Snowstorm in Lucas, TX

We had REAL snow Monday night - it was beautiful!!! Les and I went driving around that night around 9:45 PM and as we drove through the snow I felt like I was on a roller coaster in the dark and all we could see was black spotted with giant snow flakes! It was definitely a rush!!!


Here are some of the pictures that I took on Tues morning when we woke up!!!

Here is a great shot of the house - I think it is awesome!!!!! The house just shines with the blue backdrop behind it - I love it!
Here are the the trees just south of us - you can see the field beside us and the crops trying to come up. Les enjoyed seeing the trees (this pic was for him). ;-)
Here is our pond - we thought it was soo pretty with the snow surrounding it. It looked prettier (in my opinion) in person, but this is still a great shot too!!!!
Here is a funny shot of Bear running - he is like mid leap when I pushed the button. We thought this was a good picture of him. We don't always get good shots, but this was really good!!
Here is a picture of Les and Kodiak coming across the front yard. The front got about 1-2 inches of snow, but out by the pond and on the back part of our property we had 3-4 inches back there. It was very deep and my shoes sunk under the snow.

I hope you enjoy our pictures - we were very excited to receive some snow. I hope that it snows tomorrow night too - last time I looked it was in the forecast for some possible freezing rain. YAY!!!!

Click on the Link Below

We have a star in the family - click on the link below and see if you recognize anyone:
http://www.bestfriendsagility.com/students11.html

If you have any questions about who I am talking about - just leave me a message and I'll get back to you. :) :)

It's SNOWING!!!!

Some exciting news - it is SNOWING outside!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!! It is sooo pretty outside watching it fall - very exciting!!!

Mice + Bear = YUCKY!!

Kodiak and I were about to head across the street on Saturday to take our neighbor's mail to them (we collected it for them for the week). When I started out onto Stinson Rd, there came a mouse running at me.............I pointed to it and told Kodiak to get it. I wanted to see her chase it and she did - quite amusing if you ask me. Well, Bear sees Kodiak playing with something and he runs over to check it out. When Bear sees it; he grabs it from Kodiak and eats it!! It was gone in about 5 minutes or so. That boy doesn't waste anytime eating his raw meat. :)


1 more story; then I'll close for the evening:

While Kodiak and I were over at our neighbor's house I could tell she needed to go poop. I called her over to me and made her sit by me so she wouldn't go poop in the yard right in front of them. She's REALLY good at picking yards to poop in on walks when the owner is in the front yard...........HAHAHAHA Well, I told them that I needed to leave; which I did b/c I was going to this lunch for cancer survivors (not me, but my mom is in remission from 2 types of cancer - Praise the Lord for allowing her to have a full life; despite the obstacles that come and go). I'm thinking to myself," YAY, we made it and she didn't poop." Well, the husband wants to know why I'm not staying longer and I explain to him why I was leaving. He got to talking and before I knew it Kodiak had run off and started pooping in the yard.........OH WELL, at least I tried to keep her from doing it. We all laughed it off and kept on talking.

HOPE YOU ENJOYED PART OF OUR WEEKEND; MUCH LIKE WE DO. IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS IN LIFE THAT LES AND I ENJOY!!!

OUR MOTTO: WORK TO LIVE, BUT DO NOT LIVE TO WORK.

NEW CAR!!!

Okay, so it's not exactly a new car, but it is a new car to Les and I. We were very excited about Les' find. We bought a '95 Toyota Corolla for next to nothing. It has 102,000 miles on it and it looks great! I will post pictures of it once I take some...... :) AND I find my cord to download between my camera and laptop. We loaded the dogs up in it yesterday and off we went to Royse City. We laid the seats down and they had an area to lay down and get comfy in, plus they could stretch their legs into the trunk too! They were very excited, but they were just like 2 little kids. Bear got on Kodiak's side and when she sat down (on her side) he snapped at her for sitting on him. We laughed about it and kept on driving. I still have my explorer and have not been able to give Les the OK to actually sale it yet. :) hahaha I know, I know, I'm silly, but I have so many memories in my car!!!

Pole Cats: aka SKUNKS!

Okay, so last night was not the best night that Les and I have had since we've been married. Bear started barking about 11:15 PM and was still barking at 1 AM. I went outside on 2 different occassions to try and get him to stop barking.

