Updates, updates, updates!! I think I am finally caught up. At least I'm done trying to catch up, how about that? (wink, wink)

There are new posts all the way back to December 17. Lots of pictures, a few stories, and plenty of "thoughts by Melody."

I'm sorry life has been so incredibly hectic lately, and I truly thought I would never catch back up. I hope to start posting more regularly again now. In the meantime, feel free to scroll through some of my new entries and see what has been going on in the Shulse family!

It's good to be back, blogland. It's good to be back.

We are FREEEEEE!!!

Do you know what I did yesterday? I went to the bank, and got a massive cashier's check, signed it, and put it in the mailbox.

We are officially DEBT FREE!

We have paid off our car (last year), and yesterday, we paid off my school loans. ALL of them. They are gone, and we are free.

To be honest, I never felt strapped by it, though we had chosen to make huge monthly payments, trying to speed the process along in the past two years. I wont get into numbers, but let's just say that between the car and loans, we were about 55,000 in the hole. And now, we are out.

As much as I have whined and complained about Jesse having this Elfa job, it has truly been a blessing. We have been very careful, to not spend the money- putting it all aside, building our savings, and paying off chunks as we could. This week, after Dave Ramsey, we decided it was dumb to continue to pay interest on a loan, when we have the money sitting in savings. So, we bit the bullet. And now, it's GONE.

We are going to Perry's on Friday to celebrate.

Which is good, considering it will be January 30...come February 1, we are officially on a new budget! =) Haha. Life might be tight now, but one day, we'll be millionaires. Just watch.

Here's to hoping, anyway!

Time to look in the mirror

We are going to Dave Ramsey tomorrow!!

I'm excited...but really nervous. As the main handler of our money and finances, I hope I don't get a huge guilt trip. Time to look in the mirror and decide to make a change! I hope it goes well...

A historic day

Today, the first African American took the oath of office to become our 44th President.

As most of you know, I'm not a fan of President Obama's policies. In all honesty, there is not much I agree with him on a doctrinal level. But today, as broadcasters everywhere filmed his historic inauguration, I could not help but watch. And watch. And watch.

I'm intrigued. Everyone kept referring to the new first family as the new Kennedy family. Young. Fashionable. Personable. Smart. Likeable. Smooth. I would be lying if I said I have not had moments of obsession with the Kennedy family. But at the end of the day, I did not agree with his policy either.

So, I'm in limbo. I'm happy that America has come so far to elect, with vigor, a black man, to the highest office in the land. I think it shows a lot of growth. I'm still scared to see what the future is going to hold, and I will be praying for our leaders. After all, the decisions they make today will not only effect me- but also my children and grandchildren. I pray the world that they grow up in is better than today. (Of course, "better" is an objective term.)

Dear Lord,
Please keep your hand on President Obama and his new cabinet. I pray for the minds and hearts of all our elected leaders. I pray that they remember who they are representing, and who holds the ultimate authority. Please hold our nation together during this time of transition and fear. I ask all these things in Jesus' name.
Amen

The only constant in our house IS change

So, I have been organizing pictures lately, and ran across several older pictures of our house. It helped that we have completed a few new projects lately, which inspired this post. Thought you might enjoy the transition.

The old owner's "lounge" room

Became our office, and then joint guest room when we made room for the nursery

Now, it still serves double-duty, but as an office and a playroom!

Another massive transformation has taken place in the guest bathroom:

The old owner added the metal wall on the left-- we left it in place when we first moved in, scared of what laid behind the wall.

Our version of their same bathroom
Time for an update!

We tore out the metal wall, scraped & painted the ceiling, painted the walls, added new trim, sanded and stained (dark) the cabinets, tore down the old mirror and light fixture and replaced with new, got a new toilet, and of course, fixed all the new decor. What do you think?

I am sooooo lucky to have a handy, talented husband!!

Just had to share...!!

I just received an email from my mother-in-law, Carol. She finally made it to the liver transplant list!! This is a blessing and answered prayer.

