Christmas 2006

Hard as it is to believe, Christmas is over. But, what a great holiday it was for us. We have been able to be with our kids and spend time with other family and friends. We still have another week before we leave Maryland and it promises to be as busy as the last two have been. We are making dinner dates to get together with friends and getting as much "baby time" in as possible. Here are a couple of my favorite pictures from Christmas Day (can you guess why they're my favorites????).

We hope that all of you had the best Christmas ever, too. Let us know some of your favorite events from your holiday celebrations. We love to share!

Until the next time . . . enjoy the life you've been given!

Home at last

We made it home around 8:45pm Thursday. It was a looooooooonnnng drive, but surprisingly, not a bad one. Guess what "they" say is true, it's all in how you decide to deal with it. We knew we had a long drive ahead of us and just did it. Tricia was up waiting for us and welcomed us with hugs and smiles. It was great.

Friday morning, we were up and moving early. I went to traffic court with Kev and then we both went over to Lindsay's to see her and that beautiful little girl, Reagan. It was so wonderful to walk up to the door and see them waiting there for us!! Reagan was laughing and bouncing up and down in Lindsay's arms, so excited to see me. I loved it!! The four of us went out to lunch and then back to Lindsay's for the afternoon. Randy didn't get there until later because he went to a lunch with some of his work buddies. But, we had a great reunion with the kids.

It's good to be home. We're babysitting Kelly & Kate tonight, so that will be good to see them again. Then, we need to make arrangements to get down to Ginny's to see them. So much to do!!! And, we need to get some Christmas shopping done at some point, too.

We hope everyone is safe and looking forward to a wonderful celebration of Jesus' birthday. We sure are!

Until next time . . . take care of each other and keep in touch.

Preparing to go home to Maryland

It's Monday afternoon and the preparations have begun! Randy washed both the RV and the truck today while I did some cleaning inside the RV. Of course, he worked a whole lot harder than I did! But, no one is surprised about that, are they???? :) Now the ugly part begins - PACKING!! UGH! We haven't had to pack for a trip in two years!! And for three weeks, no less. Hope the truck can hold it all!

We leave this Wednesday and will stop for the night in Birmingham at the luxurious Domer B & B. Then, it's up very early and out the door to spend all of Thursday in the truck so we can get to Columbia that night. We are so grateful to my friend, Tricia, for opening her home to us during the holidays. She is wonderful!!

Our plan is to be in Maryland for about three weeks. Randy says after Christmas he'll be watching the weather 'cause he doesn't want to get stuck in the snow! But, the plan is to leave around January 3rd. Hopefully, we'll be able to touch base with lots of folks during those three weeks. We sure didn't get to see many of you while we were home at Thanksgiving.

One thing I didn't do this year that I normally do and that was to send out Christmas cards. It was just one thing that I could cross off the list of what to spend money on. But, please be assured, that all of you are in our hearts and thoughts this Christmas and you are loved!!

Please drop us an e-mail and let us know how you are doing and what the most special part of your holiday was. Merry Christmas!! and Happy New Year!

USS Alabama Battleship

What a gorgeous day we had today! The weather couldn't have been nicer - especially after the cold couple of days we've just had. It was sunny and over 65 degrees. A perfect day for going to see the USS Alabama in Mobile. When we left Maryland, Randy had said he really want to see this ship, so off we went today. I have to admit I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.

Your first impression of this ship is just how HUGE it is. Just amazing. And you get to walk through just about every part of it: crew quarters; eating areas (excuse me, the mess halls); gun turrets; captain's quarters; medical areas; ammunition storage, etc. And the size of that ammo!! Oh, my gosh! Of course, not all of it was as big as Randy, but you get my meaning. Doesn't he look so happy!?!?!?!! He was enjoying himself, I promise!

At this site, there are also other historic planes and war memorials. The Korean War and Viet Nam memorials are very moving, especially when you realize that the names listed are just from the Mobile area and there are SO many. The flags surrounding the Korean War memorial are from each of the countries that were involved in that war. There is a short history on each country's involvement in the war written on the base of the flag.

Randy & I are always so moved when we visit these historic sites. Here we got such a sense of humility just knowing what these servicemen & women went through to preserve the freedoms we so enjoy. I know that sounds hokey, but it's true. Standing on that battleship and seeing the skills it took to man that ship and the victories they achieved in war, you just can't help but be grateful. At least, I know I am. It's good to be reminded of what we have here in this country.

Summerdale, Alabama

We arrived at our final destination in Summerdale, AL today around 3pm. It was a long trip for some reason today. Doesn't matter though, we made it safe and sound - that's what matters! Lately, I've been reflecting on how gracious God has been to Randy & me since we've been traveling. We have had no major issues with the truck or the rig and have always arrived safely. I am grateful to God for his continued protection of us.

We did have a nice interlude last night when we stopped for the night just outside of Talledega, AL. We were able to meet up with Dan & Debbie for dinner. Even though it was just a short visit, it was special anyway. Our time with Dan & Debbie is always good. We can sit around a table and talk until late, if we have the time. Unfortunately, last night we couldn't do that, but we made the most of the time we did have.

Looking forward to relaxing here in Summerdale. No big plans, but if we find something neat to share with you, you know I will. Until then, take care of each other and please remember why we celebrate Christmas. It's not about the presents, it about Jesus!