#1 - I go outside with my pj's (it's about 11:45 PM) and a little jacket b/c it was rather chilly. I get over to him (he's near our culvert) and he's barking at something. I then see a skunk dancing around with his tail up and I hear a nice spray sound. Bear got sprayed and well, I was only about 5 ft away and now I kind of smell like a skunk too.........LOL I can still smell the lingering smell today, but it is SLOWLY fading away.

#2 - As soon as Bear sees me he runs away from the skunk (around 12:45 - 1 AM).

Well, he won't stop barking except when I'm out there, so I ask Les if a box fan in our room would drown out the noise. We agreed that it would, so I went and got one and plugged it in. It was like heaven to my ears!! Thank you to whoever created the wonderful box fan....LOL I was finally able to drift off for a while UNTIL I started smelling smoke.

I woke Les up b/c my nose was itching and I could smell our wood-burning stove. He goes to check on it to make sure that everything is fine with it. All is good and finally I go back to sleep. My alarm went off at 6:40 AM and I felt like I hadn't slept a wink. ;) So, I call in at work and tell them that I'm going back to bed and I'll be there later. We slept till about 9 AM and then got up feeling a little bit more rested. Needless to say, it was quite the adventerous night!!

I am thinking that we're going to have to try the "no bark" dog collar and see how Bear likes that. He barks non-stop at night sometimes and I'm sure the neighbors just love him - well, I know I do.........hahaha NOT! When I was telling my mom about our night she just laughed b/c of me smelling like a skunk now - I was laughing too and can't believe it!! YUCK! I can't wait to tell my dad and hear of his reaction too of my stinkin' (no pun intended) story.

Have a great weekend!!!

what a wonderful weekend - TOGETHER!

Les and I had a wonderful weekend this past weekend. We went camping after church on Sunday up to Bonham and had a great time! We camped on a dead end road where hunter's camp (Les has a hunting license and I have a permit), so we're completely legal to be on the land. :)

On Sunday we hiked for a little while, but I get scared after dark and we forgot the flashlight, so I insisted that we back BEFORE it was dark. :) Something about the dark and not being able to see really scares me!!! I even got scared 1x in the small patch of woods near our house and I knew where I was and headed home in tears. Les was very sweet and followed me b/c I got so scared (also, there were about 4 rabbits dead and some of them were hanging in trees, so I was freaked too). Anyways, after we got back we started a bonfire to keep warm (low was in the low 30's) and had hot dogs over the fire. That was a lot of fun relaxing and talking and just enjoying being together!! It was really cool, we got these HUGE logs started and they honestly burned all night - I'm not kidding either. It was wild! We went in our tent around 11 PM and played a few rounds of yahtzee and yes, Les beat me 2x, but I did beat him 2x the week before at home.........it was my time to lose......hahaha On Monday, we got up and had our breakfast (oatmeal) and packed up and went hiking in the woods. We were wearing rubber boots b/c it was pretty muddy, but it was fun and we used our GPS and walked about 3 miles or so. We were going to ride our bikes, but my tire was a little flat and we didn't want to chance it. So, we went and started our grill and fixed hamburgers. While the grill was getting ready we walked to the lake and bad - that was fun. We then started home and picked up our girl Kodiak and went to dog training. Kodiak has been having so much fun with agility and honestly she talks to me the whole time and wags her tail like crazy. I have fun seeing her have fun and using her brain. :)

Well, that is my weekend in a nutshell and I have been busy all week at work since we were closed on Monday for President's Day. It was a nice break and now tomorrow is FRIDAY!!!

I am sooo ready for Friday to be here and can't wait. :)

Kodiak's 4th Birthday!!!

Today is Kodiak's 4th birthday - I can't believe all that she has taught me in responsibilities, how to love, to give unconditionally, etc. She is the best dog and I am sooo glad that she's mine!!!

She is staying with her grammy, poppy, and uncle Chrissy tonight. I know that she is so excited to be staying over with them (she will get a pig ear - she LOVES them!!!!).

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!