She suffers from genetic liver disease (hardly drank a drop in her entire life, and yet her liver looks like one of a raging alcoholic), and has been going through testing for as long as I have known her. In fact, five years ago, they sat the entire family down at the doctor's office and told us that if she did not receive a new liver soon she would not live another five years.

That was five years ago. And things have worsened. My MIL started the process up again last fall, but it is quite a process. There are tests and evaluations and more tests and more doctors....I think they hope the patient gets annoyed and finally gives up, which is exactly what happened with her five years ago.

But today, she was given new hope, as she left the doctor's office with a number and a pager in hand. It is official. She is on the list for a chance at a better life.

Please join me in praying for her. Pray that she continues to "stay on top of it all" and does not get discouraged with all the appointments, tests, and doctors. Pray that she is able to lose some weight and increase her chances of a healthy transplant. And pray now for the donor and donor's family- there is never an easy way to let go of someone you love, but I pray that they may know that they are giving someone else life, and feel comforted.

Hooray for good news!

Tagged!

I have been tagged by Shelley and Sarah, so I guess I better play up!

The rules are:
Go to your pictures folder on your computer.
Go to the 4th folder.
Go to the 4th picture in that folder.
Tell us about it.
This picture was taken last August at an Astros game with my parents. We wanted to take my dad to a game for Father's Day, but had to wait until we could buy tickets! I tried to catch my parents and Jesse covertly, but as you can tell from the grin on Mom's face, she noticed, and then tried to pretend like she didnt. Ha! Dad is kind of half-way looking at me, while explaining something to Jesse, which must have been important, considering he is using his hand to demonstrate. I think Jesse is the only one who was oblivious to the camera, and that's because he is getting good at blocking me out...especially when I have a camera in hand.

It was a fun night. =)


Now I tag...anyone who wants to play along!!

Trying to catch up

I cannot even begin to tell you how busy we have been. Last night, I finally uploaded all the pictures from our camera from the past 3 weeks. I had over 220 pictures and almost 10 videos! Needless to say, it has been a time full of activity with family. Lots of fun and memories. I promise I am working on it, and once I finally hit "post," you will have TONS to read and catch up on. =)

In the meantime, I sincerely hope you all had a very special Christmas and a great start to 2009!

Practice makes perfect!

Ryleigh's new obsession? "Yo-Gi? Yo-Gi??"

AKA: Yogurt

Seriously, she must have it every meal. But, the plus is that she is getting much better with the spoon. Though she still drops half of it on herself in the process.

And for the record, YES, I love a nakie baby. =)

New Year

I cannot believe it is 2009. I still remember when 2000 rolled around, and everyone was so scared of Y2K...the end of the world as we knew it. Ha! To think it has already been 9 years. Where did that time go?

I know most of the time, people list their new year resolutions. I probably should make some resolutions, but what's the point? Most of the time they inspire me to "better myself" for about a month. Then life resumes as normal.

This year, I don't want to be normal. But I know that no resolution is going to help me be a better me. It is time for me to start taking some action to fix me. I know that most of these sound stereotypical, but they are all areas I genuinely want to work on. I'm going to take a hard look in the mirror, ask friends to hold me accountable, and pray hard for God to help transform my heart.

• Find more balance in my life. Quit worrying about work so much, when they clearly do not worry about me. Relax more. Spend more time in the sun and less time at the computer. Play on the floor with my daughter and worry less about the dishes in the sink. Love on my husband when he is home rather than tackling the never-ending "to do" list. Life is a balancing act, and I want to get better.
• Hang out with people more. Be a better friend to the friends I have. Maybe make some new friends. Put myself out there, and hopefully click with someone amazing.
• Patience, patience, patience. Since having a toddler, I have seen more than ever how quick-tempered I am. I hate it. Time to let the little things roll and learn to not get upset over a little spilled milk.
• Time to get healthy. Eat better. Exercise more. Self-explanatory.
• Get on top of our finances and make smart money decisions for our future.

