Happy New Year!

I'm already thinking about my New Year's Resolutions....




ON A MORE SERIOUS note, ...here's a letter I just received and it explains a lot, actually. I thought it was because I was getting older (this is my jubilee year after all, quite a landmark), but it is all coming clearer..

Warning - Women's Body Parts Move
Open letter from Ms Peggy Legg
This is an explanation to those friends and family who have experienced mysterious switches of their body parts. This effect is especially noticeable in January.
You may have read of the scare story about the man whose kidneys were stolen while he was passed out. Well, read on. While the kidney story was an urban myth, my story is true - it occurs to me practically every day.
My thighs were stolen from me during the night a few years ago. It was just that quick. I went to sleep in my body and woke up with someone else's thighs.
The new ones had the texture of cooked oatmeal. Who would have done such a cruel thing to legs that had been mine for years? Whose thighs were these and what happened to mine? I spent the entire summer looking for my thighs. Finally, hurt and angry, I resigned myself to living out my life in jeans and Sheer Energy pantyhose.
Then, just when my guard was down, the thieves struck again. My butt was next.
I know it was the same gang, because they took pains to match my new rear end (although badly attached at least three inches lower than my original) to the thighs they stuck me with earlier.
Now, my rear end complimented my legs, lump for lump. Frantic, I prayed that long skirts would stay in fashion.
It was two years ago when I realized my arms had been switched.
One morning I was fixing my hair and I watched horrified but fascinated as the flesh of my upper arms swung to and fro with the motion of the hairbrush.
This was really getting scary. My body was being replaced one section at a time. How clever and fiendish.
Age? Age had nothing to do with it. Age is supposed to reap, unnoticed, something like maturity.
NO, I was being attacked repeatedly and without warning. In despair I gave up my T-shirts. What could they do to me next? My poor neck disappeared more quickly than the Thanksgiving turkey it now resembled.
That's why I decided to tell my story. I can't take on the medical profession by myself.
Women of the world, wake up and smell the coffee. That really isn't plastic that those surgeons are using. You KNOW where they are getting those replacement part, don't you?
The next time you suspect someone has had a face ' lifted' , look again. Was it lifted from you? I think I finally found my thighs...and I hope Cindy Crawford paid a really good price for them!
This is not a hoax. This is happening to women in every town every night. WARN YOUR FRIENDS.
Yours alarmed
Peggy Legg

Oh, My Son-in-law Can Do That...

It doesn't really matter what it is...I'm not kidding you.

I have to say I am continually amazed at my multi-talented son in law Jeremiah:) It seems every time we're together I discover a new gift in him. Or even a new sense of appreciation of him as a young man. Our young man.

I remember when Carmen & Jeremiah first moved to Calgary. Peter and I dutifully met them there to help them move into their new place. (We still really didn't know Jeremiah that well and I am sure none of us were looking forward to awkward stranger moments, but we knew he would be ours for life, and wanted to get to know him better, and it is a big job for just two people.). At some point, the girls got their way and we went to the Sunridge Mall.

This is not startling news about Jeremiah I know. I'm getting to that. First off, we were in a lonely little cul de sac somewhere in the industrial site. Not sure how we got there, my memory is fuzzy at this point so I would have to make it up. But we handed Jeremiah the map book and within minutes he had us sailing along to our destination.

This may seem a simple task to some, but I detest those little map books that are too small to actually give you 3 square blocks, and then it says 'turn to the farthest page away from you and watch how we magically don't make the lines match up"... What was even more fascinating to me was that we were looking for a specific store . He says " it will be on the second floor, somewhere by the escalators in the center of the mall, possibly 3 stalls to the left or right..." (remember, he has never been to this mall in his life, and while I do know that many mall layouts can be similar, there is absolutely no way a normal person would remember that. Sure enough he was exactly right. And yes, he pulled the exact same stunt at Ikea for me when I wanted to go back for some item. So you see he is basically doomed to the task of escorting me shopping whenever we are in Calgary:)

Among his other giftings, (both he and Carmen love to garden together), Jeremiah is quite the creative and artistic kind of guy. He spends some of his time painting small detailed creatures - I on the other hand could never even do a paint by number as a child, inevitably coloring outside the lines, so any kind of painting impresses me. Especially the fleur de lis he painted on a vase for me one Christmas. When Carmen & Jeremiah were preparing for their wedding celebration, Jeremiah cut out several shields, designed and painted them himself, and it really made an authentic beautiful Medieval statement all across the base of the stage in front of the head table.

