Happy New Year!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

It appears I'm a little slow on the uptake, but as they always say... "Better late than never!".... err, or was that "Better never late!!"?? No matter...I've decided I am WAY past due in updating my neglected little blog.

Now that we have returned from our holiday travels north to visit Ashley & Casey (youngest daughter & SIL) & my brother and his family, I am slowly returning to post-holiday living. Do I even admit that we STILL have Christmas decorations gathered, waiting to be boxed and hidden away for another year? I have high hopes of completing my project to organize and store holiday decor in a more accessible manner than in the past. Wish me luck!! I suppose the success of that project depends somewhat on my ability to tear myself away from another interest we've recently rekindled...working on our family history / genealogy. (more on that later)

I guess I'm one of those personality types that struggle with an "all or nothing" challenge in my time management balancing act. I tend to pour myself into the project at hand, sometimes to the neglect of the daily grind of life. Because my projects are usually more fun and creative than cooking and cleaning...I tend to sometimes... well...uuuhhh..."overlook"..."put off"..."neglect"... some of the more mundane tasks facing me. So, that being said, I have been admonishing myself to keep up with my daily disciplines and have enjoyed some success this past week. I began using my computerized calendar program to help me with my task list and schedules (Microsoft Outlook), I've begun my exercising again, and working on consistently completing my daily Bible study for the Ladies Day study of John that resumed last week. Baby steps....

So...I won't rattle on any more as I thought I'd catch you up to date by sharing some pictures of what we've been up to over the past 5 weeks.

It was a treat to spend time with Ashley, Casey (and Lacey) over Christmas.

We just don't get to see them enough!!

I had some time to kill one afternoon while Ashley & Casey were at work...so I abused their dog, Lacey, by making her endure a doggy "photo session". :-) I'm sure she'll be happy when the grandkids come along so I will have new subjects to hold hostage.

I have to give her credit...she was a pretty good sport and I had fun practicing with her.

Lacey has that killer instinct...see...she captured a goose... oh, it's a stuffed toy you say?? Shh, don't tell Lacey, she thinks she's the GREAT WHITE HUNTER!

It's always great to have the opportunity to spend time together...

Brad & I enjoyed the chance to spend an afternoon with my brother. He taught me how to make a writing pen...from wood...on his lathe. Really neat!! My pen is made from pink wood brought from Africa!

We took Ashley's dog for a walk one afternoon and I had fun capturing some neighborhood sights...Christmas time in PA! The snow and cold weather reminded us of growing up in Ohio.

Nothing like freshly fallen snow...especially when the weather is mild enough for a walk.

This old barn down the street has so much character...couldn't resist.

Snow...and more snow...

I don't miss THIS part of living where there is snow...the shoveling, the dirt and slush...the driving in it! Notice the hill in the background...certainly NOT a sight you'll see around where we live in Texas. Nope... flat as a pancake here! So I always enjoy being in countryside with some movement to the land. However... Texas does have some great advantages...

You don't have to shovel sunshine!! These perky flowers greeted us upon our arrival home ...Awwwww...Christmas time in Texas!!

Can you believe we still have flowers blooming!? Although the last picture was flowers from our front porch...this picture was taken out in front of a local mall... (I was bored sitting close-by at a stop light a few days ago and "just happened" to have my small camera in my purse. ;-)
Brad and I got to spend a lot of time together during December as he had several weeks of vacation to use up. This is a pic of me showing off one of the "stocking stuffer" gifts he gave me...this REALLY cool spatula.

New Year's Eve gathering with Erin, Micah and some dear friends / neighbors!

January 6th, Brad and I celebrated our 29th Wedding Anniversary! Brad brought me a dozen of these beautiful roses!!

