Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving came and went pretty quickly this year. The week was pretty full, with family in town due to Grandma Gertie's passing, Thomas and Lindsey's wedding festivities, my sisters in town for Thanksgiving, my parents out of the country and me watching their puppies, and Ryleigh getting sick and being diagnosed with an ear infection. Whew. Did you catch all that? It was a full week.

Thanksgiving day, I was hoping to wake up early and get over to my parents house to help cook. But my body refused. I had a rough time waking up, and finally called my mom to tell her we would be over later. Jesse, Ryleigh, and I spent the morning in bed, cuddling, talking, snoozing, and reflecting on all we are thankful for. Family. Friends. Health. Our home. Our jobs. Our freedoms. And most of all, our gracious heavenly Father. I could go on and on, but truly, words fail. We are blessed. That's all I can say. We are blessed.

A little later, we cleaned up and headed over to my parent's house. I helped cook a bit, and had a good time in the kitchen with my mom and sisters (though we missed Susan this year!) We also got to see all of my parents goodies, pictures, and memorabilia from their spur-of-the-moment trip to London to celebrate their 30th anniversary. 30 years...tell me that is not an amazing example of marriage! Way to go, Mom and Dad! I'm thankful for your love for each other and our family.

So, yeah, back to Thanksgiving. Jesse and I were pretty puny most of the day, as you can tell from our exhausted picture. Not too tired to watch the Aggies get creamed by the Longhorns though. Dang it. That is one thing we would be most thankful for next year; a decent football team. Ha! Here's to hoping, anyway.
Oh yeah- a post on Thanksgiving is not complete without a picture of the food spread! Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, croissants, cranberry sauce- you name it. A good meal was had by all. Well, except Ryleigh. She lasted with us at the table for about five minutes before her meltdown, which then prompted me to set her in front of The Wiggles while we finished our meal. That's another thing I'm thankful for...The Wiggles. Sad, isn't it? But desperate times call for desperate measures. Trust me.

All in all, it was a nice day. I'm learning as I get older to let go of some of the perfectionist expectations I place on myself all the time. They can be exhausting, and sometimes, it is nice to just enjoy a relaxing holiday instead of a stressful one. This year, that is exactly what we had- a nice, enjoyable, relaxing Thanksgiving with family. And I am thankful for that.

Mr. and Mrs. Ashworth

November was an exciting month for Thomas and Lindsey-- they finally became husband and wife! The month was full of fun activities, and Jesse and I were so blessed to be a part of this special time in their lives.

One weekend, the boys headed off to Austin for a bachelor weekend of poker, paintball, and goofy boy games (of which I will not go into details, but I'm sure you can assume...). Meanwhile, the girls stayed home and had our own bachelorette weekend for Lindsey. Friday night we had a potluck dinner at Thomas and Lindsey's new apartment. It was great to see their new home, slowly filling with new wedding gifts, and just hang out and chat. Saturday evening was the lingerie shower and then drinks and dancing downtown. The lingerie shower was a lot of fun, and we enjoyed getting to see the pretty, sexy, and downright silly things Lindsey received to wear for her hubby. Good times!
Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, we all gathered to rehearse for the big day. It was the first time Jesse and I had been to the church, and wow, was it beautiful. I had a little trouble getting my camera adjusted to the lighting, so pardon the dark pictures. Nevertheless, it was a fun night, and dinner at Buca de Beppo was fabulous. I had never been there before, and watching them bring out platter after platter of delicious Italian food made my mouth water!

Are they sweet, or what??

Friday night was the beautiful wedding. I did not take pictures during the ceremony, because honestly, my eyes were too wet to see! I know I say this a lot, but it truly was one of the sweetest ceremonies I have ever had the joy of witnessing. Thomas and Lindsey were visibly excited and emotional, and every single person in that church felt the sheer joy of the moment when Thomas was able to kiss his bride. (On a side note, the music was PHENOMENAL. Boy, do they have some talented friends! They walked out to the song, "Oh Happy Day...." can we say, perfect?!)

The reception was quite a party. The location was beautiful and intimate, the food was good, and the dancing was a blast! Unfortunately, I did not get too many good pictures of the bride and groom, but hopefully you can see how absolutely stunning Lindsey looked. She was literally beaming, and I caught Thomas staring at her several times throughout the night with a goofy grin on his face. Gotta love newlyweds!!

Jesse and I had a great time throughout it all. Jesse was very honored to be one of Thomas' groomsmen and I had the privilege of being in Lindsey's house party. We are so excited for the two of them and look forward to many more memories in the future with the Ashworths.

Congrats Thomas and Lindsey- we love you guys!

** For more pictures from all the festivities, click on this link: Thomas and Lindsey

Grandma Gertie

It is with a sad heart that I tell you Jesse's grandmother lost her battle with cancer this afternoon.

Grandma Gertie was 88 years old, but up until about seven months ago, you would never have known it. She went on an African safari only five years ago...para-sailing in Hawaii four years ago. You might remember I told you about her special birthday party only three months ago.

When she was originally diagnosed, we were all nervous. But she never was. She fought until the end. Even when she was admitted to the hospital in September, we all thought it was over. She fought tooth and nail through hours of endless rehab to get strong enough to go back to her home at the retirement community. Always strong. Always a fighter.

Once home again, she did well for about a week. Last week, her strength greatly declined, and she was confined again to her wheelchair. On Wednesday of last week, she visited her doctor and oncologist. They told us her time was short- called hospice and told the family to prepare for maybe three more weeks.

Thursday, we spent a great deal of time with Grandma Gertie. She spoke to us about what the doctor had told her, and told us that "this was it. They just want to keep me comfortable now." She was still sitting up in her chair, eating a few bites of soup (though she said it was gross), and sipping her iced tea.

