EXPOSURE 2008

We are packed and ready to head to Huntsville for Exposure 2008. This is a great time for our young people and for the adults that attend. David will be teaching a class this year. David has always been so committed to young people and he jokingly told our kids that they were going with their "Old Minister" as opposed to their "Youth Minister"! I don't think they think he is too old!
Exposure 2007 was the location where I made the decision that I had to shed some pounds! Thankfully I am returning about 80 pounds lighter than last year. Since Thanksgiving it has been a battle. I am up about 3 or 4 pounds, which is okay considering the parties and food that I have been around. I am now back on the straight and narrow, so those pounds should be gone by the new year, if all goes well. I have good resolve and it is hard to believe that on the 29th I will have been on this program for a year. I hope to lose 50-60 pounds this year- which will put me about where I need to be. I will never be at the weight that those chart say I need to be- but I can be healthy. I plan to add exercise to my program this year. David is actually running again- WOW- I am so proud of him! Working together has made it so much easier. To Huntsville we go!

Christmas Eve

Today is one of my favorite days of the year- Christmas Eve. As a child, we celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve. Santa started coming on Christmas Eve when my sister was small. Mother said that Patsy got sick from the excitement, so instead of making her wait until Christmas day, Santa decided to come early. We have always celebrated our family gathering on Christmas Eve, so it is a special time. Memories flood my soul on Christmas Eve. I miss my mother perhaps the most on this day- a feeling that has not diminished in over 10 years. I guess it is because this day is about much more than gifts- it is about family. This is the one night of the year when my family will, for the most part, be together. We will eat, exchange gifts, laugh, watch the newest generation entertain us, and reminisce about those gone on and days past. Memories are powerful, and I am thankful for them. I know that if there are holes in the floor of Heaven, then Mother will certainly be looking down on her family on this special night.
To all my friends and family- Merry Christmas and my prayers for a wonderful new year!

Thanks, Kim and Paul for the Blog Makeover!

Thanks to Kim, Paul and kids for the Blog makeover for my birthday. Teale did a great job, and I am truly excited about the new look. Just think- just a very few years ago no one knew what a blog was- much less give someone a "blog makeover" as a gift. Times are a changing! Do you like the new look?

Happy Birthday, Katie

Happy Birthday, Katie Courington! We love and appreciate you. You are a great wife and mother, and Josh and Hannah are so lucky to have you. I know this has been a tough few weeks, but you have shown such strength and courage. Thank you for being you!
Susan

Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary- A little early!

I just could not let the occasion pass without wishing my wonderful husband a happy birthday (Dec. 18th) and Happy 32nd Anniversary (20th). I had a little time and I knew the next days would be busy, so I decided to write a little while I had a minute.
David, you are truly my rock. I think we have had a great partnership during the past 3 decades- and I look for the next 3 decades to be even better. You have supported me during good times and bad, you have been my “ear” and my “shoulder”. I cannot imagine life without you in it. It seems like only yesterday that we were just teenagers- and now, my oh my, time surely does fly. I remember when we would talk about our “imaginary” family- and now we have a “real” one, complete with beautiful grandchildren. The years we spent raising our kids were wonderful, and now to see the fruits of all those school projects, ball games, wrecked cars, and broken hearts come to such a wonderful point, makes all the hustle and bustle and tired days worth it all. I enjoy our time together and the fact that we never tire of one another. I love spending my every moment with you and never hunt a reason not to be with you. You have made my life so happy, and I want the world to know that you are tops in my book. So, Happy Birthday (you will soon be as old as me!) and Happy Anniversary to the one I love.

Sharing My Darlings!

Happy Birthday, Beautiful Addi!

Today my beautiful, sweet, smart, granddaughter turns 6 years old. I would have to write a book to tell how much I love her. She changed my world on December 1, 2002. Her birth was such a scary day- not at all how we had envisioned it. We came so close to tragedy on that day and at times when I look at Addi and Kim and think about how that day changed our lives, I can't help but thank God for bringing them both through. Addi's birth caused me to look at each pregnancy and birth since that point in a much different way. When you go from being on the mountaintop to being in the valley in just a few short minutes, it brings home the point that life is fragile at it's best. All that aside, I am so thankful for having Addi in my life. She is my precious firstborn grandchild, and she will always hold a special place in Granna's heart.
In other news, remember Mandi and her family in your prayers. Her grandfather was killed in a car accident on Saturday night. The services will be tomorrow at 2. There were only 2 grandchildren, so needless to say, he was special to Mandi.
Have a great week!
Susan