One of the highlights of our year is to start out with the annual "Mulberrian" Dinner. A group of dear friends originally all from the same church and a home Bible Study we hosted for over 15 years. (from 1982-1997) Although many of us have moved and attend different churches now...we still keep in touch and share in each other's lives. A few years back we began inviting our older "kids" / couples to join us. Even though we were missing one couple and several of the second generation "kids" this year... we had 20 (plus 3 unborn) in attendance. I hope some day to have us all together...the group would be pushing 50!! One of the sons is in Iraq, so it brings the war a little closer to home for us. It's one of those rare groups that have gone from baby showers to bridal showers....and now back to baby showers again!!

Our three "Mothers-in-waiting": Lisa (due any minute), Mimi (delivered their son two weeks ago) and Erin (due May 4th)

It was also a treat over Christmas to see Salem, Erin's best friend. We are ALL delighted that, like so many major events in life, they get to experience pregnancy together. They have been friends since they were 7 years old, shared an apartment together during college, married within months of each other...and now are expecting their first baby within weeks of each other...both sons!! Congratulations!!

It has been so nice to have Megan back in town a few times over the past month!! We have been able to spend some fun times together talking, doing lunch, shopping...doing lunch again... ;-)

Meg was pleased with this cute pair of shoes she found when I took her shopping for some Christmas gifts. Too bad we didn't catch a picture of the skirt we got to go with the shoes!!

Well, that about wraps up my photo blog for life over the past month. I hope to have a chance to drop by and visit with my friends in blogville soon!!

We're Back Home!

It's good to be home again and have time to reflect on the privilege of recent travels we have enjoyed. I thought I'd share with you (if anyone is still checking my blog) some of the fun we've had traveling over the past weeks and months. From the Pacific, to the Gulf and then on to a two week visit with family in the Buckeye State...we've enjoyed some great times!

I've also been wondering what my Blogville friends have been up to...so hopefully this next week I'll slowly make my way through my blogroll and stop by for a visit!

For the first post in my "Travel Blog Series", (oh gosh-don't I sound so official-gheeze!) I'll share a few pics from our trip to the Texas Hill Country and to our Capitol City, Austin. This trip actually took place back in August (yes, I'm behind!) and was scheduled so we could attend the wedding of a special young lady who lived with us a few years ago for a period of time. The Lord has brought a wonderful man into her life and we are rejoicing with this sweet couple on His Faithfulness in their lives. Our daughters & SIL, Erin, Micah and Megan, were also able to attend the wedding and enjoyed spending some time together during that weekend.

After the wedding, Brad & I spent the weekend with some very dear, long-time friends. We don't get to see them nearly enough-maybe twice a year...but we can easily pick up where we left off. I love it when the Lord blesses us with friendships that endure over the long-haul.

Lindsey made such a beautiful Bride!!

I had fun catching a few pics of the event.

After the wedding reception, we stopped by the state capitol to see how it looks lit up at night. We got there just before they turned the lights off at midnight!

A view of the city from the capitol lawn.

The rest of the weekend was spent visiting with our very dear friends...wish we could see them more often! Love you guys!

Can You Guess???

My, My, am I ever behind on visiting with you all via this blog! I have so much fun stuff to share with you...soon! Also, I missed my One Year Blogging Anniversary last week...as I was preparing for our trip here:



We have been enjoying a wonderful season of travel. I will be posting some pictures soon from our trips...stay tuned!!

A Visit From Sis

A Visit From Sis

My Sister spent the past week with us and, as usual, we had a great time together! I wanted to give her a break from her daily routines as a busy homeschooling Mom of two (wonderful) teenagers, a wife and homemaker. Not to mention her newest job as band manager and sound tech for the "oldies band" her husband is involved in.

So, we ate out...alot..., went shopping, watched movies (a scary movie and a few love stories), played cards, stayed up late, slept in late, exercised together, ate out some more...ate at home... more shopping, visited with family and friends...etc, etc, etc! Fun week!

Thought I'd share just a couple of the pictures to give you a taste of a few of our activities.

Dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant

Yummmmm...The BEST Fajitas!

Our Traditional outing to The Olive Garden Restaurant. Some day I'll have to post the story of why it is such a special tradition with us!