Happy Valentine's Day to YOU!!!
Les, !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Storms on Monday Night

Well, I have to say we had some hum dinger of storms come through around 2 AM Monday night. It woke me up and I was a little scared. The lightening was VERY bright and the thunder was literally clapping right around us. As I was laying there a few of the thunders made me jump b/c they were scary sounding! I heard a fire truck and just prayed that whoever's house was struck; that they would be able to get outside safely. That was the last time I thought about that for the rest of the night. I was on my way to work the next morning and there is a church about 1 mile from us and the steeple was on the ground and part of the roof was burned - the church was where the fire trucks were going when I heard them during the night. I couldn't tell how much damage there was, but they had taken the door off and had a ply board covering the door hole. I pray that not too much damage was done, but at least my prayers were answered - no one was hurt. A building can always be rebuilt.

Les and I got 1 1/2 inches of rain at our house and our pond is starting to fill up again - so that is always exciting to see! Now my girl can go swimming again!!! :) I have attached an old picture of Kodiak and Les that I just love. Kodiak had had surgery this particular day and all she wanted to do was be pampered and lay with us. This is a very cute picture of them loving on each other.

Biscotti's

Well, today was my 1st time to have a Biscotti. The flavor that I am eating is called Chocolate - it is really good. In fact, here is a picture of it - this isn't the ONE that I am eating, but honestly, it looks EXACTLY the same. :) I found this picture on the web.

Go and have a biscotti!!!!!

Friends

Here is a picture of me and some high school buddies. We got together a few weeks ago and had dinner and shared MANY laughs!! We had a great time. I wish we could always get together & hang out. Where does time go?! I can't believe that it has already been 10 years since we graduated (well, in May.....LOL). ;)

Morning Devotion

I get these daily Christian Women Devotions and wanted to post today's devotion. Have a blessed day!

"These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come" (1 Corinthians 10:11). In order to learn from the mistakes of those who lived before us, let's look at the specific sins that were to serve as warnings for us:

"Do not be idolaters, as some of them were;" (1 Corinthians 10:7)
"We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did--" (1 Corinthians 10:8a)
"We should not test the Lord, as some of them did--" (1 Corinthians 10:9a)
"And do not grumble, as some of them did--" (1 Corinthians 10:10a)

Consider carefully what each of these behaviors represents, to understand how they are present in the twenty first century. Idolatry is simply worshiping anything or anyone other than God. We were created to worship, but too often we allow sports, music, financial power or fame to become the objects of our devotion rather than God. In a society like ours that has erased the lines of right and wrong, not much is even considered immoral. Sexual immorality -- any sexual behavior outside of marriage - is the ultimate expression of selfishness, seeking pleasure regardless of the cost. Those who tested God challenged His right to command them. To put it plainly, they were unwilling to submit to God's authority. Grumbling reveals an ungrateful heart. It fills me with fear to realize that God included complaining in the same list as idolatry and sexual immorality. The fulfillment of the ages -- Christ's death, resurrection and imminent return -- has come. Thus, in 2008, let us heed the warning. We must flee from evil behavior and set our hearts on serving God.

~God, forgive me for giving in to sin and then trying to justify my actions. Make my whole desire this year to seek You and to walk in Your holiness.

Questions: What idols have you been prone to worship? Why did God treat grumbling so seriously?

Author: Suzanne Benner

The Bell

THE BELL
I KNOW WHO I AM

I am God's child (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15)
I am united with the Lord(1 Cor. 6:17)
I am bought with a price(1 Cor. 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth ( Matt.5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ(1 Cor 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation (Rom. 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil.3:20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31-34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God(2 Cor.5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God( Rom.8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 C or.1:21-22)
I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8: 28)
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16)
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12)
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16). I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).
I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1).
I am God's workmanship(Eph. 2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected (Phil. 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven (Col. 1:14).
I have been adopted as God's child(Eph 1:5)
I belong to GodDo you knowwho you are!?(Keep this bell ringing...pass it on)

"The LORD bless you and keep you;the LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn His face toward youand give you peace."Numbers 6:24-26

I thought that this was really cool in my e-mail, but when I cut/paste it in here; it didn't do the bell shape. Oh well - I liked the scriptures anyways!!

Have a GREAT weekend and let God be your guide.

random things

WOW, 1 whole week since I last blogged!!!!!!!! If you're like me, you go to certain blogs almost daily to see if they have been updated; then I thought back to my own and couldn't believe it had been so long. OOPS!!!!!!!

