Preparing

What a week!

Thanksgiving was nice, Black Friday was great, and the Love of my Life turned 43.

First news, Chloe picked out her wedding dress. And the vineyard for the reception is a go! Which means I can relax about the wedding until after Christmas.

In theory.

And now, Advent has already begun. Lord, prepare Your people's heart to rejoice in the Gift of your Son. Let us not forget the only real point of Christmas.

Both my future in laws are sick. I mean dog sick. Like, just shoot me sick. Bless their hearts.

And don't forget. TOMORROW IS THE LIGHTING OF THE TREE!!!! I am going to miss it. But I will have Samuel watch it for me. I am going to watch Chloe's dance show. She is a dance major, and there is always a show, every semester, for her final. I usually go Wednesday by myself, and then the whole family goes on Thursday.

I just can't imagine no one in the family not going to see her. But I also can't imagine making the whole family sit through 2 hours, twice. lol. All that testosterone couldn't take it. lol.

And Friday, Lord willing, is our Christmas in NYC day. And I can't wait. Except I am SO cold all the time. And I AM INSIDE!!!!

Yeah.

And Saturday we go to Christmas on the farm, and them to cut down our tree. Its going to be a busy COLD weekend.

But I won't complain. (too much). Because God is gracious, and truly, all these activaties are precious to my heart.

May you all be blessed with a holy grateful, beautiful Thanksgiving.

And remember WHO you are thanking. For HE is worthy.



"He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has."
— Epictet

Life moves on

Life just chases you down the street doesn't it??

And the faster you run, the harder it chases. lol.


We had our family birthday party for Samuel on his birthday. Which means we only had 13 people over to the house because my sister & her family couldn't make it.

As I look at this picture of Samuel & John, I can't believe how tall Samuel is getting. :::sigh:::


And of course, there is the whole, we have got to get a place for the wedding, thing!! My daughter & her fiance decided to get married on the 4th of July, 2009. Which the more I think about it, the more we discuss it, the more I wish I woulda thought of it way back when I was getting married.

I believe we finally found our location. This picture was taken in the front of the vineyard. It was lovely.


Funny though. No one in our family drinks. At all. But it was lovely.

And our son is getting married 3 months later on the 3rd of October. As I research for Chloe's wedding, I am passing along information for them.


All this while trying to stay on budget. I am loving ideas to save, and am amazed at how much penny-pinching information there is out there!! We have a notebook full of ideas we will use.

So now, I have to put the breaks on, because in 2 days is my favorite holiday of the year. I absolutely LOVE Thanksgiving. This year, we didn't do the indepth study we usually do, we just did the requirements of regular school sprinkled with Thanksgiving here & there.

Kind of makes me sad, but there are other things going on that are joy-filled, and so maybe I should give thanks for that, this year.

Yup, thats what I'll do.

And lets not forget Black Friday. Chloe & I have made BF an art form. Yes, I am one those maniacs out the door at the crack of dawn. Without apology. I love that too. I love talking to the people on line, trying to brighten up the exhausted cashier, getting bargains, coming home wiped, but having saved my love loads of money. And of course, Christmas season's official first day.

Yes, life moves on.

Don't miss it. :)

Thankfulness

I just popped over to Becky's blog and stole this.

She gave permission, so maybe its not stealing, but .......I don't know what the word is for this. Sharing??

Anyway, it looks like thankful fun, so here it goes....


1. Where is your cell phone? In my purse. Dead. As usual. But I am thankful that when I lost it this week, and I found it under my truck in the driveway, I hadn't run over it. Like I did my last phone.

2. Where is your significant other? Work. I am so very thankful he is still working. The construction business has slowed down to a crawl. Everyday he leaves for work, I thank God.

3. Your hair color? Almost black with sprinkles of gray. I am thankful I don't have to color all the time yet.

4. Your mother? My mom(parents) lives 7 minutes from my house. VERY thankful for that. She is, at this moment, in PA though, visiting with my sister for a few days.

5. Your father? At work. He retired years ago. But sitting around just didn't work for the 2 of them, so he got himself another job. I'm thankful he is still active.

6. Your favorite thing? Dreams. Dreams give you hope, even if/when they don't come true, keep on dreaming. And sitting on my front porch on summer nights, watching the family activity going on in the front yard.

7. Your dream last night? I don't rightly remember. I am thankful it wasn't a nightmare that would have woken me up in terror.

8. Your dream/goal? To be there for the broken hearted. To be able to be available.

9. The room you're in? Dining room. It is the heart of our home. Its in the center, and everything happens here. I am thankful for the talks and teaching that have happened around the table.