So, no new resolutions for me. LIFE changes. I have high hopes for 2009, and I expect it to be a year of great joy and change. Happy new year to you all!

Goodbye Grandma Gertie

We laid Grandma Gertie to rest in Alamogordo, New Mexico on Tuesday.

It was an all day event, with the memorial service that morning, a lunch reception (with more memorial events), and then the graveside service that afternoon. Emotions were high and many tears were shed. You are never ready to say goodbye to someone you love. And as "ready" as thought I was, the day was still emotionally draining.

All in all, it was a sweet day full of cherished memories from family and friends. I'm thankful, in a sense, that this portion is complete, so the family can begin to move on.

Rest in peace, Grandma Gertie. You are loved and will be missed.

On a side note, Jesse, his dad, and his brother made her urn themselves. They did not like any of the pre-made ones available, and so they decided it would be nice to make it and stain it themselves. I think it is one of the prettiest I have ever seen.

New Mexico

I have to admit- I was not too excited about going to New Mexico at first. I mean, only get one week off work, and I was giving it up. But, I have to say, it was fun. And most of the time, it was pretty relaxing.

Ryleigh had her first airplane ride. We anticipated a very busy toddler running up and down the aisles, so naturally, I brought some Benadryl to knock her out. But, the plane ride was during her nap time, and so within 5 minutes of us boarding the plane, she fell asleep on my lap- all on her own. Nice!

Once we arrived in New Mexico, we heard weather reports that they were expecting snow. Sure enough, Saturday morning, we woke up to a white wonderland. We headed to Ruidosa for the day, and spent the afternoon shopping the small town (I bought a LOT of homemade fudge- YUM!) and playing in the snow.

Sunday, we met up with Justin & Jenn's gang and went snow tubing! It was hysterical. Ryleigh definitely got the most bang for her buck, insisting that we go "a-gin?" every time she reached the bottom. Jesse and I took turns hauling her up the small slope. Poor Gina waited in the long lines, got all the way to top, they 'pushed' her down, and ended up flipping her completely over. She was embarrassed and slightly hurt, but kept a good face. The kids all loved it, though I think we were all frozen in the end. We are from Texas, ya know!

Monday, we laid around the hotel for awhile, relaxing. JD and Carol had to go finish up funeral arrangements, so the rest of us thought we would go explore. We had originally tried to go to White Sands, but they were closed. So, we went to the space museum. Carol's Dad was in the space program and actually holds the rights to some technology, so it was cool to see his work. While the gang went to the IMAX, Jesse, Ryleigh, and I enjoyed some family time in the museum.

Tuesday was the funeral. I'll dedicate another post to it.

Wednesday morning, Jesse, Ryleigh, and I came home. It was a nice trip, but we were happy to sleep in our own beds.

More pictures to enjoy!

Headed to New Mexico!

Just a typical travel day in the Shulse family...Ryleigh loves to take the wheel and give her parents a rest.

...not really. But, I thought you would enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas was celebrated with family...just a little different than normal.

My parents came over on Monday night to exchange presents with us. I cooked lasagna and bread, nothing special, and we celebrated Christmas together. My mom's present still had not arrived (yeah, I don't think I mentioned that yet-- I messed up everyone's presents this year. Micah and Sarah's Christmas present, Susan's birthday present, Mom's Christmas present, Jeremy and Gina's Christmas present-- ALL late. That's what I get for ordering online and procrastinating getting to the post office!!) so I ended up wrapping my own pampered chef stone to show her what she was getting. Classy, huh? She was a good sport, and we had a good evening. The highlight, of course, was watching Ryleigh with her presents. A new pink piano from "Gaga and Go" (don't ask me how that equates to Grandma and Grandad; I have no idea), a mermaid barbie for the bath, a jack-n-the-box, new clothes, and more! Again, she was not too thrilled to open the presents, but once they were open, she had a blast.