Let's see what's going on:
1. We started training at a new place - Best Friends and we love it! Everyone out there is great! This past week was a lot of fun. There are 2 classes going on at 1x and we had a relay with our dogs at the end of the night. Way too fun!

2. Kodiak is on a diet. I'm going to try and get her down to 75 lbs. She gets 1 cup of food a day and then also eats green beans (no salt added). She is doing well, but I wish it wasn't about to get cold b/c I LOVE going to the park. Plus, there are a few ponds/lakes that she can swim in. That will be the best exercise for her!

3. My Explorer is fixed -YAY!! I am so excited b/c I get to drive my car again. :) Thank you Les for fixing it for me. For those of you who are curious - he had to replace the head gasket on the driver side of the engine. Now I have heat - just in time for the cold front that is supposed to come on in tonight.

4. I am excited b/c we have a cold front coming in tonight with possible rain! I can't wait to get home and sit in our living room and be warmed by our wood-burning stove. I love that thing! I am becoming a GREAT fire starter!!! Of course, I had the BEST teacher - my hubby, Les!

5. We bought a GPS - I am so excited about this too (don't tell my hubby). It has a thing on there that tells you when the best time to go fishing is. I am excited to start using that! Also, I want to use the GPS part of it too and walk around different places and see various measurements. That'll be cool! :)

6. Our ABF (Adult Bible Fellowship) at church is going to break into 2 groups. It has become a very large group and many more couples starting families. They are going to make it 1. class for parents and 2. engaged/newlyweds. That'll be good b/c they are going to cover more specific topics depending on which class you're in. I think Les and I are going to change to the engaged/newlyweds class since we are newlyweds (we've been married a little over 3 months now).

Well, I guess that is all the news that I have for the moment! Have a GREAT day and I'll write more later.

3 month anniversary!!

WOW, I can't believe that Les and I just celebrated our 3 month anniversary!! It was very exciting, but we were pretty tired last night! We went camping this weekend and Les hunted all weekend with a couple of his buddies. None of them shot anything; the weather was warm again and not much was seen or shot. We had a good time though despite that. Thanks to William, we had grilled duck; which was REALLY good!!! I found me a new meat that I like to eat.............LOL

I went into town during the day on Saturday and wandered around there for a few hours. Then the guys and I went back into town and went to the General Store for hand-dipped Blue Bell ice cream cones - YUMMY!!

Sunday I went hunting with Les during the night hunt. The 4 of us hiked around for a while before that and they found a few more places to hunt next season. It was nice to be out and about in nature. The weather was beautiful and it was just a tad cloudy and that really helped! Les and I sat from about 3:30 PM or so till about 6 PM; then it was time to pack up and leave.

All in all - I had a great weekend!!!

AGILITY TRAINING:
We start back to agility training tonight. I have switched places and now we're going to be training at Best Friends Agility. I am excited about this too b/c we're going to be following our former teacher. I really wanted him to be our teacher and when he switched - I asked him to switch too. :) So, we're starting tonight at 6:45 PM and very excited about that!!

I'll keep you posted on how Kodiak is doing! Oh, she is improving on the weave poles. I have made a set of weave poles for Kodiak and I to work on in our yard and we're having a lot of fun with them. I am excited to see how Kodiak does this afternoon if we run through the weave poles. I hope she performs well since it's been about 4 - 5 wks since she's been on a course. :)

Woo Hoo - 200 Posts!!

I can't believe that I have now posted 200x - where has the time gone?!

I am excited; this weekend Les and I are going camping out just East of Jefferson. Les is hoping to shoot a doe this weekend and that will end his 2007 hunting season very successfully. He started off strong by shooting an 8 point buck (there are pictures in previous posts of the buck). Even if Les doesn't shoot a doe this weekend; we would have still had a great time camping!! I am hoping to make a stop in Jefferson sometime during the day while the guys are out hunting to look through the shops, maybe stop at the coffee shop, etc. I really like going to this general store that they have there and tasting their hot sauces, pickled garlic, etc. Plus, you can get hand-dipped blue bell ice cream cones!! YUMMY

I plan on taking a few books, Angels on Earth magazine, and maybe a journal. I am looking forward to some down time and enjoying the great outdoors. :) The weather is supposed to be beautiful and I'm so excited!

