Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to the love of my life, my husband Joe, shown here on an elk hunting trip in Colorado.  He chose me for his bride 33 years ago,  after dating for 3 years, and my love for this wonderful man continues to grow.  We have been blessed in so many ways but at the top of the list has to be our precious grown children (they both look like there handsome dad) and the fact that we are still happy, healthy and in love!  With the help of God, at the center of our marriage, along with a lot of give and take and consistent communication, our marriage has blossomed into something REMARKABLE and that is a BLESSING indeed!  Happy Birthday Joe, may we have many more birthdays to share with each other!

Winter Blessings

On this cold winter day in North Carolina, I'm enjoying this beautiful bouquet of yellow bells (Forsythia).  I brought the cold barren branches inside several weeks ago, pampered them with sunlight and fresh water, and now they are rewarding me with a fresh breath of SPRING TIME!  I love watching God's beautiful creation blossom right before my eyes and delight in the fact that in few weeks, I get to enjoy this gorgeous display outside!  And that my friends, is a BLESSING indeed!

Changes Ahead for the TWINS

This is  my beautiful niece, Sally, with her twin girls, Ella and Mattie, on their first birthday. They are 18 months old now and still just as adorable.  Sally has been an associate pastor for a First United Methodist Church, for about seven years, which is about 30 minutes away from my home.  Starting March 1st, she will be the SENIOR pastor at a First United Methodist church in Rutherford College, which is about an hour away from me.  Normally, all Methodist pastors  being moved to a new church, move on July 1st; old pastors move out of the parsonage in the morning, and the new pastor moves in during the afternoon.  WELL, the new church needs a pastor NOW and Sally gets to be their new pastor.  This is an excellent opportunity for Sally and her family but as with all changes in life... problems are created; a new church family, a house to sell, day care/preschool issues for the twins, a husband traveling an hour to work each day, packing (yikes),and then selfishly, what about my day with the TWINS?  She doesn't have all of the answers right now but tonight she has her first meeting with her new church and a glimpse at her new parsonage, which will be HOME!  What's next? A very busy two weeks...I'll keep you posted, as time permits.  Willingly, I will help them in any way that I can because this is a great opportunity for Sally and her family, which is a BLESSING indeed!  I'm proud of you Sally!

25 Random BLESSINGS

There is a meme on Face book titled, 25 Random Things.  Now that I'm a member of face book, I participated and wanted to share it with you.  I found, as I prepared my list that it was a fun time of reflection and soul searching which was very therapeutic.  I didn't include the rules here and I don't plan to tag anyone but please feel free to tag yourself.  Its time consuming but enjoyable and ended up being a BLESSING to me, as I read the comments left by others on Face book.  Thanks for the kind comments from Susie, Tammy, and Sandy who double as my face book friends and blogging buddies, and to them I say, please don't read it again...its exactly the SAME!

1.  I enjoy traveling with my hubby and we've been far and wide..Hawaii, Switzerland, Alaska, Paris, Germany, Mexico, and all over the Caribbean, Canada, and continental US!  My favorite is the Atlantis on Paradise Island.

2.  My dog Elmo, a Labradoodle pound puppy, is a best friend and she's a certified "Therapy Dog".

3.  I love-love-love, my flip-flops and wear them year round.

4.  My handsome husband, Joe, is the love of my life AND my best friend for 33 years.

5.  The most romantic moments with hubby; watching sunsets/sunrises, eating at sidewalk cafes, snuggling around the fire pit, ocean strolls, picnics,dancing at Katherine's wedding, four wheeling, hikes,and when he takes my hand in his and lightly kisses it.  It just doesn't get better than that!

6.  Our first son, Joe III, died from Hypo-plastic Left Heart Syndrome, 28 years ago and not a day goes by without me remember how precious he was.

7.  I'm the worst speeller (oops...speller) that YOU know!  Thank you God for spell check.

8.  I love reality TV-Bachelor,Biggest Looser, etc.... GO FIGURE!

9.  Just one wish?  BETTER health.... osteoporosis, arthritis, asthma, allergies, UTI/Kidney infections, sinus infection....got the idea?  Hey, remember, I'm an old lady!

10.  Daily, I try to improve my relationship with God through prayer and Bible study.

11.  Max Lucado is my favorite author and I spend a lot of time reading, mostly nonfiction.

12.  Being a Mom to Ben (age 27) and Katherine (age 26) has been my most REWARDING job.  They have brought me so much love, joy and happiness, blessing me richly...beyond measure!

13.  Favorite indulgence, chocolate-nuts-carmel or Breyers Carmel Crunch ice cream with nuts and carmel on top or in a waffle cone.

14.  God has blessed me with an abundance of friends, many for a lifetime but others have entered somewhere along my life's journey; church friends, relatives (even in-laws), teaching friends, face book friends, blogging buddies, students, parents of students, and YOU, for which I'm thankful.

15.  My hair is still its natural color, dark brown, even though I'm 56 years old and it continues to get darker every year.  I have a few gray sprouts...who cares? Not ME!

16.  I'm about as low maintenance as you can get, I can get ready in 5 minutes flat.

17.  My two sisters are, and always have been...such dear friends.  They add so much laughter, enthusiasm, and unconditional love to my life.  I miss you Cheryl and Kathy, could you move to Rutherfordton?

18.  In college, I was on a variety of intramural championship teams; volleyball and tennis to name a few.

19.  I miss my Dad more than words can express.  He has been in heaven for 10 years now and I often thank God for the many things he taught me about life.

20.  Gardening is a favorite of mine and I inherited my "Green Thumb" from my dad.  When I taught Kindergarten, I tried to pass that trait along to my precious students, by planting a garden each year.

21.  The students that I taught over my 32 years of teaching...some diamonds, and some diamonds in the rough... blessed me immensely!  The blessings continue as we cross paths today and I will always have a special place in my heart for each DIAMOND!

22.  Hold the mayo...YUCK-Its just too thick and mushy! 

23.  The achievement in life that I'm most proud of is the TLC preschool program that I started at my church.  It's still touching the lives of children in a positive way, 24 years later.

24.  I weighed 102 pounds the day I married Joe.  Those days are gone forever...see #13.

25.  My most heartwarming moment...moments...Hearing Ben preach and watching Katherine in the classroom, knowing they are sharing God's unconditional love with others, daily.  PRICELESS!

"Nana, Nana"

This is my handsome hubby with the grandniece twins. Won't he make the best Papa ever? (hint, hint)  The twins are 17 months old now and they are more than a double bundle of joy.  They share love, hugs, kisses, laughter and joy.   BUT nothing melts my heart more than to see them run down the hall from their preschool class, arms reaching upward towards me, huge smiles of delight on their faces,  SHOUTING,  "Nana, Nana" (baby talk for Nancy)............  PRICELESS!  Thankfully, I'm still strong enough to scoop them  both up and smother them with kisses!  This has to be a touch of heaven on earth and one of my richest BLESSINGS in life!  Big changes are on the way for the twins, so check back in a few days for an amazing announcement.