Not to mention, he has put together numerous costumes over the years, and even made a little kid one for a friend this year. This talent will come in handy when their own little prince or princess comes on the scene. Here's a nice pic of Jeremiah's costume for Ken & Jade's wedding.

Jeremiah is good electrician too - we reaped the benefits of that when he came for 3 days to visit and spent part of 2 of them wiring our en suite with Peter. We wanted him to rest and enjoy his holiday, but he insisted on honouring us and taking the time to do this wiring. It would have taken Peter literally 2 or 3 weeks if he would have done it on his own.

I know he takes things like this for granted but I do not. There is a certain boldness about Jeremiah that enables him to face challenges head on.

I wanted to take some time this birthday (belatedly!) to honour Jeremiah for the warm, loving son that he is to us. Jeremiah, you are a fine man and we love and appreciate you so much! You've brought your unique giftings into the family and we are richer for it. I am slowly getting used to being picked right up off the floor when you come home for a visit (my, but you're strong! lol), and while I know you have a great mother and father of your own, it always makes me smile when you occasionally address me as 'mom':)

Yep...there's Ray & Jeremiah fixing the furnace one Christmas. My son in law can do that.

This summer I discovered a couple more of Jeremiah's talents...we had the most delectable bbqued bacon-wrapped chicken ...mmhhmmm:)

And I also didn't realize he was such a great drummer lol. While we were visiting them this fall, C&J made me play Rock Band. I had managed to avoid it up to this point, but I figured what the hey:) I already knew Carmen was a beautiful singer but I didn't realize Jeremiah was good too! They also discovered how bad I am at the game. Apparently you have to actually strum the guitar to make it work? I was all about the fancy fingerwork with the red/green/blue/yellow... anyways, it was fun.

Here's to the next year, Jeremiah! May it be full of great surprises and new adventures:)

love you ~'mom'

Beauty and Grace

...that's our Kissy Face:)

I believe her Grandma Ev gave her that name originally and it's one of my favorite nicknames for her too.

And even though I'm VERY late with my bday post, I would like to honour Jesse Grace. While I'm on her name, I will say that I heard somewhere that one of the meanings for the name Jesse is "current with God" (which she is!). Couple that with Grace (the power of Jesus) and you have a beautiful recipe for a lovely girl inside and out, someone who makes an impact on the Kingdom of God just by being herself.

Although I grew up with Jesse's mom, Arlis, we seemed to go different directions after high school so our children had to discover each other for themselves. The first time I really noticed Jesse was when she visited our church with some other young people, and gave her testimony. My heart was touched by her honest story of how the Lord has been so good to her, and I could see the passion for Him inside of her as she told of the ways the Lord has rescued her, how she clearly knew it isn't because she does everything right, but it's because of His love for her, and how He pursued her, that I fell in love with her on the spot. (and I'm glad Ray did too LOL).

It was with great joy that we welcomed Jesse into our family. (At this point I didn't realize I would forevermore have beautiful eyebrows and toes as well, I just loved her for who she was and not for what she could do...but now...well let's just say money talks and we're both happy).

One of the things I love about Jesse is her deep love of family. When Ray & Jesse were first married, we had this thing of having dinner together once a week. I loved it. We should work on bringing this tradition back lol. And singing together - my favorite:) We don't get a lot of chances to do this, but I am always so filled up inside when we do!

This was an incredibly difficult year for Jesse as Peter & Areli and family moved to

New Brunswick. It was a special treat for her to go for a visit and get a good family fix! Not too sure what's going on with Jarv's eyes there, but hey... (sorry Simon, we'll have to post you later).