Christmas morning, Jesse and I got up and waited for Ryleigh to wake up. Finally, we woke her up! Then we kept her corralled in the kitchen and bedroom long enough to finish preparing the breakfast casserole and kolaches. We let her loose. And she walked right into the living room, and straight to her new table. She climbed right up in her new chair, and immediately wanted to open her stocking. We side-tracked her long enough to show her a few new toys. She kept going back to play with her pink piano! Ha! Eventually, we all opened our stockings. Ironically, Jesse and I each got one another the same Ray Lamontagne CD-- it was the only one left that we did not own, so I guess we both figured we needed it in our collection. =)

A little later, Jesse's parents came over. We had gotten them small stockings and we gave them our presents: Elfa drawers. Not too exciting, but since they want to re-do their closets, we figured we would help them out with a few drawers (especially since they were on sale!) We opened presents, ate breakfast and Ryleigh played her heart out. Jesse and I got her a potty, thinking we would slowly start to introduce the concept. Well, she sat on it right away! And tried to flush! A little later, she got a present from Aunt Susan that had a baby doll in it, and the first thing she did was sit that baby doll on the potty! Ha! She pushed the baby around in her new stroller and carried it in the baby carrier. Then would go back to the piano. Toys are fun! After awhile, JD and Carol left to head back to their house and begin cooking dinner. We stayed home and NAPPED. For AWHILE.

When we woke up, it was much later than we expected. We hurried and cleaned up and went to his parent's house. Jeremy, Gina, and Eli were already there. I must say: it was quiet. Without Grandma Gertie, Justin, Jenn, & their kids, no family friends, no aunts or uncles-- it was very untraditional Shulse holiday. We exchanged presents and the kids played some more. Carol gave each of us daughter-in-laws a spa day! Massages, facials, manicures, and haircuts/hairdos! A fun girls day at the galleria is on the horizon, for sure. Dinner was good, though everyone again was quiet. After the meal, we stayed for a little bit, but seeing as how we were leaving town for New Mexico the very next morning, everyone was quick to leave.

So, we were home early, and I began laundry and took down the incredibly dead Christmas tree. Jesse and I packed while Ryleigh played, played, played!

It was a different Christmas all around this year. Not bad, just different. I was tired. So, honestly I was thankful for the slower change of pace. I missed a lot of the skipped traditions.

• We never made it to see Santa this year-- I took Ryleigh twice, and both times the line was over 2 hours long...anyone with a toddler knows that there was NO way she was going to sit in her stroller for that long.
• I completely forgot to make cookies and milk for Santa. Completely. Forgot.
• My house was not AS decorated as usual.
• I never made it around to give goodies to all my friends.

But you know what? I survived. I'm no less of a Mom. Or a wife. Or a daughter. Or a sister. Yes, I'm too busy. But I did my best. And it still was a sweet Christmas. And you know what else? My "mess ups" this year did not alter the meaning of my Christmas at all. Because those things are not what this season is about. I still like them- I still hope to do better next year- but I'll be okay if, once again, I cant manage it all.

Alright, alright. Enough of my thoughts. I know you're ready for pictures! Enjoy!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is always a good night. A night to dress up. A night to be with family. A night to go to church and celebrate our Savior's birthday. A night to anticipate. A night to....I could go on and on.

This year, Christmas has been a little different. I have felt more like our own little family this year, which has been good, and weird. So, in keeping with the weirdness, I asked Jesse if we should attend church a day early, allowing more space on Christmas Eve for visitors. He looked at me like I was crazy, and said, "no! It just wouldnt feel like Christmas if we didnt go to church on Christmas Eve." And truthfully, he was right.

So we did. We dressed up in our new clothes from my parents, and kept Ryleigh up a little later than normal to go to church. And since she was with Daddy, she did not mind.
Did you know that Jesse proposed to me on Christmas Eve? Yep. Six years ago, after we left the church service, with both families in tow, he pulled me into the chapel of the church, gave me a bible with my "new" name on it, got down on his knee, and asked me to be his wife.

So Christmas Eve is kind of special to us.

And Ryleigh likes it too.