I'm going to go now and get back to work, but I'm sure I'll have more to add as this day progresses.

Have a GREAT weekend if I don't get back on........


These are too funny - they are some new smiley's from smiley central!!!

Happy New Year and reflections f/ 2007!!!!!

I can't believe that 2007 is already over with. This has been one whirlwind of a year for me!! I'll give you the highlights of my year:

February - Les brought up marriage - that was the 13th at 10:45 PM!!! :) I didn't sleep a wink of sleep that night I was so excited!!!

March - We set the date for our wedding. We have family/friends who live out of state and wanted to make sure that they would be able to come. ;)

April - Les officially proposed to me on Easter Sunday - April 8th!!!! We were sitting in the truck getting ready to get out to go to Sunday School. We were sitting in front of a fountain (that wasn't working that day) and Les gave me an Easter Card. I felt bad b/c I hadn't got him an Easter card, however, when I opened the card and read it - he had the engagement ring on the back of the card wired on. It was very sweet and I didn't do the proposal justice, but it was the BEST day!!! I couldn't wait to get into Sunday School and show off my new ring and the fact that we were getting married. When we got back to my parents' house after church - we told my dad and brother, but not my mom. My dad prayed for lunch and during the prayer mentioned something about a newly engaged couple (us) and my mom was like,"what?!" She was SUPER excited!!! They hugged us and then we went and took pictures in the bluebonnets. It was AWESOME!!

May - I found my wedding dress!!!!!

June - Wedding Showers started - that was sooo much fun!!

July - Went to Peru for 15 days!! I went on a mission trip with the organization that I work for - MMI (www.mmint.org). I had an awesome time, but was definitely ready to get home and be with Les. :)

September - Went to Colombia for 1 week with my work. We have an annual staff conference and we were in Barranquilla, Colombia. I got home 1 1/2 wks before the wedding - crazy, I know!!!! :) I also had my bachelorette party this month and LOVED it!!!

October - WEDDING!!! HONEYMOON!!!

November - I turned 28 and had a low key birthday party. I love cheesecake, so that was my "birthday cake." :)

December - Les and I celebrated our very 1st Christmas together as a married couple - that was sooo EXCITING too!!!!!!!! Now we are going to be celebrating NYE together tonight as a married couple. I just LOVE all these 1st's. They are so exciting to me b/c I know that I won't be able to have them again.

God has really blessed me this year and I'm so thankful for Him!

Thank you, Lord for all that You have done with me and through me. I pray that You will continue to use me for your service through 2008 and many years to come. I trust that You will always take care of our needs. You are so gracious to us - thank you for sending Your Son to this earth, so that we may know You and serve You. Amen.

Coyote Excitement!!

Les just called me at work and told me that he saw a coyote passing through our yard (we live in Lucas). I was so excited and sure wished that I could have seen it, so I decided to blog about it instead.

I looked online for a few coyote shots that I could post on here, so here you go. :) When Les was telling me about the coyotes - it reminded of the time that him and I called up a coyote in the field next to where we live. It was so exciting and I remember that I was the 1st one to spot him. Les had the video camera running and he taped the whole thing; which lasted a few minutes, but seemed like forever that we got to enjoy the beauty of this wild animal.

Christmas Day!!

