An American Holiday

these are pictures from last Thanksgiving.




I love Thanksgiving. It's all about the food and family. There are no gifts involved, just the gift of each other's presence-- that's the most important thing. This year, just as in many years past...I don't get to be with my family on Thanksgiving. I will be working. But I do get to be with my family on Friday and for the weekend. And I am very excited. My brother (another I was blessed with through marriage) and his family will be at my dad's for Thanksgiving. I love them dearly...my niece and nephew are so cute and sweet... But they live in Chicago...and I very rarely get to see them. So this year I'm thankful for the time I will get to spend, not only with my dad and step-mom, but also the time I will have with Chris, Francoise, Raphael and Olivia. So even tho I won't be there to see them on THursday, I will cherish my time Friday...because it is definitely a gift.

Within My Heart- By Tamera Alexander

I just finished reading the book "Within My Heart" by Tamera Alexander, and I have to say, I really enjoyed this book. The story takes place in the 1800s in Colorado. THe book has two central characters The first is a woman who is trying to raise her two sons alone, and survive, after her husband is killed. Her father was a doctor and she was able to learn a lot from him, which helped her care for others when needed. The second character, a doctor who, for some reason, decided to move out west and offer this town medical care. The doctor very quickly falls in love with this widowed mother of two, but she won't have anything to do with him. SHe thinks he is arrogant, plus, there's no way she is going to allow herself to fall in love with anyone else. Her love died. After she is injured, she begins to see things a bit differently, and this opens her to possibilities that she never dreamed of.

This book, for the most part is very good. IT explores the possibility of love when you feel that has been taken away from you. It also explores friendship. The reader is also taken through tragedy and hardship, but in the end, even after all of that, the main characters survive...a bit stronger than before.

Don't let the first chapter fool you...keep reading. I really felt the first chapter just didn't belong in the book. It takes you WAY back in time, and truthfully, it's not engaging at all! I felt this "memory" could have been added somewhere inside the context of the book. But overall, a very good read.

Bethany House provided me with a copy of this book for my honest review.

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A Wedding and a Funeral

The weekend of October 22-24 started as a very happy weekend, and took a huge turn to make it one of the saddest weekend's of my life.

On Thursday, October 21st, I flew to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for the wedding of my college roommate, and very dear friend, Jill. Jill and I are both in our early 30s, so this was a very special occasion. She finally met the love of her life, and we celebrated that! It was so great spending time with her during her special weekend. We shared a room like old times, and stayed up late talking both Thursday and Friday night. I even got to take many of her wedding pictures, since I am getting into photography....my gift to her. She got married on Saturday, October 23rd.

On Sunday, October 24th, I flew back home. My plane arrived back in Chattanooga at 11:30am. Around one o'clock that afternoon, my phone rang. I was napping, so I let it go to voicemail. But it didn't. Instead it started ringing again. So, I looked at the phone to find it was my mother calling. My grandmother, who had been sick for some time went to be with the Lord that Sunday morning.

My grandmother and I have been close since I was in college. My junior year, I transferred to a new school and decided to live with her rather than live on campus. Since then, we have been the best of friends. So, although I knew it was coming, this was devastating news to me. So, after traveling to Pittsburgh, I repacked my suitcase, and got in the car and headed south, to Mobile, where my grandmother's funeral would be held.

I did get a gift, though. My grandmother had been staying at my mom's for some time. The weekend before, I had been home and got to see her, to talk to her, to tell her how much I loved her. She got to express that to me as well. I will always thank God for that opportunity, that gift, since I do live nearly four hours away.



On a different note, yesterday marked the five year anniversary of this blog's existence. I thank all of you for reading. It's amazing to think that people are interested in what I have to say.

Is this your new house?

I am not one to use my blog to sell things, but this is important. My family really needs to sell my grandmother's house. So if you live in the Mobile, Alabama, area, or have plans to move there, or know someone who needs a house in the Mobile area, please consider this house. Here's the link. Thank you!

Rainy Days

I have a friend that I've adopted as my "little sister". She wrote this poem, and it spells out what I love about a summer rain! So I asked Olivia if I could share it...Oh, I almost forgot to mention. Olivia is 14! Here it is:



The grass is alive in a vibrant and vivid green.
An elegant color, such as this, is rarely seen.
A summer rain is falling, showering the ground,
Nourishing every plant’s roots that it has found.
Beads of raindrops are visible on every growing leaf,
The summer heat is not blaring; it’s a relief.
I am relaxed and calmed, as it taps on my windowpane,
But I refuse to sit here inside; I want to feel the rain.
So I hurry outside, and the rain soaks into my hair.
Water droplets fall on my tongue, as I stick it into the air.
The rain drenches my body from my head to my feet,
As it continues to cover my backyard in steady sheets.
My body is refreshed, as the gentle rain drizzles.
The tranquil rain is so peaceful, as it sprinkles.
I can’t help myself; like a kid I must skip and run.
A rainbow of pastel colors appears-
While shining through it arrives the sun.