Lunch at Panera Bread with "the girls". Did I mention we ate out alot??!!

We taught Sis a new version of our favorite card game: Hand and Foot

One morning we had fun out in the yard snapping pictures of our new family of barn swallows. They return annually to the same nest under the eves of our front porch.

I also caught this picture of Freddie, the lizard that frequents our front porch.

I am blessed to have such a special sister and by the relationship that we have developed over the years.

Back to "normal"...whatever that is

The house seems quiet now that Mom & Dad have returned to the cold, snowy north country. We sure enjoyed spending the past 3 weeks with them!! I think it was hard for them to leave the warm, sunny spring weather we are having and return to the ice and snow of Ohio. Here, our azaleas are beginning to bloom and the Bradford pear trees are ablaze with white flowers. During their stay we didn't do a lot of running around, but we did manage to have a few special things to attend each week. Aside from enjoying several nice meals at our favorite restaurants, I think we had a few outings worth mentioning. Friday night auctions were a big hit for our group of 8. The second week Mom, Dad, Erin, Micah, and Brad & I all purchased items at such savings we are still in awe. Another fun outing was a BBQ dinner we attended at our church. The entertainment for the evening was Dr. Gene Howard, a John Wayne "impersonator". He looked like John, talked like John and did a great job of giving a patriotic and inspirational presentation after dinner. Since my Dad is an avid John Wayne fan... it was especially fun to attend this event with him. I took my camera and had fun capturing a few pictures during the evening:

The rest of our time together was spent visiting, eating, enjoying the family hanging out together, eating, watching movies (especially enjoyed the 2005 BBC adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel; Bleak House), eating, I did a pumpernickel bread bake off trying 3 recipes to vote on...more eating, Dad made his famous apple pie...more eating, we worked on odd house projects-actually finished up the fireplace!!, Mom, Erin & I went to lunch (eating ;-) and shopping , Dad and I made some progress on family history stories; I asked him questions and he shared memories as we recorded the whole process. Oh yeah, can't forget our 102 trips to Lowe's. :-) Anyways, it was wonderful to have them here and we're trying to talk them into "wintering" in Texas when the cold winds blow up north. Brad and I both feel very priviledged because of the Christian heritage we have been blessed with and cherish each time we have the opportunity to spend time with family.

An Unexpected Blessing...

The house is quiet as everyone is resting so I have a moment to share with you. I have received an unexpected gift. Not a gift I would have chosen or maybe even welcomed, but it has been, none-the-less, a gift to me this busy Christmas season. The Lord has answered my prayers of helping me to keep my priorities straight, of keeping my focus on what is truly of importance and on what really matters. I once again have recognized the hand of a Loving God and I am praising Him for His faithfulness. Last Friday afternoon my parents called to let me know my 96 year old grandfather had been admitted to the hospital and was in serious condition. I struggled over if and when to book a flight up to Ohio to see him. Saturday morning it became apparent that Grandpa would not be rallying and was instead not expected to live much longer. With Brad's blessing, I immediately booked the first flight out (7pm) hoping to make it in time to have an opportunity to hold his hand one more time and say my good-byes. My sister called around lunch time to let me know that Grandpa had passed from life to ETERNAL LIFE. I was heart broken to have missed saying good-bye. I began to focus on being thankful for our recent visit 2 months ago when I did have a chance to sit, one last time with grandpa...talk, laugh, hold his hand and tell him I loved him. Our visit is a good memory. I had a few hours to straighten up our home, gather some photos of grandpa, pack and make it to the airport in good time, headed for Ohio. The last four days have been filled with family time that has refreshed my soul as we have talked, laughed, cried, hugged and enjoyed the preciousness of the life the Lord has given us together. For those of you that know me, you understand what a testament to God's faithfulness it is that our family enjoys such a close and loving relationship. At times it overwhelms me when we are together. Coming from a "blended family", we have had our share of challenges and growing to do in order to reach this point of bonding and connectedness. So my gift this Christmas did not include being able to cross things of my "to do" list, having every gift purchased and wrapped, Christmas baking done, or to have our house put back together and beautifully decorated. It has been the gift of being surrounded by my extended family, sharing in our love for each other as we mourn our loss and celebrate life. My brother officiated at grandpa's funeral today and his words were a blessing to all. Forty-one family members enjoyed lunch together...what a treat to re-connect with extended family, many of whom I have not seen for years. Family gathered at the cemetery this afternoon as we paid our final respects to my Father's Father. It was emotional for me at a deeper level as my memories flooded back over the years when we have stood in this same place and said our good-byes to three other family members. The most difficult for me, of course, was the memory of being a 14 year old girl and laying to rest the body of my mother. I began to learn then that some things in life just have to be accepted by faith. Today I was looking at the grave sites of three generations, four special people...and each loved in a special way. Tomorrow I return home to Texas, again surrounded by family who love each other. Ashley and Casey will arrive into town two hours after I do, so I am thankful all seven of us will be together this Christmas to celebrate Christ's birth and our love for each other. I pray that you will have a Blessed Christmas this year as you celebrate "God With Us". In Loving Memory of my Grandfather.