Friday, I went back up with some wonton soup- she loves that stuff. When I got there, the lights were all out and she was in bed. I sat beside her and talked with her for awhile, and then one of the nurses helped me, help her, to walk to her chair and eat some more soup. Her speech was much harder to understand and she was visibly weaker.

This afternoon, we got a call from Jesse's dad encouraging us to come up and see her. She was on oxygen and morphine and no longer responsive, but we were there. We both held her hands and told her again how much she meant to us. Jesse did not leave her side. He watched as her breathing grew slower, and he held her hand until she took her last breath.

Most of the family was there, and the rest came shortly afterwards. We spent some time saying goodbye and a priest came and had a Last Rites ceremony for the family to share in some time to pray and remember the good times. Grandma Gertie was a strict Catholic, so it is how she would have wanted.

It has been an emotionally draining week. When you are told three weeks and only get three days, it is quite a shock. Once the body begins to shutdown, it does not take long. I am thankful that her body is at rest and the cancer is no longer hurting her. I'm hopeful that her soul is with Christ and she has been reunited with her husband who died over thirty years ago.

I ask that you please pray for the family. Pray for Jesse's parents and his aunts. They are all having a really hard time letting go of their mother and uniting in their grief. Pray for her grandsons, who are struggling to see their parents in pain. Pray for the funeral plans, as no one really knows what to do right now or where to hold services (she is from New Mexico). Pray for the weary souls of those who have helped her fight this disease. Please just pray.

We love you, Grandma Gertie and we will miss you. God Bless.

Tearful prayers

Please be praying for Adrienne and her family. I was told to read her blog and just visited for the first time, only to cry and cry and cry. This beautiful family was supposed to be adopting a precious baby girl; the nursery is ready, the car seat is assembled, and the family has lovingly welcomed this baby into their arms and their hearts. One day before the hand-off was supposed to be finalized, the birth mother has changed her mind. I cannot imagine all of the emotions the mother must be feelings or how incredibly hard it would be to hand over your baby to another family. The situation is hard all around. It's just hard.

I don't know what is the right answer. All I know to do is pray hard that God's will be done, and that whichever mother is left with empty and aching arms feels God's peace and comfort. I just can not imagine.

Take a minute to visit their site, read their story, say a prayer (or two!), and leave an encouraging comment.

Sweet baby

I still love my sweet sleeping baby. Can't get enough of those chubby cheeks and teddy bear cuddles.

Oops...Mommy stayed a little too long and flashed the camera one too many times. So much for nap time. (How is that for a "deer in the headlights" face?)

I could not resist

I officially set up a recipe blog. Ha!!

Yum Yum Supper Time (click to link)

I always enjoy trying new recipes, and the recipes I have received from people are normally pretty good! I'm hoping that you all enjoy the site and share your own recipes with the rest of us as well. Not only that, but think how we could 'perfect' dishes! If I post a recipe, but perhaps you make some adjustments and changes, maybe it only gets better. Can't hurt to try, anyway.

So, there you have it. My latest project. I sent out an email inviting you to participate, so if you did not receive it, I don't have your email address or did not know if you wanted to participate. If you do, let me know and I'll get you added.

I hope the idea takes off and you all enjoy participating, or at least having a place to go and get a fun new recipe when you feel like it. Enjoy!

Changing it up

When you work from home, you rarely get to leave home. Lunch breaks are typically a time to catch up on housework or chores, grab a quick bite, and get back to work. However, eating the same sandwich day after day after day gets old. Fast. Even trying to change up the sandwich does not always work. Turkey and cheese, peanut butter and jelly, grilled cheese...it all gets old after awhile.

So, I have been looking for new ways to 'spice up my lunch,' if you will. My sister gave me a panini maker for my birthday- and it sure does make my sandwich yummy! I have tried roast beef and jalapeno jack cheese, turkey and swiss, turkey and cheddar, roast beef with mushrooms, onions, and mozzarella...all have been awesome. Especially when you change the bread too- italian, cheesy italian, and sun-dried tomato basil have been my favorites. Who doesn't like a melty sandwich??
I have also started buying mini croissants, and making mini chicken salad sandwiches. Obviously, I cant do this too often because of the calorie count in those croissants, but man are they good!

Last week I decided I was "over" the sandwiches all together. So, I bought some pita bread and hummus, and went to town. I cut up the pita bread, sprinkled it with olive oil, garlic salt, and pepper, and then baked it in the oven for about 15 minutes. It came out warm and crispy, and definitely filled me up.

And last but not least, a dinner change up! What do you think of when you think of chili? Beef? Tomato base? Well, my friend Stacey sent me an excellent recipe for Smoky Chicken Chili and I tried it last week. The flavors were really awesome, and as you can see, the recipe made a ton! Jesse made some cornbread to go with, and said the recipe was definitely a keeper.

(Would you believe that the recipe called for two kinds of beans, and I ATE them both?? I was so proud of myself. They actually were not that bad...)

So there you have. Yet another "food post" from Melody.

I'm seriously considering starting a recipe blog. Would anyone else out there participate with me and share recipes?? It could be beneficial for us all...!! Never hurts to change it up a bit. =)

Time flies

Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words.

I could tell you just how much our Ryleigh has grown and changed in a year. I could tell you all the things she has learned to do, or how many words she can say, or how big she has gotten. It is remarkable to see how much she has changed. Seriously, you cant even begin to comprehend. When I think of where we were this time last year, its unreal to think where we are now.

Just one example.

Halloween 2008

Halloween 2007
My baby is growing. FAST. And it is a little sad.

Happy Halloween!