Joy in the Journey

I had a wonderful evening with my extended family tonight. My Aunt and cousin came down from Washington for the day and we all were trying to get over to my Nana and Dappa's house to say hi.  My family arrived as things were settling down from dinner but still a lot of family was over. My brothers and sister-in-law were there, my nieces <3, and of course my Aunt and cousin who we had come to see. The house was warm and full of chatter and laughter. I love that about my family. We get together and we laugh! We swap stories and laugh. We tell jokes and we laugh. We make sarcastic comments to almost anything and everything and laugh. It's such a rich time. Photo Credit: gympiemotel.com After lots of laughing a short lull occurred so I came up with something that would create more. I had been watching Phil and Alex the other day and they were doing the Broom Challenge at a friend's house. They were laughing and laughing so hard. As soon as I finished watching...

It’s Thanksgiving today! You are probably super busy right now so I’m gonna keep this short. I just want to say, I am thankful for YOU. As a fellow member of planet earth, I am thankful that there are mamas out there who really care. They care about their children, they care about each other, they care about the rest of the world, and they want to make this world a better place by raising their kids right. Mama, you have the most important job in the world. You are raising the next generation of human beings, the ones that will take over this world when we have passed. Thank you for your hard work! Thank you for all the sleepless nights, for all the sacrificing, for all the going without your creature comforts just to teach these children the right way to live. I’ve said it before and I want to say it again, YOU are AMAZING! You are so valuable. We are all so thankful for you. God bless you! I hope you have a wonderful day, but even if you don’t, k...

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! The family is gathering, the food is being cooked, and maybe some drama to go along with both. It's Thanksgiving time! Photo Credit: TripSavvy.com I have great memories growing up of Thanksgiving and a very large family gathering with so much food we ate till we barely could move. I remember long walks after all the eating and before the pie to help give our tummy's a break. I remember lots of talking and laughter. But what I love the most about our family gatherings, is that we give thanks. Every Thanksgiving my family of up to 50 people gather around after the delicious meal and we share praises. Thanks giving about new jobs, or babies, for how we've learned of God's love more, and long time blessings that we are still so grateful for, like our family. Each year, we give thanks on Thanksgiving. I want to challenge you this Thanksgiving to take the time, even just by yourself, to write down or share out loud what you are truly ...

Thanksgiving is in two days! Are you freaking out? I am writing this post a few weeks ahead of time, so I have no idea how I am feeling today. However, I can guess some pretty common things may be going on in your household and/or mine. If extended family is coming to your house this year, you may be scrambling to get the house cleaned for visitors. I feel like I always worry and fret over the state of my house when I have company coming, to the level of ridiculousness (heaven forbid they find out what we REALLY live like). And even after all my work and drill-sergeant-like-orders to my kids are done, the house is never good enough.   Today may be the day that you do the last of your shopping and/or meal prep. I bet the grocery store is crazy today. I hope you were able to go WITHOUT your kids! Or you may be packing for a trip to go see family for the holiday. In that case you are probably cleaning the house AND washing all the laundry AND cleani...

I shared with you on Friday about our weekend hike (see that blog HERE ). After our picnic the girls played in the woods while the baby slept. They made a wigwam out of branches that was pretty neat. I lay on the gravel road and looked up at the blue sky and thought how peaceful it was. My husband came and lay next to me on the ground and I thought "all I need is a mattress and this would be perfect" as the rocks dug in my back. We looked at the sky, talked a little, and then closed our eyes for awhile. So peaceful. The baby woke with a cry while we were laying there. I jumped up and held him. Then we packed up and headed back to the truck to made our way back down the mountain. The drive was pleasant and sunny. The kids played happily together smooshed tight in the back seat. I just relaxed and let my thoughts run on to the evening and the following day. Then we got home. It's always work when we get home. Things to take out of the car and put away in the...