We got home from church, bathed little miss and put her in her Christmas pajamas. Then I finished wrapping presents and Santa put together Ryleigh's gifts. We were having fun until the instructions got confusing and then Santa was ready for bed. =)

But, by the end of the night, the tree was full of presents, the stockings were stuffed, breakfast was ready to be put together, and the night was at peace.

(Please do not notice how incredibly dead my tree was this year. Apparently, they need water, and I never stopped long enough to water it. My bad.)

The night, as a whole, was quiet. We were not with family. There were not kids running around, excited about Santa. No big celebrations. It was just us. And ya know what? I really enjoyed it.

Fun with flash

Without flash...
With flash...

Who knew a little light could make such a huge difference?

Merry Christmas Melody!

I came home from Dallas, and walked into a different living room!! Seriously! My husband surprised me early with my Christmas present already installed over the fireplace. Our previous tv was okay, but the sound was going in and out, and I had casually mentioned how nice it would be to catch up to the times and get a nice flat screen for the wall. Never did I think he would actually do it! Much less sooooo big!

Merry Christmas to me!!

We are in the process of updating everything to high definition, and still waiting on the longer high-def cables, so we can run the cables behind the wall and remove the old tv armoir from the room all together. I'll update soon!

A Dallas weekend

Ryleigh and I went to Dallas this weekend for our annual Family Christmas. The bonus this year was that it fell on Sarah's birthday too, so we had a double celebration.

We stayed at Micah and Sarah's new apartment, and it was lovely! They have it decorated very nice, and our guest room was quite homey. I slept like a champ. It was nice to spend some time with the two of them, and I only wish Jesse has been there to hang out as well.

Saturday we headed to Aunt Kathy's for Christmas. It was a fun morning, as usual, with the three little girls putting on quite a show for everyone. Ryleigh wanted nothing to do with opening presents, which was kind of a shock to me. I figured she would tear into the packages, regardless of name tag, but I ended up opening all of her presents. Maybe next year! She never took a nap, so she was pretty tired and fussy towards the end of the day.

We headed back to Micah and Sarah's and celebrated Christmas with them at their apartment, since we are all apart on Christmas day this year. It was fun, though Ryleigh was definitely over it by the end of the night.

Sunday was Sarah's birthday. Mom and Dad came back over to have her birthday party that morning, and then we met those who were able, for lunch to celebrate. It was nice to be with her on her birthday-- and I'm sure Susan enjoyed having Julie with her on her birthday as well. One of these days we're going to get them both in the same place for their birthday and it will be great! Can't believe they are already 24...it feels like yesterday we were all playing Barbies in the playroom, then going through the awkward makeup and hair days, riding to high school together, dressing for dances....time has flown. I love all of my sisters and cannot imagine my life without each one of them.

So, I got lazy and just put all the pictures from the weekend into one slideshow. Hope it works for you!

Wordless Wednesday

Bath time is fun time!! Especially when Daddy pours the bubble bath...

I finally updated my blog; sorry for the delay! There has been a lot going on, and still more I want to share with you. One day at a time though. There are several new posts below, so keep reading!

Only in Houston...

...is it 75 degrees one day, and snowing the next!

Ryleigh had fun playing in her first snow...well, first time to experience it outside of the womb. Remember this post? Snow on Easter! We did not stay outside too long, because we did not want to worsen her bronchitis or anything, but it was fun while we were out there!! I have a funny video I will try to remember to upload later.

My poor sick, sick baby!

So Sunday afternoon, Ryleigh developed a bit of a cough. Considering she had an ear infection two weeks ago and had been on antibiotics for ten days, frankly, I was irritated by this. In fact, I was even more irritated by the fact that my observant husband kept asking me if I planned to take her to the doctor Monday morning to check out the cough.

Jesse: "Honey, do you think Ryleigh should see the doctor tomorrow? That cough is pretty bad."
Me: "I took her to the doctor THREE times in November. No, I'm not taking her for a cough."

