Father's Day

There are three fathers in my life. I respect them all more than words can express.
First, my daddy, he is and always will be a man that I look up to and value. When I think of daddy the word that comes to mind is dependability. I, as well as my five siblings and their spouses and children, can depend on daddy. He has done what he thought was best, even when it flew in the face of the world around him. He accomplished things that seemed impossible for him, given his circumstances, and his life is an example of a person's ability to change their course, and choose what is right. His legacy is found in his grandchildren, most of whom have already professed their faith in Christ, and been baptized by their papaw.
Second, my father-in-law, Stan. My husband's love and genuine affection for his dad, are rarely found in grown men.
When I think of Stan, the word that comes to mind is commitment. I don't know that I have ever encountered someone who is more determined in his commitments. He is committed to his wife and to loving her fully and forever. He is committed to his children and to teaching them what it means to have integrity and choose what is right. His quiet strength is an example to all of us who complain and fight against the things that happen to us in life. I look up to this man, and I am proud that he is my children's grandfather. I hope and pray that his grandchildren will look to his example in the face of adversity and choose what is right, committing to it fully.
The father that means the most to me though, is this one. The one that is raising my children. The one who comes home every night and isn't afraid or unable to hug and kiss his kids. The father who prays with my children. The father who takes the time to explain to our twelve year old the reason behind his decisions and why they are teaching her things she will need to know about life when she's grown, and working, and living on her own. The father who admires his son, and wishes he could be just like him, and tries to find the balance between spurring his son on and pulling him back. The father who saves the silly voicemail messages sent by his baby girl, and plays them over and over again, because he thinks she is so wonderful. This man shows both dependability and commitment, integrity, and endurance. Strength and courage in the face of adversity, patience, kindness and mercy. His legacy will be lived out in the lives of his children and I will forever be grateful to my heavenly Father for putting this father in my life.

Speaking The Truth

I was driving down the road recently when my oldest child told me about a conversation she had been involved in with two friends. The girls were talking about church and, being near-teenagers, the topic became what they wear to church. The two friends shared what they like to wear, and when it was my daughter's turn, she told them her basketball sweats were her favorite church outfit. The two friends shared a knowing look, and then one of them asked my daughter "Do you go to one of those feel good churches?"

At this point I became very quiet, trying to decide on a good explanation of what they meant by that and what I think about it. However, before I could respond my son piped up and said "Yeah, it does feel good!"

My son is someone I often think is not listening. He tends to live in his own world and cares more about the next episode of Star Wars the Clone Wars, than what is going on in the room. I'm wrong. The truth is, he does know what is going on, and probably better than most of us. Because he cuts out the bullsh*! and just says exactly what he thinks and feels. While I was trying to come up with an explanation that both defined the term "feel good church" and, with political correctness, explained why some people feel this is a bad thing, and what the correct term for our church is and why we feel that way..........my son just told the truth. Yeah, it does feel good, and he's not ashamed of it, nor does he care what the term really meant or what anyone else thinks about it or why. Hmmmm. What if I did that?

The Rest of My Mexico Pictures

"Reality is a hallucination brought on by a lack of alcohol." -unknown (no I don't mean me)

This morning I woke up (actually that is a lie, in order to wake up, one must first sleep, and I didn't do either). So, this morning I gave up, and got out of bed around 5:00. After seeing hubby off, I put on a pot of coffee, and looked out the back door, discovering that the dogs (see unpleasantly large animals pictured on left) were gone. Chewy (the one I'm not supposed to own on the top left) was the obvious culprit. I say this with complete confidence, because Cleo (the one that's supposed to be clean and indoors on the bottom left) sneaks out like a teenage girl. She goes out a hole under the back fence, that she assumes we don't know about. If she thinks we might be looking outside she won't acknowledge the hole exists.....she won't even acknowledge the fence exists! She's good. Chewy on the other hand sneaks out like a teenage boy. He wedges his nose into the largest, most obvious gate in the yard, pries it open, knocking over cinder blocks, and leaves it wide open, so that he can saunter back in when he feels like it.
They were gone. And I didn't want to go looking. A few minutes later a loud banging noise compels me to return to the back door, this time I discover that two robins have flown into my french doors, and committed suicide.....at the same time. (I don't know if this was a Romeo and Juliet kind of thing, or if they were just stupid.) Problem is, they did a lousy job of killing themselves and so flailed around, bleeding on the back deck for several minutes. At this point I decided that coffee would help, so I poured some, and thought about doing something productive....but before I could even sip the coffee, the dogs came wandering back into the backyard and Chewy (remember the one I'm not supposed to own) was soaking wet. Picturing the carnage that would ensue if the dogs got to the now (hopefully) dead birds, I panicked and ran to grab shoes and shovel, and threw the bird (that's right one bird, but I'm choosing not to think about that) over the fence. As I went to grab the hose to clean the blood off the deck, Chewy (still not supposed to own him) brushes up next to me, and I realize that he is soaking wet because even a dog knows he should bathe after being sprayed by a skunk.

Short story long, I washed the bird guts off the deck, ignored the giant, stinky dogs, closed the fence, and replaced the cinder blocks, went inside, washed my hands, and finally drank some coffee. It was almost 7:15.......a.m.

Not sure why I posted this riveting tale of my wonderful morning, other than just to see it all typed out.

No! I Don't Have Swine Flu...I Think.

Yes, I have been very sick. No! Its not the swine flu! Every well wisher that has called me over the last few days has eventually gotten around to asking...... 'well..... is anyone else from your trip sick?', or, 'when did you get back from Mexico again?', or, my favorite, the more direct approach, 'do you think you have swine flu?' The truth is no, I don't have swine flu....I think.

Since I can stand up and walk today, without pain or fear of fainting, I googled symptoms of swine flue, there are only 52 billion or so options for this, so I picked the three most official looking options...... on the first page :-)

The reason I say with confidence No! I don't have swine flu!, is that every list I checked called swine flu a respiratory illness. I have not had a single respiratory symptom. The reason I add, I think, is that it also adds on every list that sometimes it involves vomiting. I have felt like sh*! and had the beformentioned vomiting. But, I'm much better so no harm done either way. I'm still dizzy, but I think that will go away.

Sorry for the Mexico pictures without any labels. Those pictures were just some of my favorites out of hundreds! We had the time of our lives, our precious friends wed, and Derek and I had our second honeymoon! We have all been trying to come up with reasons to go back next year! I can't begin to explain the beauty of Puerto Aventuras or the spoiling we received from the resort where we stayed, but it was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I will forever be in debt to our friends for making that trip possible and necessary for us. They will never know what it did for our relationship.


So long story short, we loved it, we're back, we'll go again, and No! I don't have swine flue...I think.......

(Sorry for the small font, I don't know how to undo it!)