What a wonderful Christmas Les and I had. This was our 1st Christmas as a married couple!!!!!! :) This is really our 3rd Christmas together though. I don't know where the time has gone. Yesterday we got up around 8 AM or so and my parents and brother came over for Christmas breakfast and we exchanged gifts with them. That was fun! Then my mom and I got the ham ready and while I prepared it she was there on hand for any questions! It was one of the easiest things that I have ever done. I just put it in the oven and baked it - very good! I love glaze on ham and when the time came to put that on - I was really excited! It was so tasty!! While the ham was cooking we took a walk through the field beside our house to the forest/tree line and wandered around through there. My parents had never been to the old barn down in there and so they were able to see that. Bear and Kodiak were having a blast running around and playing. Kodiak went for a swim in our pond and then headed off into the field. There is a creek that runs through the middle of the tree line and Kodiak swam in that too. Bear jumped over that and he has a jump of about 5 feet in width - we were all amazed by his jump over the water! After we wandered around there for a while it was time to go back and the guys start working on fixing my Explorer. So, we got back and my mom and I sat outside and enjoyed the weather and Les & Christopher (my brother) worked on the car. Around 1 PM my mom and I started to get the rest of lunch ready and then Doris (my mother-in-law) arrived and we finished getting lunch together and then ate. We had a wonderful lunch together. Everything was wonderful. We had ham (of course), green bean casserole, steamed brocolli, sweet potatos, potatos (how I ate them in Russia), and I can't remember if there was anything else or not. Then for dessert we had pecan pie and pumpkin log. It was so good too! After lunch my parents left and we hung out with my mother-in-law all afternoon and had a great time. We went Christmas light looking after dark since we hadn't been this year yet. I really wanted to go and so we left. We had a good time doing that too and just talking and being together. We winded through parts of Lucas, Allen, & Fairview. We made a pit stop at my parents' house to see their lights and use the bathroom. Then we were off again to go through another part of Fairview. After we got home, Doris left and Les & I played a few rounds of Yahtzee. I love Yahtzee!!! He beat me both times. :)

All in all, our first Christmas together was awesome! I couldn't be anymore blessed to have Les as my husband. Oh, I forgot to tell what we got each other. I got Les a mountain bike. I had a mountain bike, so I thought it would be cool to ride together when we go camping or whatever. I found a mountain bike in red and was very excited! Then Les got me this Precious Moments figurine of a bride and groom together and it says," Just Married." It was very sweet! Santa brought us an ornament that says," Our First Christmas - 2007." It was very special and really meant alot. I couldn't have asked for a more exciting Christmas and I am so glad by how God has blessed us both.

Christmas Funnies!

I thought these were pretty funny and wanted to put a few of them on here....ENJOY!

Not EXACTLY the prettiest site............hahahahaha

Here is Frosty getting caught picking his nose............hahaha

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Always remember the REAL reason for Christmas - the birth of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. Without Him, we would be nothing and have nothing to strive for.

Love you all!
Kimberly

We got Elfed!!

Check out this website to see what I'm talking about...........MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1569178377

The Past Weekend Events

Les and I had a great time this past weekend!! I'll give a quick recap of our weekend. :)

Friday - we stayed home, ate dinner, and watched Wild Hogs. That movie is so funny - see it if you haven't already!! Very funny!

Saturday - I hung out with my mom that morning b/c we haven't been able to spend much time together and I wanted mom/daughter time. We ate at IHOP and then ran errands. We had a good time just being together. Then I went home and got ready. Les and I went with David and Chanin to eat at Dickey's in Wylie and then to the Wylie Opry. This was the best show so far at the Wylie Opry (in my opinion) that I have seen. I had a really good time. While we were in downtown Wylie I saw an AVON and Mark. store! I am so excited and I really want to go down there this Saturday morning and check it out. There is also this country store right next door that I want to go to also. I know what you're thinking - this girl is amused easily - YEP, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT! I appreciate the small things that most people take for granted. I enjoy every minute of life and just thank God for all that He has done for me and how He has blessed me. I have an awesome husband whom I just love to death, I have a great family who supports me no matter what and loves me no matter what too, I have great friends who are always there for me and I can trust to tell my joys and concerns with (y'all know who you are!), and many other things that I am so grateful for that are gifts from God. Now to continue on with my weekend........

Sunday - Les and I went to our church for SS and "Big Church". Les worked on my car some (heater not working) and was trying to change the thermostat, but there is one bolt that will NOT come out. He is going to be working on it tomorrow while he is off. We were invited to go to Friendship Baptist Church for dinner and their Christmas program. It was a lot of fun too and we saw many familiar faces. My grandparents go to FBC and we sat with them and enjoyed spending time with them and my dad. My mom and brother were at my Uncle Clayton's group home celebrating Christmas with them.

I hope that you have a great week and I know that I rambled earlier, but this is my blog and I can write what I want to. LOL I love the Lord and I just praise Him daily for how He made me and all the blessings that He has bestowed upon me. Thank you, Lord!