(Pause)

Jesse: "If you call and schedule it, I will take her to see the doctor. She might need more antibiotics."
Me: (Sigh) "Fine"

Well you cant call and schedule appointments on Sundays, so I figured he would forget and she would be better in the morning anyway. I would set up her humidifier and all would be right in the world.

Yeah, so around 5:00, Ryleigh started coughing. I mean, coughing. Non-stop. For about an hour and a half. I called the doctor, expecting to leave a message or something. Sure enough, they have a 24-hour nurses hotline, so I was able to talk to one of the nurses. A few suggestions later, I felt better, and had a plan to stop the cough. (Honey is a natural cough suppressant- did anyone know that? Oh, and apparently you are not really supposed to use those vaporizer things for babies, like Vicks vapor rub or the stuff for the bath. Go figure.) I also noticed she was starting to feel warm, and with a grimace, agreed that I would go ahead and call the doctor Monday morning just to check.

We calmed the cough, gave Ryleigh her bath and milk, turned on the humidifier, and put her to bed. Jesse stayed up a little bit, but then was ready for bed. For some reason, I just did not feel like going to bed. I was tired, but just didn't want to go to sleep.

Around 9:15, I started hearing a really weird noise from Ryleigh's room. It was something between a grunt and a moan. I muted the TV (I was watching the original Polyanna- a goodie!) and listened some more- she kept making the funny sound. I went to go check on her, and noticed that she was breathing incredibly fast. When I say fast, I mean like her chest was moving like that of a sprinter. Or a dog panting. I picked her up and brought her with me to the couch. I thought perhaps it might be a night where she just needed to sleep sitting up, allowing her to breathe easier. But her breathing never slowed. And she was visibly uncomfortable, shifting every few minutes, trying to find a comfortable position. Around midnight, I decided there was not much more I could do and she clearly was not comfortable sleeping on me, so I put her back in her bed, and headed to my own bed, turning the monitor way up.

About 45 minutes later, I woke up to Jesse bringing Ryleigh in our bed. He said he heard her moaning over the monitor and was freaking out about how fast she was breathing. Also, her fever had totally spiked in the 45 minutes I had put her to bed. So after many deliberations, we decided to see if she would rest easier with us and at least let us wait until the morning to make any decisions.

30 minutes later, Ryleigh woke up screaming. Uncontrollably. And coughing. And the panting continued. By this point, I was panicked. Something was clearly wrong. We debated going to the ER, but we were hesitant. Remember last Christmas when we took Ryleigh to the ER? Yeah, we JUST finished fighting the insurance company and paying off that visit last week. Literally. So, obviously we were hesitant to open a new can of worms.

We got online and tried to do some research to figure out what it could be and if there was anything we could do.

Nothing calmed her down though. So finally, I turned on The Wiggles (at 2:30 in the morning) and settled on the couch with a very uncomfortable, feverish, panting, coughing baby in my lap. Needless to say, we did not get much sleep.

Monday morning finally came, and I was on the phone with the doctor's office at 7 am. We were the first to arrive to the doctor's office, and they sent us straight back. We did not see Ryleigh's normal doctor, but the same doctor who diagnosed her ear infection a few weeks back. Ryleigh immediately starting freaking out when the doctor and nurses started trying to do their exams. Her breathing was out of control (breathing approximately 80 breaths-per-minute with an oxygen level of 97%) and the doctor finally said that we could not do anything more until they gave her a breathing treatment to calm her down and try to get a handle on her ability to breathe.

So, we did the first breathing treatment. After about 15 minutes, the doctor came back in to test Ryleigh's levels again. This time it was about 60 breaths-per-minute, but her oxygen level dropped down to 96%. The doctor asked us to do another breathing treatment. Again, she came back, and tested her levels. Her breaths-per-minute dropped to about 50 breaths-per-minute, but her oxygen level dropped again to 95%. So essentially, she was breathing slower, but her body was not absorbing as much oxygen.