Enjoy your year, my dear! I am looking forward to seeing what new surprises the Lord has in store just for you.

love you lots! ~momzie

Good Gifts:)

From time to time I receive a devotional article in my mailbox and I really enjoy them; so I decided to post today's choice morsel:)

'Girl Meets God' from Melissa MathewsWeek of September 6 - 12, 2009
Fill My Cup Up- Let it Overflow

Thank Him in advance for what the future holds, for He is already there. Elizabeth Elliot

As I banged the cup on the counter, I got a groan.
"Mooomm, the cuuup's not fuuull yet."
As if I didn't know that, as if that wasn't the whole purpose in me banging the cup in the first place. The 7-11Slurpee machine was running really slow and thick, and I was just trying to be helpful. (If you don't know, a Slurpee is a frozen, sticky, sweet, foamy drink.)

It's been a long process- trying to teach the boys to use the Slurpee machine correctly- and I wasn't about to let them mess up now: 1) Choose the cup, 2) put on the lid, 3) make sure the dispenser is centered in the hole (not close to the hole, not above the hole, and certainly not beside the hole), 4) twist handle, 4) stop when cup is not-quite-full, because the Slurpee stuff always expands, and it's one huge mess when it drips down the side of the cup and gets dirty hands all sticky.
But that's all beside the point. I was pounding the cup on the counter so the Slurpee stuff would even-out on the bottom of the cup so I could add more Slurpee. And whichever one's cup I was holding was being impatient- acting like I was actually going to give them a slurpee cup that was half full! Who was paying for this anyway? Why in the world would I pay for a full cup of Slurpee and only take half a cup?
And, am I not one of the most push-over-parents you've ever seen? Am I not the mom that always changes my mind and gives 3 cookies instead of two? Am I not the one who always buys the Happy Meal, even when I said that I wouldn't? Am I not the mom who lets them spend $2 each on video games, when I only said they could spend $1?
So it was hard not to be irritated when whoever made such a ridiculous statement. "Mom, the cup's not full yet."

And then it flashed on the screen in my mind: "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"
Hmm. Was He talking to me?

"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"(Matthew 7:11)

Okay. Okay. So maybe I do act just like my kids sometimes. Maybe I do groan and say
"Is that all I'm getting, God?"
"Is that all the money I'm gonna have this month?"
"Is that all the wardrobe I can buy for my boys this season?"
"Is that all the honor I'm going to get?"
"Are those the only opportunities I'm going to have?"

As if God doesn't know what I need before I ask. As if God hasn't already given me more than I deserve. As if God doesn't have the fullest intention of filling my cup.

So God- bang my cup on the counter all you want. I trust you to fill my Slurpee.

Author's Bio:I'm a preacher's kid, pastor's wife, and southern belle who married a Southern California boy. Can you say "culture clash?" Scott and I have four boys - Max, Mark, Jackson, and Grant who keep us busy with homework and sports. Scott and I have been married 20 years and currently live in Northern California where we are beginning year five as church planters. I also teach 12th grade English and love it. I would love to hear from you. Email me anytime at melissa.g.mathews@gmail.com

Copyright:'Girl Meets God' Copyright 2009 © Melissa Mathews. 'Girl Meets God'
http://www.liveasif.org/

Wow Wow and Wow.

This man was at the Cry (Vancouver) recently and gave his testimony. Later I found it on youtube. God is amazing!

Eww! I can hardly stand it.

That's all I can say. It was the day after we got home from Patrick & Tamara's house a couple of weeks ago, and still hadn't had time to grocery shop, so I was rummaging around trying to find something palatable that takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and eat. (Or, even better, food that will go on the bbq so that I don't have to really cook at all!) Peter found a steak in the bottom of the freezer (perfect!) and I was checking out the bag of new potatoes I had just purchased the week before. I have a small bin in the cupboard so I reached down into the bag and pulled out a couple of small potatoes...good, they were still firm with minimal eyes on them. I went for a couple more and ewww! I stuck my fingers right into the mushy rotten part of a potato.

Quickly I washed my hands with soap and water while Peter pulled the bag up onto the counter (which I should have done myself and probably will again the next few times I go to find potatoes, til this yucky story fades into a distant memory somewhere.)

I said "don't even show me! If there are any maggots in there I will hurl everywhere!" but he said it was fine, just a little mush. But it was weird, some of the potatoes looked slanted on the ends, like they'd been cut off a bit or something, but not very smoothly. I didn't think much about it because I already had the potatoes I was going to use, and we just chucked the bag.