10. Your hobby? Reading, history, sewing, coaching, capturing life on "film" (do we say memory stick now?) football, board games...

11. Your fear? Heights, speed and loud noises. I am thankful that the only times these 3 are usually together are in roller coasters. I am not a roller coaster fan.

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? (warning, this is a DREAM): Texas. With granchildren around, my new daughter delighting in life, and my going-to-be-a-high-schooler-in-6-years son living life still excited about the next thing, the love of my life finding peace.

13. Where were you last night? Watching the Georgia Tech/U Miami game in the basement.

14. What you're not? Thin. Hopefully one day.

15. One of your wish-list items? A bigger kitchen. But I am thankful for a home.

16. Where you grew up? Central Jersey. Still here, all of 7 minutes from where I grew up. I am thankful for the familiarity and the ability to afford this place. So far.

17. The last thing you did? Encouraged son to not make hasty decisions, but to continue to trust Jesus. I am thankful he has matured enough to ask.

18. What are you wearing?Pajama pants and a sweat shirt from waking up. I am thankful that, if need be, I don't have to fancy up to start school. ( Though I am usually dressed before we start, personal pet peeve)

19. Your TV? In the furthest corner of the basement. Usually only on for football games.

20. Your pet? 2 beagles, a leonberger, and 2 cats. I am thankful for my dogs. They really bring alot of joy to our home.

21. Your computer? A new Apple. We just converted from PCs, and I am thankful for the change.

22. Your mood? A little anxious about the Mock Trial scrimmage this afternoon. I coach the team. Thankful that it is a learning competition, not the real thing, yet.

23. Missing someone? My daughter. Even though she is upstairs sleeping, I don't really get to see her or speak to her all that often anymore. But I am thankful for the moments we do get together.

24. Your car? Suburban. I love my car. And I am thankful that gas prices went down.

25. Something you're not wearing? My sheep's wool slippers. I lost them. When I find them, I will be thankful for their warmth.

26. Favorite store? Target & Costco. My motto: If Target or Costco don't have it, I probably don't need it. I may want it, but I don't need it. My favorite store that I don't need anything from: Talbot's. I am thankful for good bargains!!

27. Your summer? Busy. I always look forward to rest, but I have yet to find it. I am thankful for the ability to be busy. For good health & busy hands.

28. Love someone? Jesus. That says it all.

29. Your favorite color? Green. All except for vomit green. I am thankful that alot of things in this world are green, and they make me happy.

30. When is the last time you laughed? Last night. I was going through files, and I found the photobooth files. Samuel made a movie, and I laughed so hard, I thought I was going to have to run to the powder room, and I was afraid I was not going to make it. My tummy hurt afterwards, but it was worth it. I am thankful I have such a funny kid.

31. Last time you cried? I am a pathetic crier. It doesn't take much, and I ususally tell people to ignore my tears. Last time I cried was last week, when my daughter got engaged. That time it was for real. I am thankful for my emotions. I am not ruled by them, but at least I am not cold-hearted.

Steal away!!

I am thankful for so much, and I need to reflect on that so much more then I do.

I am thankful for my Lord Jesus above all. To Him be all Glory and Honor. And every bit of my thankfulness. .

MY BABY IS 10!!!!!

I think I am in a constant state of denial in all sorts of thing in my home, during the last few weeks.


My baby is 10 today.



There is a 10 year difference between him and the next child. We prayed so long and hard for this child, we named him Samuel, for God indeed answered our prayers.



And he is a whirlwind.


We didn't expect that part.



Not that we are complaining. lol.




Sometimes, its just best not to ask.......


He cleans up pretty okay. Though it takes about 2.3 minutes to have the shirt hanging out, the dirt somewhere in the body, the tie all crooked, the hair as though it hasn't seen a comb. Ever. And thats all just on the way down the stairs from his room. Makes one wonder, where on earth did he find the dirt, wind, other person to wrestle with on the stairs???


We are not the only people who get to enjoy his "antics". He doesn't really mind other people listening, watching or even participating in his creative life. Kind of lets everyone enjoy a good chuckle. And sometimes right out belly laugh. People always look at us since we are his parents, and give us that look as if to say, " Is he for real?" He is. And we like him that way.


He was showing me, and then showed the waiter how he is like a tv. yeah. lol.



He never sleeps. It was horrible for the first few years. But we are thankful for him. God knows what He is doing.

We pray for him everyday, that he serves our Lord everyday of his life. And we are trying to raise him for His Glory.


Happy Birthday precious boy. I am loving days spent with you.