The doctor said she thought that Ryleigh had pneumonia, and was borderline for being admitted to the hospital. I asked what she meant by "borderline," and she said, "if her oxygen level drops below 95%, she is going to the hospital. Period." She told us that there were only two reasons to be admitted to the hospital with pneumonia and the inability to breathe is the main reason. She also told us we would have been completely justified in taking Ryleigh to the ER the night before...geez. Stubborn Mama screwed up.

The doctor ordered a chest x-ray to confirm the pneumonia, and sent us to the other office to get the x-ray taken. Jesse and I had to literally hold her down on the table while she screamed her head off and cried "Da-da!" over and over. Talk about a heart-breaker.

As it turns out, Ryleigh did NOT have pneumonia (whew!) and she did not have to be admitted to the hospital, thank the Lord. We were sent home with a nebulizer, breathing treatments every 4 hours, antibiotics, and steroids. A second trip to the doctor on Tuesday confirmed that her breathing had slowed and her oxygen levels had jumped back up to 99%. Her official diagnosis was bronchitis, but we are supposed to watch her closely to make sure it was not the start of asthma or wheezing episodes.

All in all, it was a very scary experience. A word of advice to all you moms out there: trust your gut. Even at 2 in the morning. Don't let your mind reason your way out of a situation you know feels wrong. If your baby is struggling to breathe for any reason, you get your butt to the ER!!

Here we are, four days later, and Ryleigh is still pretty puny. She wants her teddy bear and Mama all the time. The cough remains and I'm supposed to continue the breathing treatments for the next week.

Never again will I claim that a cough is insignificant. Never again.

Christmastime

It is already mid-December, and I'm having a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year. For some reason, it just really does not seem like Christmas to me. Normally, I am ready to go by mid-November; ready for Christmas music, lights & decorations, Christmas cards, shopping, and exciting plans for the holiday. I'm dragging my feet this year. I have not put in a Christmas CD yet. I finally put up a tree and few decorations in my house, but have not jumped to put lights outside. I am debating about even sending out Christmas cards. We have made plans for the holiday, but frankly, I'm not very thrilled with them.

Life kind of got in the way of my Christmas spirit this year. But, I am trying really hard to rekindle the spirit, for Ryleigh's sake.

So, we went and got our Christmas tree, and let her "pick it out."
Daddy made it extra fun, playing with Ryleigh amongst the trees and making her giggle all the way.

Mommy stepped out from behind the camera to get a picture with my baby.

Last weekend, we went to my sister-in-law's house. My brother-in-law, Justin, helped Ryleigh dress up like a pirate- I think it ties in well with her cute new reindeer outfit, don't you?

My niece, Mekenzie, was dragged into making chocolate Oreo balls with Jenn and I. What was supposed to be a short lesson in ball-making, turned into a 6 hour ball-making marathon. In the end, I think we made 11 batches-- which is a lot of Oreo balls. Hopefully Jenn will have plenty to give friends for Christmas!

I have been struggling lately, feeling like so often, I go through the motions in life, without finding joy in the actions. Almost like I do things out of obligation to myself, to fulfill some unspoken responsibility to my perfectionism.

This season, I did not want to do that. I have prayed asking God to really shift my focus to Him and remember the real reason for the season. I think maybe He is answering my prayers in giving me an apathy for all the traditional things of our cultural Christmas. I have been a whole lot more internally focused than externally, if that makes sense. I have watched people more. Slowed down while driving, and truly not felt rushed or irritated in traffic. I have talked to and smiled at the people checking me out at the grocery store. I have thanked God for every little part of my life, including the "bad" me, and my appreciation for the gift of His son.

So, I might not get lights on the outside of the house. I might not be silly and goofy, singing Christmas music at the top of my lungs, and "laughing all the way." I might not get my Christmas cards sent on time, or perhaps, at all. I might not give as many gifts, simply because I'm being conservative with our money and not really in the mood to shop anyway. It might not be a picture perfect Christmas. But I hope that at the end of this season, I can say honestly, that I have a fuller and more appreciative view of the true meaning of Christmas. My savior, Jesus Christ.

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