It Has Been A Year

Wow! What a year! It is hard to believe we have been in Lubbock for almost one year. It has been a busy one with many changes! Randal has been busier than ever with his new position at SPEC. Working for a small 1A school has kept me wearing many different hats all year long. I taught both junior high and high school computer courses and the eleventh grade U.S. History. I helped coordinate Elementary and Junior High UIL, co-managed the Junior High and High School basketball concession stands and co-coordinated the Junior/Senior Prom. Everyone knows how fond I am of concession stand duty!!!!!!!! Along with all of this, I continued to teach part-time for a small college. God knew we all needed to keep busy this year to help us adjust to our new life. We have and continue to make new friends, but miss the old ones more than ever!

Ashley has had some big changes too! Last weekend she graduated from college! Ashley graduated with her Bachelors in Human Science in the field of Restaurant, Hotel and Institutional Management. Randal and I were so proud to see her walk the isle for her diploma. These last four years have really gone fast! I remember how upset we were when she first left for college. We missed her so much! To help celebrate we had family in for the weekend: Ma, Nana, Bert, Tracy, Brody, Amanda and baby Kayden. Kayden is so sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our friend Sarah joined us for a fajita supper on graduation night. I will be adding some pictures from the graduation.

Girl Time

This last weekend was a girls weekend. The "girls" I am referring to are my mother, grandmother, great aunt, 2 aunts and niece. We all car pooled or met at my grandmothers house near the Austin area. Our weekend was filled with lots of laughter and fellowship. It was so nice to relive the past and tell stories on each other.

All I have to say... is if people think I am crazy, then they need to meet some of these ladies. They are hilariously funny! Some of them are also very musical! We found out that my aunt Cindy is a Lawrence Welks fan! It was discovered that 87-year-old Auntie Madge was a speed demon who liked to go at least 95 miles per hour. Did someone say "STOP!" at the STOP sign? All of this only makes sense if you had been there. Thanks ladies for the laughs and memories!

Christmas with Sister and Family

My sister Tracy and her husband Trac joined our family for Christmas. The heavy snow we had last Thursday, was still on the ground and allowed us a White Christmas. It was a fun weekend with lots of laughing and joking around. The Wii kept us all entertained and wore some out. I am talking about you.... Trac and the boxing thing! Ha, Ha. Rhonda (Ricks) Compton joined us for supper on Saturday night along with a game of FARKLE, which by the way I won. I currently reign as the the FARKLE Queen!!!!! Ashley and Wes leave out Thurdsay morning to go to Florida to visit Uncle Greg. Greg, Brian, Ashley and Wes will fly back in the week after New Year's to have Christmas at our house with Randal's family. We are looking forward to a another great time with family. We missed everyone who was not here on my side of the family and hope all who read this have a blessed coming year!

Christmas Spirit

Whew!!! Yey! School is out for the Holidays! It is time to catch my breath. I think I finished up my Christmas shopping today. Who would think the mall would be BUSY on a Monday? I have been wrapping presents for three days now! It's not that I have more than anyone else, it's just my A.D.D. kicks in and I get side tracked. Who would guess that??

The best part of wrapping presents, is playing Christmas music. That really gets me in the spirit! Of course, the Ransom Canyon Christmas Light trip really kicked the spirt in gear. My friend Sarah and I, forced our husbands to drive us to Ransom Canyon the other night to see the beautiful lights. Randal and Dale would never admit it, but they really liked it too! But what really made me catch the sprit of the season, was this story I shared on the Tapestry Talk. It is about a Christmas when Ashley was a little girl. I have provided a copy of the story here in this post. I hope you and your family have a wonderful and blessed Christmas!

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Years ago, when our daughter Ashley was about four-years old, the small town we lived in had its Baby Jesus stolen from the courthouse nativity scene. The absence of a Baby Jesus deeply bothered Ashley very much and she unselfishly insisted her favorite baby doll be used to take the place of the missing infant. This loving sacrifice and deep love for Jesus at such a young age amazed and humbled our family. Sometimes, I find myself caught up in the hustle and bustle of the commercial and secular aspect of Christmas. When this happens, I find the site of a Baby Jesus lying in a cradle in a nativity scene takes me back to this memory of Ashley and her sweet baby doll. This always helps me find my Christmas perspective and remember Christmas is all about the sweet Baby in the manger … our Jesus.