The Rest Of The Story...

And now….THE REST OF THE STORY…
(continued from yesterday's post...read that one first :-) Although each and every aspect of my last post is quite factual…it was actually a little more “complex” than the picture I have painted you. Here is the rest of the story…

The morning of our departure had arrived…too early I might add, after getting only about 90 minutes of sleep before the alarm awoke me to reality. Please don’t write me about what a dumb idea it was to stay up until 3:00 a.m. the night before a getaway with my DH. I won’t bore you with all the details of why I only got 1 ½ hours of sleep the night before our trip, but let’s just say preparations for this trip and the following trip to Ohio took much longer than anticipated. I was mad at myself for not having my act together (www.flylady.com style), and not accomplishing all the things I wanted before leaving on our 3 weeks of upcoming travels. At least I was proud of myself for pulling life together enough to be packed and ready to leave at 5:30 a.m. to accompany DH on the drive to Galveston. I came SO close to staying behind to complete my pre-travel “TO DO LIST”. I also felt badly that we had to wake up Erin & Micah at 6:00 a.m. so we could drop off our two geriatric dogs for them to watch while we were traveling. You can’t leave a 15 year old, three-legged, diaper wearing dog with just anyone you know. Anyways, that task should have been taken care of the night before. We made the trip to Galveston without event and got checked in to our room in a timely manner. Brad was required to go directly to his first meeting of the day, so I settled in for my first day alone in our hotel room. I noticed our “own private balcony, offering a magnificent, unobscured view of the Gulf of Mexico” was not exactly a correct evaluation of our particular room. Had we been located a few floors higher, I’m sure the description would have been accurate. Our balcony, on the other hand, actually overlooked the roof of the hotel entryway. If you looked off to the right, the only thing you could see was the roof and the larger-than-life air conditioning system for the hotel. Off to the left, beyond the roofline and a row of palm trees, we could indeed catch a glimpse of the Gulf of Mexico and the sky line. As for the “private balcony” part…I decided I didn’t particularly enjoy having a rather steady stream of male workers walking around on the roof directly outside our balcony doors most of the morning, so I closed the curtains. So much for our “magnificent view”. Now remember, we were preparing to be out of town for three weeks, so one of the things I needed to make sure that I had completed was to pay every bill that was due or would be due while we were gone. In order to accomplish this noble task, I had brought a pile of bills, bank statements, insurance stuff, lap-top computer, calculator and whatever else I could catch up on from this remote location. I spent the morning sitting on the bed surrounded by paperwork. I would, from time to time, flip on the TV to see what diversions it had to offer. If I wasn’t depressed before, I certainly had reason to become so after watching report after report on a senseless mass murder at an Amish school house in PA. My heart ached for those families faced with such tragedy. A bright spot in my day was when Brad popped in for a few minutes after lunch to say “hi”. I made the mistake of asking if he had eaten lunch yet, after which I received a tantalizing description of the oriental cuisine he had previously enjoyed. Since all I had eaten that morning was a rice cake spread with peanut butter, (a cost cutting effort on my part) I decided it was time for a break and a trip out to find something decent to eat. I’ve never been one to enjoy eating alone in a restaurant (it feels so lonely), so I resigned myself to drive through a local McDonald’s to pick up something to appease my growing hunger. Big mistake. Being in Galveston, I was craving sea food…so I ordered the fish filet meal deal. To be honest, at times I have actually enjoyed a McDonald’s fish