Later, AFTER I'd cooked the potatoes and fried them with some yummy Mrs. Dash and garlic, Peter was cleaning out the potato bin and showed me the mouse poo that was in there! A mouse had been crawling all over our potatoes and chewing on them! Eww eww and eww! That is so disgusting!

But our meal was so delightful. Wish I'd taken a little pic, because we had a really nice steak with yummy seasoned potatoes, and stir fried green and red peppers & onions with a bit of garlic and greek seasoning on them. Yum! Not bad for day before payday grocery blues.

Later on Peter told me he had found a dead mouse at the end of the hallway, so I guess China really was doing her job:) Ok, we'll keep her for another couple of weeks til the mouse scare is off and I'm sick of furballs. I know she can be grumpy with other people, but she loves me and you have to admit, she IS pretty:)

Our Loving Son Ray

Yes, that's how he used to sign his cards to me as a young boy - your loving son, Ray:) Over the years he acquired new nicknames, but this remains one of my favorites.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

....Perfect stranger in the grocery store, asking 3 year old Ray where he got his beautiful eyes from (huge and blue with stiletto length thick eyelashes......and Ray looks up innocently and gives what he believes to be an obvious answer..." From God!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our son Ray is 29 today. I can't help but wax reminiscent just the teensiest bit:) I remember very clearly the day he was born. Actually, it was the day before that I would like to mention. Maybe I should give you one more small detail first. A year or so before, I had a previous minor operation and had to be put under general anesthetic. For hours they had me parked by the nurse's station and went about their business, while I lay semi-comatose, able to hear what was happening around me but unable to move or wake up properly. Needless to say it freaked me out just a little. Also my first caesarean section birth was not a smooth one, so I really wasn't looking forward to a repeat performance.



On this sunny day in July, I stood in the parking lot, glued to my husband, rather frightened to go into the hospital. The birth was scheduled for the following morning so they wanted to prep me the night before. This baby was someone I had been praying for, lovingly talking and singing and even reading through my belly to, and dreaming of his/her future for nine months! But for a moment or two I had a frozen fear spasm. After some reassuring man logic (which I can't remember verbatim right now, but I am sure it was something comforting, like 'Jesus is with you, and I'm leaving soon for night shift so let's keep moving towards the door here), I realized my anticipation and excitement to meet this little soul was bigger than my fear of whatever might happen. ( As a sidebar here, I am happy to report that after 32 years my husband is speaking my language much more fluently! I on the other hand could still use a bit of work. You know how the first few years can be, where you are madly in love but when it comes to expressing yourself, it's like talking to someone from a foreign country lol. So you just keep speaking your own language, saying it Louder and more pronounced, like that is going to help!)

Turns out, he was by far my easiest birth:) We had his first name chosen before he was born, named after our good friend Raymond Gould...but we took a couple of days to settle on a second name. I wanted to honour my brothers but we decided if we did that, then we should honour Peter's brothers too, so, counting his dad`s name in there, the kid would end up with the potential of a mere nine middle names. (I see we got over this with the next one and just went ahead and named him after Uncle Jim). The name Raymond means Advisor/Wise Protector and I am amazed at how well this fits him!

Ray was a happy, complacent, beautiful baby,an inquisitive fun loving toddler, a youth with an a very rare and hilarious sense of humour, a moody teenager (well come on, I couldn't paint him too perfectly!), and now is a young man that I am so proud of, that I have to harness myself sometimes when I am sharing things about him to others. I think if I comment loudly one more time on the absolutely fabulous lighting design at our local airport...:)

Every child is so different. Apparently you don't just follow the same recipe and your cookies all turn out the same. For this I am thankful! Variety has been the spice of life in our household. I was thinking about Ray as a young boy, and how he was determined to become an engineer, and I think by the end of Grade 9 or so, he was pretty settled on Electrical Engineering.
He has the famous musical talent on both sides, and this has also extended into the technical side of things, where he can actually build musical equipment like amps and stuff. I love it:)




It's so reassuring to know I'll always be a mommy:)




The Lord has used him in my life more than once to heal some deep places in my heart. As a matter of fact, this is actually true of all of my children in some way or another. I love how the Lord allowed me to grow up with my kids!

