Pressing On

I have a dear friend who happens to be a phenomenal bible teacher. I remember years ago she made the comment to all of us one Valentine's Day, " Expect nothing, appreciate everything". She was talking about the expectations we, as wives, can put on our husbands on gift giving holidays such as Valentine's Day. This has stuck with me and not just for Valentines Day or other holidays but in the day to day stuff too. The day to day things in life. I can't say I don't have expectations. I do. But I am learning to truly appreciate everything. Even the disappointment and turn of events that the unexpected brings. I had expectations when we left Arizona for the unknown in the Windy City. I had expectations again when we uprooted a few months later to the East Coast. And of course, I have expectations for the next adventure that waits for us in Texas.  I appreciate every bit of this journey so far. I have done and seen some awesome things, met some great people and gro...

I watched a great movie last night, maybe you have seen it- When the Game Stands Tall?  It's about a high school football team and their record making winning streak. It's based on a true story and I just love those!  But it's really about more than football. If you haven't seen it, I apologize that I am about to give a couple of spoil alerts. But don't let that stop you from renting it and watching it with your family. There is a great life lesson in it for all of us, especially if you are raising preteen or teen boys. The biggest take away for me was when the team's winning streak was broken. They were devastated. These high school boys that were to carry on the legacy of winning for their school lost their first game. With their head in their hands, they were crying in the locker room. The coaches however, seemed to be more concerned with how the boys were reacting to and handling this devastation.  I loved what the assistant coach said to them. "They pl...

I really do love the four seasons. I enjoy watching the change of color, seeing trees and plants go dormant for the winter. Everything is finally green and practically growing in front of our eyes. I'm always surprised to see the new growth on a branch that had looked dead for four months. It's fun to watch and I get excited seeing new growth on our trees and flowers. Last Thanksgiving some of our family came to celebrate. It was bittersweet in the way that it was our first Thanksgiving since Jim's mom passed away. He wanted to do something special to honor her and knew that birch trees were one of her favorites. So, in late November he got in his truck and drove to a few places looking for birch trees. Most nurseries were out or didn't carry them. He had one last stop before he would give up. He looked all over and as he was heading out the owner asked if she could help him find something. He said "I don't suppose you have any birch trees?" She replied ...

I love spur of the moment trips. Whether a day trip to the ocean or an impromptu over night trip somewhere. We have had some time on our hands and wanting to take advantage, decided to enjoy some of the great sights around the East Coast. There's so much to see and explore here. So we got in the car and drove to The Cape. It's literally just over an hour to get there. The weather has been nice but the season hasn't officially started yet so there wasn't a huge crowd of tourist or ridiculous traffic. It was perfect and exactly what we needed. Jim suggested throwing the bikes in the truck so we would have them once we got there. We rode them all over Martha's Vineyard. Took little pit stops to see points of interest and had a few little surprises along the way. We found a quaint little cafe behind a bookstore where we had lunch on the patio. Stopped by an Alpaca farm where we met these funny furry guys. They were actually for sale and can be shipped to most places in ...

I am a big fan of Keith Urban. I saw him perform at a private party last year and just love him. I also love Carrie Underwood. So..... When I heard Keith and Carrie had a new song together on his latest album, I couldn't wait to hear it. I knew I would love it before I even downloaded it. I usually do a little pre-listen before I commit to a purchase but hey, this is Keith and Carrie. So, I put it on my play list, headed out for my morning run and fast forwarded to the song titled, The Fighter. It had a catchy beat and the lyrics sucked me in.....  It's one of those story telling songs that they sing to each other. And if you're like me, you are a sucker for a good love story.... He knows the last guy hurt her and he is thankful that she belongs to him now..... He promises to never let her fall, won't make her cry and if she gets scared he will just hold her tighter. He will be the fighter. Ahhhh! How sweet! And every little girls dream of Prince Charming to the rescue....

Have you noticed how often we all talk about the weather? It is that safe topic of conversation between strangers. The clerk at the store, "Will we ever see the sun again?" "Feels more like winter out there than Spring huh?" And of course come August we will likely hear " What a scorchah huh?" Yes, the weather is something we all like to talk about and often complain about because it's just never quite perfect enough for us. Living in the Valley of the Sun for so many years in Arizona we prayed for rain. If and when it finally  rained we didn't know what to do. Our windshield wipers were typically beat up from over exposure to the scorching sun. The accumulated dust that washed off of roofs, houses and driveways made for pretty messy puddles but we didn't care, we'd play in it anyway. Or at least let our kids play in it. Those were rare occasions that always brought refreshment to our thirsty souls.  Here in New England it's just the op...

I absolutely love Spring! It's my favorite for so many reasons. It screams, fresh start, new beginnings and rebirth. Especially since living on the East Coast with the long winters. There is just a huge welcome to the bulbs poking through the soil, the new buds developing on the tree branches, birds chirping and being able to open the windows to let in the fresh air.  It actually does motivate me to do some serious spring cleaning. The dig into the dirty corners of the house kind of cleaning. Hit the baseboards that collected soot, dust and dog hair over the winter. That usually leads me to other areas that have been neglected. The pantry which hoards all kinds of stuff that I will never eat and doesn't belong there in the first place.  Or my clothes closet and dresser drawers that have become over stuffed with gloves and scarfs. It's amazing how fast I can accumulate stuff. We have lived here nearly two years and we are busting out of the seams of every storage space we ha...