Studying Esther

Right after Christmas a group of women from our church (Bent Tree Bible Fellowship) began the study of Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman. The study was written by Beth Moore. What an incredible experience it is sharing life with other women; sharing the joys, the complexities, the challenges, and the sorrows. Life is hard sometimes and God knows it is and intends for us to fully rely on Him, but He wants us to rely on one another as well. What a reassuring thing it is to realize that we all were called to live at this very time and in this very place to have an impact in our families, friendships,and communities.

Waiting on Spring

By the time March 1st rolls around, I am ready for some warm and sunny days. Our tulips are up and while they aren't ready to bloom, they are giving me hope that spring is just around the corner. We had no idea when we moved to Texas that we would have some real wintry weather.

We had a great time being back in North Carolina last week. As we landed at the airport I was reminded of how pretty NC is with all the trees. We tend to take for granted all the things that are around us every day.

It was such a treat to spend time with Z, and see some friends. The time flew by. The next time we will be able to see "the fam" will probably be Easter. And by then, spring WILL have arrived.

I'm back.....

It is just so easy to drift away from this blogging thing. I so appreciate all those people I follow who are so prolific and dependable. I am not. But I am well intentioned, just distracted.

There is no great way to play catch up on this thing, but I will just begin where I am.
We have just finished a wonderful long weekend with Christine in Montana. We rented a ski in/ ski out cabin at Moonlight Basin and skied there and at Big Sky. Great timing as they had 8 to 10 inches of snow the night we arrived. Great powder (for those experts), but truth be told, I struggled. Then the groomers went to work, and oh my! Everyone teases me about how I love the groomers, but they change my life! I feel like a pro when I get on those groomed trails. We had so much fun that we are going to attempt to get all 4 "kids" together for some spring skiing in CO. We'll see...

So, here I sit in Salt Lake waiting to head home and realizing that our lives are about to get really busy. A quick trip to NC in about a week to see Z, and then off to Spain in early March followed immediately by a long weekend in New Orleans. Then, hopefully we will be moving to downtown Dallas. We hope to find a great "lock and leave" condo/townhouse close to "the action" in Dallas with proximity to the Katy Trail. It's time to experience the city up close and personal. We will keep you posted.

Life is Good.

We spent part of last weekend in Fort Worth. The Fort Worth Stock and Rodeo show is in town for the better part of a month. What fun! Cowboys and their gals everywhere!
There is a whole different feel to Fort Worth. Very comfortable, and very friendly. Jeans and boots are the norm at even the finest restaurants.
We had dinner at The Lonesome Dove. Oh my goodness! One of our new favorites. The chef has quite a reputation and can be seen on the food network on occasion.
This weekend we are off to Austin with friends and know there will be more opportunities for some great food and hopefully some music as well. Giddy-up.

Back in the great state of Texas!

We spent last week in Romania and had a wonderful time reconnecting with our friends there. We spent a couple of days in Poiana and then went to Cluj for a couple of days. The weather was just what we had expected, snowy and cold. It is such fun to enjoy winter for a limited amount of days. ( Sure wish I had hung on to some of my warm winter coats. In my haste to get rid of things, I donated them to Goodwill once I knew we were moving from NC to TX. )Oh well, I survived.
We spent a couple of days in Oradea as well and then took the train to Budapest, Hungary where we had an entire day to walk around the city. What a special place. The architecture is amazing. Our favorite thing to do is to walk along the river after dark and see the beautiful bridges over the Danube and the buildings all lit up. Spectacular.
We caught an early flight back on Saturday morning and got UPGRADED! Watched 3 movies and ate everything they put in front of me. No complaints. We even landed 20 minutes early. When does that ever happen?
Got on the scale this morning and OH MY GOSH! It is time for me to hop on the treadmill. Gotta Run! :)

What a Merry Christmas!

Sometimes holidays don't measure up to expectations and then sometimes they really do. This was one of those times. Everyone arrived safe and sound (eventually) and a good time was had by all.
Three generations under the same roof for 5 to 6 days. You never know quite how the experience will play out, but we had such fun sitting around the table enjoying great conversation, great food, and on occasion even some great wine. We reminisced and even heard some stories never shared before by the grandparents.
We were able to get to church on Christmas Eve despite the snow and wind. Beautiful service and hymn singing. All our favorites.
Slowly but surely, everyone is finding their way back to their respective homes and as much fun as it is to get together, I know everyone is looking forward to sleeping in their own beds, watching all the things they "tevoed" (Is that a word?) and catching up with friends. Hopefully, it won't be long before we all get together again!
Happy New Year!

Christmas, Here we come!

What a wonderful time of the year. After a quick trip to Montana last weekend, and a stop off in Minneapolis to have dinner with college friends, I had had enough snow and cold weather to feel that the holiday season is upon us. Landed in Dallas and hit the ground running.
Spent the week tweaking the house so that we can make 8 additional family members comfortable for the coming week. They start arriving tomorrow night. Thankfully our kids are flexible and fine with aero beds. They will have full run of the upstairs bed, bath, and media room. I wonder how often they will come downstairs? ( I plan to cook some gourmet meals to entice them.)
Three generations in the same house for the week of Christmas. Lots of opportunities to share stories, bake cookies, go for walks, see some movies and just enjoy being together. We are so blessed to have healthy parents who can still travel to spend time with us. It may get a bit chaotic at times, but it promises to provide opportunities for some new memories.
Can't wait for the fun to begin.