Proverbs 3:1-10

1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart,
2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.
3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.
8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
9 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;
10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

Ray, when I read these scriptures it really reminded me of you, and I could see that in these areas you are already well on your way to following this good advice! You are more than a good son, you are my precious treasure! And I'm so glad you're MY loving son:)

all my love,
Mommy

ps. I know I'm going to have to edit this post again, as it annoys me no end not to have an actual baby picture on here...

Chillun Treats

We decided last minute to make a quick trip up to see the kiddies...awww:) That's all I can say. I'm telling you, they are the sweetest thangs!
It was late when we arrived and I resisted the urge to sneak into their bedrooms and smooch them awake:) Of course I woke up three or four times wondering if it was morning (are we there yet?), and it is once again just so annoying not to be able to see a thing without my glasses. Finally Peter woke up to tell me the time lol. By then I could hear little voices in the living room so I leapt out of bed, sat back down (still dizzy when I sit up!), rose a little more regally and waltzed out to greet my favorite short people. (relax Carmen and Elaine, you're tall compared to them, right? and you're also my favorites hehe).
Martina rushed down the hall to hug me, so of course Linden followed suit, all happy and slightly confused because he 'should' know me, but I'm not sure he recognized me. I cared not, as long as I got my hugs. Then as Grandpa came out of the bedroom, the lights went on in Linden's head and he was quite excited:)
I must say Linden turned from this stocky toddler, into a slim, almost wiry little boy, with gorgeous red hair and spark filled eyes. What to do next, what to do...:) Very busy.
And Miss Martina had just been to the hair dresser's the day before. Her hair is so nice! I love how the front/ sides are a bit longer this time, and the back is short and a bit more layered. Quite the beauty.
The first afternoon we had a visit with Tanya and little Miss Kambel LeMay (I love her name:)) She is such a little dolly, just on the edge of walking by her own self.
I had the chance to shop a couple of times with Martina and Tamara, which was so much fun. We even got to check out the new coffee shop and a couple of nice gift stores.

While we were there, P&T were still casually on the lookout for a place of their own to buy, as the house they're renting is for sale. We drove around to a few potential houses, and even out to Pouce Coupe which was really nice for me, as I've never been out that way.
My only regret is of course that I forgot my camera!! Now all I have are heart pictures this time around, but they're precious none the less...

Patrick James

Patrick ~ PA-trik: Noble , a Patrician, High Ranking

I find when I begin writing about my children, I have far too many stories, pictures and boasts. Not that it will stop me, I just wanted to give you a little headzup:)

This year our baby turns 27. Wow. I was thinking of all the things this young man has been through in his lifetime, all the accomplishments, the easy times, the very difficult times, and the insanely happy times, he really should be older than this!

Even when I think of the number of jobs this kid has had ~a successful paperboy, meat cutting plant assistant, hired on at McDonald's right at his interview, which apparently never happens:)...graduated from high school, worked at the Chevron, had a brief career at Superstore, (way to go Prouce), did some Computer courses, was head tech at Future Shop for quite a while (yes I'm old and cannot remember things like time frames I guess), and is now a Site Coordinator for Northern Health. (I'm sure I missed stuff in there), I wonder how he has crammed that into these few years.

Technically he's been married 3 times...

..but he saved the best for the last:)



Anyways, those are a few of the things he did, for sure, but I was really thinking about who Patrick 'is':)


And I came up with a few things....


Adorable..(much like his siblings:))







Loyal (diehard Canuck fan)





Talented ...




Brave...





A bit wild maybe..

Fun...


(I don't even want to know what they were doing here..

A fabulous dad..



and a pretty great son:)

And the amazing thing is, he's just beginning to really live:)


Proverbs 27:19 (New International Version)
19 As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man

This is our Noble son, and we are so pleased with him!

Happy Birthday Patrick
xoxo

At long last:)

Yes, it's true. We are finally unpacking our books. They are well climatized to the space now (we`ve been here over three years!).
Petey (Petie? Petee? Peto? I spell it different every time I think..we were driving through one of the little towns last week, 150 Mile House maybe, and we noticed Petey's Carwash. He wanted to stop and see if they'd give us a free one for sharing his name..anyways..wow, I rabbit trailed there..)He is downstairs in the computer room as we speak, putting together our bookcases that have been sitting as well for a couple of months. We're never ones to rush things. I was going to repaint that room first but I took too long to choose the color apparently, so today's the day! We're going to use it as the church office for a while til we get a more permanent place. Even with the bland color in there it already looks cuter:)
Pictures to follow. Soon, I hope, but given our track record it may be best not to hold your breath.

ps...ok, after the pedo comment I have nicely changed it to Peto!

