Every year we tell ourselves that Christmas is about Christ and not gifts. But in these rough times, it is hard for us to buy something for ourselves because we want to keep bills caught up or want to have money stashed away for that rainy day. I love Jesus and have often taken time to ponder the ultimate gift of coming to meet man where mankind needed help. BUT, I am going to take a moment and talk about fun gifts!
This was the first year I held Christmas for extended family and felt the burn! All the planning and budgeting, shopping and all the other good stuff that goes along with it stressed me out! I kept telling myself that this would be the last time I went to Walmart and to this moment believe had Walmart been open Christmas Day I would have went... but anyways...
It is such a relief to finally put the show on. It was so worth all the "trouble" to coordinate cleaning, baking and cooking with my husband to give back to my wonderful parents. It put a smile on my face to see my mom and dad relaxing (finally) on the coach while I worked to get dinner on the table. It made me remember all the sacrifices and labor of love my parents made for me at Christmas time. I love my parents and don't care what some idiot psychologists say about my love for my parents- just because I have my new family with Gary doesn't make me have separation anxiety, etc. Christmas is about sharing and the best gift of all is each other.
Besides this profound reflection
(darn, I was trying to focus on PRESENTS!)
I had a great year for gifts received and given. I have always wanted REAL jewelry for Christmas from my husband. I can't believe I got a puppy (making up from childhood). I love shopping and found the greatest sentimental gifts for Gary... 30-O6 bullets and his fav Sci-fi series. And the best of all... shopping for a 3 yr old. Seriously, there is a herd of horses in my house.
Please feel free to share your Christmas story here...
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Maddie's Kicks
So lately my daughter has moved in a stage in her life where anything cowboy/ horse related is worth playing with. She asked me for a cowboy hat, cowboy boots and a horse. So trying to meet her in the middle I got her a hat and boots and then bought a Barbie Horse and Barbie doll to ride it. It definitely brought some sanity back to me because she stopped asking me about riding a real white horse. Who knows what the new phase will be.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Camping trip to Monarch 2010
We had so much fun camping this past weekend. Although it was for just one night, we had a blast. We camped with the Unity One Camp out for AA club members and totally felt like a family reunion. A lesbian couple was there macking on each other, Gary's first ex-wife and various ATVs roving about were among the not-so-fun parts but cool weather, and great conversations with Jerry, Denise and Gary made a fun filled adventure.
It first began with me getting off work at 6pm so we didn't get there until 7:45pm. Gary and I were like a whirlwind trying to set up camp and get firewood before dark. Thank God for Montana's late sunsets because I didn't finish picking up firewood until 9:30pm.
I knew we would have enough time to make supper so we were smart and had sandwiches ready to go. We got to try out our new air mattresses which were quite comfortable. Gary had his 30/30 loaded and I had my bear spray nearby in case a Black Bear decided to visit us in the middle of the night. But I am sure between leaving a lantern lit and Gary's snoring, no bear would want to mess with us.
We got up early the next morning and I Gary got our fire going. I headed to the port-a-potty the club had rented and never have I been more excited about the blue potty! I stopped by the main fire ring to see if I could chat with anyone. Surprisingly, the only one there was Gary's ex-wife who didn't recognize me. We made small talk and i grabbed some coffee (which was nasty) and briskly walked back to camp.
Gary had boiled some water for the Via we bought at Starbucks... Mmmm instant coffee tasted better than Maxwell house. We got to flirt and chat with each other until Maddie was ready get up. Some fellows were walking toward the main area so Gary joined them to have a Rise-n-Shine AA meeting. So I worked on breakfast. I had to get used to cast iron skillets and ended up burning one dippy egg. That was fun.
When Gary returned, we had breakfast then walked around talking to various people. Then we went exploring the park. Gary hadn't been at this National Forest since he was a kid. Apparently, when he was in the youth group at First Baptist, they would go sledding on a hill nearby. It was fun to watch him reminisce. We tried to go fishing but the water was too fast. We also went looking for firewood and found a healthy supply. After that we headed back to base camp.
We reorganized camp and started on lunch. I made like 3 s'mores while I was grilling chicken breast and roasting "silver turtles" on the fire. I haven't make those since I was a girl scout. Then we played several rounds of Cribbage. I made a couple more s'mores while Maddie napped. BY then we had packed up camp so that we could leave after the BBQ. Then we went to Monarch, Niehart and Showdown to see if we could find a store or coffee. We came back just in time for the BBQ.
We definitely had fun and made plans to go to Sun River Canyon for the 4th of July weekend. I am so stoked! I will post pictures soon!
It first began with me getting off work at 6pm so we didn't get there until 7:45pm. Gary and I were like a whirlwind trying to set up camp and get firewood before dark. Thank God for Montana's late sunsets because I didn't finish picking up firewood until 9:30pm.
I knew we would have enough time to make supper so we were smart and had sandwiches ready to go. We got to try out our new air mattresses which were quite comfortable. Gary had his 30/30 loaded and I had my bear spray nearby in case a Black Bear decided to visit us in the middle of the night. But I am sure between leaving a lantern lit and Gary's snoring, no bear would want to mess with us.
We got up early the next morning and I Gary got our fire going. I headed to the port-a-potty the club had rented and never have I been more excited about the blue potty! I stopped by the main fire ring to see if I could chat with anyone. Surprisingly, the only one there was Gary's ex-wife who didn't recognize me. We made small talk and i grabbed some coffee (which was nasty) and briskly walked back to camp.
Gary had boiled some water for the Via we bought at Starbucks... Mmmm instant coffee tasted better than Maxwell house. We got to flirt and chat with each other until Maddie was ready get up. Some fellows were walking toward the main area so Gary joined them to have a Rise-n-Shine AA meeting. So I worked on breakfast. I had to get used to cast iron skillets and ended up burning one dippy egg. That was fun.
When Gary returned, we had breakfast then walked around talking to various people. Then we went exploring the park. Gary hadn't been at this National Forest since he was a kid. Apparently, when he was in the youth group at First Baptist, they would go sledding on a hill nearby. It was fun to watch him reminisce. We tried to go fishing but the water was too fast. We also went looking for firewood and found a healthy supply. After that we headed back to base camp.
We reorganized camp and started on lunch. I made like 3 s'mores while I was grilling chicken breast and roasting "silver turtles" on the fire. I haven't make those since I was a girl scout. Then we played several rounds of Cribbage. I made a couple more s'mores while Maddie napped. BY then we had packed up camp so that we could leave after the BBQ. Then we went to Monarch, Niehart and Showdown to see if we could find a store or coffee. We came back just in time for the BBQ.
We definitely had fun and made plans to go to Sun River Canyon for the 4th of July weekend. I am so stoked! I will post pictures soon!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)