Merry CHRISTmas & Happy New Year!!!!
Jesus in the Reason for the Season

Refrigerator

Well, I am happy to say that Les and I bought a new refrigerator. We still have our old one, but we have updated to a new one in the house. We put our old refrigerator on the back porch. This is my 1st appliance purchase - how exciting?!

Let's see, the new one is a pretty white color with the freezer on top (like our old one). There are adjustable drawers that are spillproof. There are a few crispers (just learned that term) and a deli drawer too. If I ever get around to taking a picture of it - I will post it. :)

Parents are coming home!

Yeah! I am so excited!! My parents and brother will be coming home tonight! I am excited about seeing them. I have seen them about 1 day in the last 2 weeks and I am anxious to see them. I have been super busy though and haven't had a whole heck of a lot of time to think too much about them not being here. My uncle was put in the hospital yesterday afternoon with a bladder infection/dehydration. There is a ton more going on, but nothing stressful - just busy.

Right now we actually have a cold front moving into the area and I am so excited by this too. I tend to get excited over the smallest things, but that's what makes me! hahaha

It is rainy outside and really dark - I think that is the cold front moving in quickly!!!!

Lord, please protect my parents and brother as they are flying in this evening. I pray that they would have a safe journey and bring them home to us. Amen.

YEAH!!!!

Yeah for cold weather!!! The temperature started dropping Saturday night and our cold front moved on in. It was 36 degrees when I got up to get ready for work this morning. Now, 7 hours later - it has only "warmed up" 2 degrees. We have been holding steady at the 38 degree mark now for a while.

I went home at lunch time and put a few more logs on the fire into our woodburning stove; which is where we get our heat from. The dogs were so glad to see me and go outside to stretch their legs. I ate my lunch and now I'm back at work. It has been a very busy day and I needed a moment to break for a second.

Last night Les and I and Doris (my mother-in-law) went and saw the Living Christmas Tree at FBC of Plano. It was pretty! I really liked the lights on the tree. There was a harpist who was very talented and he played between 4-5 songs.

I am going to go back to work now, but I am signing off for now!!! :)

Mole Removal Went Smooth!

Thanks to all the prayers that my mole removal would be easy - well, it was! Everything went very smoothly and my husband went with me (I just love saying husband....hehe).

I ended up with 2 stitches and a TINY bit of discomfort this morning. I can barely feel anything, but I can tell that something happened to me yesterday. The whole procedure took honestly about 15 - 20 minutes. He started off numbing the whole area with a shot and I felt the first sting of medicine and that was it! He let that sit for a moment while everything went numb and then he started the cutting out procedure. I had to sit on the table and I didn't pass out or anything. It helped that we were all talking the whole time and we were able to keep a conversation going. :) It did get quiet for a moment when we 1st got started, but then there was no more silence.........hahaha

I did tear up of course a little bit because I was nervous, but once the shot was over - nothing phased me at all. I realized that I wasn't going to fill anything and was able to relax. I could hear some snipping, but that was it.

Just wanted to let you know of my good news! I am now praying for a cancer free biopsy; which it should be because he said the mole looked good. :) Praise the Lord!

Group Photo f/ Arequipa, Peru

Here is a group photo of everyone that I worked with while I was in Peru this past summer for 15 days! We had an awesome group and everyone worked so hard and efficient with one another. We had 95 people or so on our team and we were able to see 5000 patients. This was a HUGE eye project where there were surgeries, exams, eyeglass dispensing, etc. If you would like to know how to get involved in medical mission trips - please go to Medical Ministry International's website at http://www.mmint.org/

Sick :(

Well, I am home sick today. I was feeling alright yesterday, but today I started coughing up green stuff, so that's no fun.

I am at home with 3 dogs and they are all keeping me great company. Kodiak is laying on the couch with me and Lacy (my SIL and BIL's dog) is laying on the floor by me. Our other dog, Bear, wanted to go outside, so he is sitting outside somewhere. Who knows, he might even be out chasing rats - I have no clue! Les is at work and I am trying to feel better.

My brother and my parents flew out about 30 min. ago to go back to MD for a week. I'll be glad to see them once they return. It's always nice to have your mommy around when you're not feeling well. ;) I pray that the Lord will keep them safe in all their travels and bring them back here safely.

I feel like I should go and take a nap, so I will write more later if anything changes in my world........ :) :) :) :) :)