Good Morning!

speaking of adorable..

The other morning we woke up to Linden's smiley face waiting for us in an email:)

Made my whole day of course.

Where do they find these Adorable Kids?!

Nothing Sweeter

Nope! There's nothing sweeter than a granddaughter like mine:) Now, when I first saw my babies, they were so darn cute I knew that they would grow up to produce perfect offspring of their own, but 'knowing' and 'experiencing' are two different things. Every day I am surprised and thrilled again at how perfect my grandchildren are, how quickly they learn, how much they remind me of my children. I think I was a bit doting of them as well...ah, that's the privilege of being a mom and a grandmom.

This is a pic from her Jazz & Tap photo shoot. One of the rich blessings she's received generationally on both sides is the love of music and dance, both of which she is good at. The other day she sang me a song perfectly in tune. I love it!

This week has flown by with the kids visiting. There is so much family, and THREE Grandmas to spoil them! So we have to share:) But it was a lovely time and now we can begin the countdown to the next whirlwind of tea parties and sleepovers.

I love you, Miss Martina Elizabeth Dawn:)

I'm in Love

Yes....:) He called me Mm-Ma today:)

(Well, actually yesterday but I'm just getting around to blogging it hehe)

Of course, I'm still in second place whenever Grandpa's around! But I can live with that, as long as I get my share of hugs and kisses from my red haired handsome boy.

Happy Spring

It's Spring! I considered posting a picture of what spring looks like in PG this year, but if you scroll down to my winter tree pics, they're pretty much the same, so we'll just leave that alone!

There's a scripture in the Bible that talks about God declaring things that 'are not' as though they 'are' ...especially in our lives.
As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations."[a] He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.(Romans 4:17) Here he's talking about Abraham who had no physical means left to produce offspring, but the Lord's promise was that he is a father to many nations!

There are things that don't line up with God's perfect will for us, but that doesn't faze Him at all. He just continues to call things that 'are not' as though they 'are'. I'll give you an example. One year I received the same prophetic word three times from three completely different people. The basic gist of the word was that the Lord sees me as 'sweet'. Well, I'll tell you, it was anything but a sweet year for me. I was going through some difficult times with some difficult people and I felt anything but sweet! But by the time I got the second word, I began to see the Lord was telling me something, and by the third time, I finally got it. He was pushing out the bitterness and unforgiveness by calling out the 'sweet' in me. After a while, I began to actually feel differently towards the situations and people. I learned to let some things go and it's true....I really am sweeter now:) (...ok sometimes when you're that cranky there's nowhere to go but up lol).

So here goes....it's a LOVELY spring out there..with GREEN budding leaves on the pretty trees, and CLEAR SIDEWALKS.. and the sound of happy little birdies in the morning. We know it's coming!
HAPPY SPRING EVERYONE!

There they are...the answer to getting rid of my last 2 and a half months of constant sinus pain. It seems everyone has been sick with the flu and colds all winter along and I myself have been no different. I need to get off this hamster wheel! And before Monday, too so I can enjoy my grandbabies properly:)

Two For One

Tomorrow is a special day in our family. First, it's our 31st anniversary. Amazing. Seeing as Peter and I also went out for over 2 years before we were married, this means I've been with him over twice as long as I've been without him. I'm sure there was life before him, I just can't remember it.
When we were first married, to think of our 30th anniversary was just inconceivable. I could hardly grasp it.

My how time flies when you're having fun! My husband is the most amazing man:)

The other special event in our family is Tamara's birthday. When ever I think of her, I have to tell you I believe she is a gift from God to us. I am always amazed at how she just fit into our family ~ like, one day she wasn't there, and the next day she just was. And is. Of course it helps that she loves my son and grandchildren with everything in her! But really, once you meet our Tamara and get a glimpse of her heart, you'll never be the same again.

Happy Birthday girl! We love you:)