sandwich; however, this was not one of those times. The sandwich was cold and dried out and the French fries didn’t fare much better. I returned to our hotel room regretting my decision to “treat” myself to an outing. I placed myself back on the bed to faithfully continue working through my piles of paperwork, with intermittent breaks for seeing if there was anything of value to watch on TV. Since we don’t watch TV at home, I thought this might be a fun diversion to my task at hand of completing unfinished paperwork. It was not the fun diversion I was hoping for. Late afternoon Brad arrived back in our room with enough time for us to enjoy a short walk along the beach before he headed back for his next session. Although Brad had told me the first night he would be tied up with work, I kept thinking we would be able to catch dinner together and take a late night stroll along the sea wall upon his return. In reality, he didn’t get back to our room until around 8pm, at which time he informed me they had provided a nice steak dinner for them during the evening session. Furthermore, to add insult to injury, he said they had scheduled a dinner outing for everyone the following night and he thought I might be able to attend. Never mind that I was holding out that evening as our one night in Galveston where we could enjoy a romantic date alone. Then he made the mistake of asking me if I had had fun that day. I’m afraid “fun” wasn’t in my vocabulary to describe my experiences of the day. I was operating on very little sleep, I had eaten only a peanut butter rice cake and dried up fish sandwich all day so I was hungry. I was also feeling rather cooped up in our hotel room and frustrated that it had taken so much time that day to work through my large pile of backlogged paperwork......and basically having a pitty party. No, “fun” was not how I would describe the events of my day. It was at that time that I decided maybe I needed an attitude check and a good night’s sleep. The day ended with prayers for a better day tomorrow.
We got out of bed around 6:30 a.m. and headed for the beach with camera equipment in tow. Since Brad had to be at his first session at 7:30, I ended up dropping him back by the conference center/resort and returning to the beach by myself. Although I had missed the sun rise by about ten minutes, I was still able to catch some great shots and spend about an hour capturing different highlights of God’s creation.

It was on the beach that I made a conscious decision to change my negative attitude and decided to work towards feeling productive and enjoying my beautiful surroundings. I loaded up my camera equipment in our van and headed back to the hotel. From there I grabbed a book and walked next door to the IHOP restaurant where I ordered a wonderful breakfast. I was still outside of my comfort zone to sit at a table by myself at a restaurant, but I had a nice view out the window and was able to read a few chapters in the book I had brought with me. After lingering over my food and book, I returned to our hotel room and settled in for the day. I finished up my paperwork and did some research on the computer that I had been delaying. I had intended to complete the job of editing wedding pictures I had recently taken at a dear friend’s wedding. It became apparent that I would be unable to tackle that task due to the limitations of the laptop computer I was using. That was very disappointing, but I continued to keep my attitude in check so I wouldn’t become frustrated. Brad arrived to pick me up at 5:30 so we could head on over to the chartered bus that was taking the group to dinner that evening. Although sitting at a table full of men who were discussing oil related business talk wasn’t my idea of a romantic date out, I focused on being thankful that we were provided with such a nice dinner at no cost to us, and that we were together. The remainder of our time in Galveston was uneventful and I was could once again appreciate the ministry of the Holy Spirit in my life and the privilege to call upon Him when I need a fresh approach to my expectations

.

