Girls' Trip to FL 2011 (Pt.1)

For the last several years my family has enjoyed a "girls' trip" in the late spring. Some years we go to Schlitterbahn Water Park and sometimes it is Florida. This year it is Florida!! We are spending a week on the Emerald Coast in the town of Seaside. This is a beautiful community that hugs the shoreline and it is just gorgeous!

We are 10 girls in number this year: Me and my 4 daughters, my aunt Cindy, her sister Ann, Ann friend's Debbie, and my sister-in-law Lynne and her daughter Samantha. We are having a great time not following a schedule, bike riding, enjoying the sun, playing volleyball and just lazing around.

Cynthia, Samantha, and Annalee have dug out a foxhole/condominium in the sand that should win an award. Passersby have gone from observing that there are children digging to stopping and exclaiming, "Oh wow!!" I will include pictures in the next entry. Til then, there is white sand calling my name!!

Katie and her fiddle

Katie is still fiddlin' around. Her teacher is Roberta Rast of the Killdares and she has really been great for/to Katie. I am so excited to find that she has turned the corner from not practicing enough to always having her fiddle close at hand.


She even allowed Kris to record her and post it to YouTube this year! Katie and Emma enertained at a church banquet this spring and Katie is getting ready to repeat her win at the XIT Fiddler's Contest this August.

Catching up for 2011

So much has happened in 2011! Just to catch up...

My brother John and his lovely wife Camille had a beautiful baby girl, Mary Kate. Mary Kate really loved Cynthia!


We are continuing our "Family Day" every month. Some months are "funner" than others!


Emma and I turned the page on our relationship - now she "fixes" me! This is her tabbing my eyelashes.



April brought beautiful weather, fun trips and a great visit with great friends.


Cynthia, Annalee and I had a great time at the Arboretum and at Pine Cove's Mother/Daughter weekend conference.



My very good friends, Janie and Cheryl came for several days for a "work" visit. We almost solved all the world's problems, produced a youtube video for Cheryl's business and went to the arboretum. It was a great time!

March 2011 Snow

Not much to say here, just sharing our pics from the March snow in Dallas. Enjoy!!
The neighbors came over to sled down our frozen driveway - I made all sledders wear bike helmets. I couldn't stand the thought of a concussion!

This hug did not last very long. Katie used this opportunity to slam her sister with snow :)


Jane was not too keen on the cold snow.


Here are our videos of the girls sledding down the icy driveway

Emma's 17th Birthday

Yesterday my oldest daughter turned 17. I can't believe how fast the time has flown! We celebrated by going to the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo (just what I would have wanted for my 17th birthday...not!). It was nice to be together with the whole family for the entire day. These times are becoming more and more rare. I am so grateful that all the girls still like us and are not too embarrassed to be seen with us.

We enjoyed a great rodeo and listening to some good western swing music as well. We had a great supper at Fireside Pies (we had never eaten there before) and were amazed at how hungry a day full of walking outside could make us.

Annalee obviously was not as entertained by the rodeo. She decided to add facial hair to every clean-shaven picture in the rodeo program. Pretty good work :)

The best joke of the rodeo: The clown pulled his oversized pants down around his knees and said:"look! I bought some mall-walking pants." Then he started running and asked, "What do you call this?...... An episode of Cops!" I loved it!!!

Random thoughts at the End of the Day

I guess this is more for my own benefit than anything else. It was a difficult day with clients. I am so grateful for my health and that of my family but at the same time I hurt for those around me that feel so alone and hopeless about the state of their health. It is very hard to tell people day after day that they are not alone, others are in the same boat they are, and yet their paths never cross. How do you climb out of that hole of despair? How do you get your life back from illness? Oh that there were a "magic pill"! I am so fortunate to see people's lives transformed every day; yet I also watch people agonize over how to eat, what supplement to take, where to live in hopes of not being plagued by chemical sensitivities or radiation exposure. Wow!

Where would I be without God? I am so secure resting in His provision. I am not so naive as to believe that it will all roses and rainbows throughout my life, but I know He has my best in mind. When I hit that "wall" I want to remember that He is my strength. He is my fortress. I may not get the ending I want, but at least I have Him either way and at the end of the day, what else matters?! I want so badly for my clients that are hurting to have the comfort of resting in the infinite wisdom of a Heavenly Father that loves them without measure! God grant me the ability to show them Your love through my words and deeds.

Now it has really been a long time!

I have left blogging for facebook! I just found out how to import blogs into facebook though. Pretty cool! The new year has started off with a blast. I am gearing up to finish the last half of my internship this spring/ summer. I love teaching for BioSET! But I really have a burning desire to be off-duty more. I feel blessed that I don't spend a dollar on advertising and I keep a completely booked schedule, but I also think I am missing some of my girls' best years. That makes me sad. I hope to land a teaching contract (it will take a miracle) and cut out about 40% of my clients. I love my clients though! This blog is going nowhere, I am just venting. Ever feel torn? On to more important things...
The girls are great and doing fabulous in school. Emma is such a gifted musician and so tenacious! Katie is just as laid back as Emma is tenacious. That makes for some great fights! Cynthia has developed a really sweet side and has taken Annalee under her wing and feels like she is Annalee's "real" teacher. She has taught her so much about history. Cynthia has a brilliant mind and savant type memory. Amazing! Annalee is coming into her own as she gets older. She seems to be comfortable finding her own nitch in the family.
The year is already flying by and I am realizing that my oldest only has 3 more years until she is an adult. That makes me just want to sit down and cry! But I won't, because she is going to be a great adult! Not like me :-)
I would love to post some pics, but we don't have any decent ones at the moment. I will work on that!