Views along Galveston beach...Gulf Of Mexico, October 2006

That Tricky "E" Word

How often have you looked forward to something with excitement and high hopes only to find that your romantic dreams met a different reality? It happens to all of us… it’s the “e” word… Expectations. Take our recent trip out of town for instance. I would like to wax eloquent about the unbridled bliss of having a few days away from home to enjoy a change of pace and a large amount of quality time with my husband, or so I thought. Instead, I’m staring at the title of my blog, Candid Reflections, and am reminded that I have promised a frank and honest evaluation of life as I see it. (Hmmm…is it too late to change my blog name to: “Diane’s Fakey Facts”?) See, I’d rather not admit that I became rather ill-tempered about what I perceived as an unmet expectation surrounding our little “getaway”. Make no mistake, I knew this was a business trip I was accompanying my husband on and that he would be rather tied up a large portion of the time. But we had both thought my job would be to relax, take in a few local sites, do a little shopping….or "whatever I wanted…gosh!!" So, when several people asked me if I had “fun” accompanying Brad on this recent business trip, truth was… what I had was an attitude problem. I thought I’d tell you about our “getaway” in stages. Today you get the picture perfect, Norman Rockwell, Polly Anna version. However, stay tuned for….the rest of the story.

A few months ago my dear husband invited me to accompany him on a business outing to Galveston, Texas. He let me know that the conference he would be attending was booked at one of the nicest resorts in the area. Brad knew I had so much fun last time I joined him (last May we went to Orlando) and thought this would be another chance for me to “get away” and do whatever I wanted for a few days… a real “just pamper yourself” type vacation. His thoughtful desire to provide this change of pace for me is so appreciated!! Although he would be tied up during the day in meetings, it stood to reason that we would have our evenings together for romantic dinners and long moonlit walks on the beach. Sounded good to me!! The great part was the four star resort and all of his expenses would be paid for by the company…so we only had to cover my food. Finally the day had arrived for our little excursion. Upon arrival at our resort, we could quickly see this was indeed one of the nicer accommodations we have enjoyed. This beautiful hotel was located along the Galveston seawall and each room was reported to have its “own private balcony, offering a magnificent, unobscured view of the Gulf of Mexico.”

Brad felt, from a business standpoint, the time during his conference was very profitable. He was able to enjoy a lot of good food, a relaxed atmosphere with work associates, an afternoon of golfing with “the guys”, plus some nice company perks and gifts. And to top it off, his wife was waiting for him when he returned to his hotel room each night! I was enjoying the change of scenery as well, having a break from the routine of home base, living in clean and beautifully appointed accommodations and landscape, and having a maid to clean up after us! I especially enjoyed spending several hours down on the beach with my camera chasing the sunrise, waves and seagulls with my lens. After one such photo session, I headed over to a local IHOP and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast…made to my exact order…while lingering over the pages of the book I am currently reading. Eating out has always been such a treat for me. I love enjoying good food and fellowship and then being able to just walk away without having to clean up the mess made by preparing such a meal. Our second evening there Brad let me know spouses were invited to a company sponsored outing for dinner. We traveled by chartered bus to an area by the harbor called “The Strand”, well known for great restaurants and lots of neat shops to visit. His company had reserved a large room at a wonderful seafood restaurant that overlooked the pier. We enjoyed a buffet with an endless supply of fresh seafood; shrimp cocktail (my favorite!!), gumbo, fish, crab, etc…, salads, twice baked potatoes, chicken dishes, prime rib, and a delectable assortment of desserts. Upon returning to our hotel room we noticed that the maid had been in to prepare the room for our return. The bed linens were turned down, chocolates placed on our pillows and a fluffy terrycloth spa type bathrobe was waiting on the bed. Yes, this has truly been a fun, relaxing change of pace. Our last day in Galveston, Brad was through with business by noon. We packed up and headed back to the harbor area of town and ate lunch at a quaint little Middle Eastern café before heading back home. Once again I was thankful for an opportunity to take time away from our routines, to stop and admire God’s creation and share a new setting with my dear husband.