'Twas the Night Before Christmas

We all have treasured memories and magical times from our youth. Some of my most magical memories are from Christmas Eve. It was a special day for our family. Growing up we never missed the family gathering at my grandparent's house to celebrate together on Christmas Eve.

My aunt, uncle, and cousin met up with my family at my grandparent's house each year on Christmas Eve. I don't remember a year that we missed Christmas Eve until I was grown up and moved far away from home.

These Christmas Eve celebrations were usually joyful occasions, but as we got to our teenage years there were some grouchy teenagers there, namely my brother and I.  Especially when Grandma forced us to bring our band instruments and play. My brother and my cousin were good and I was not, but Grandma did not care. We played Christmas carols and she was happy.

One of my favorite memories of Christmas Eve was how Grandpa would label our gifts from him as from Santa. We all knew his handwriting even as kids, but the joy these gifts from Santa brought were fun. I always treasure that he went this extra step to make our Christmas magical.

Grandpa always bought chocolate covered cherries for the ladies in the family. He would buy the cheap red Queen Anne's boxes you see in the stores. They are not fancy and now that I am an adult I am not that big of a fan, but it was his thing and we loved it. My dad has carried this tradition on since my Grandpa passed away. It still brings joy to my heart to see those red boxes of chocolate covered cherries sitting under the tree.

Each year on our way out the door, Grandpa would say, "Make sure you are watching for Santa on the way home. You might see Rudolph's nose or hear the sleigh bells." My brother and eye would keep our eyes peeled the whole way home looking for Santa Claus.

So tonight, love your family. Remember the good times. Make Christmas magical. Oh, and read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas".

"Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!"  ~ Clement Clarke Moore 

O Christmas Tree

What kind of Christmas tree do you get? Growing up we always had a real tree. I love the smell, the feel, and the look of a real tree. I have fond memories of going to the Christmas tree farm and cutting our own tree. The joy of decorating the tree was glorious.

Thankfully, we have had several opportunities in Little Bear's lifetime to go cut down our own tree. When we lived farther north it was wonderful at Christmas time. The tree farms were like magic. Living here the soil is sandy and the very few tree farms are different. The type of trees is just not the same. They consider juniper's to be Christmas trees and some other strange varieties as Christmas trees.

I had my first fake tree as an adult. I was newly married to my first husband and he wanted a fake tree. Not gonna lie having a fake tree broke my heart a little.

Now, with Popeye, we have decorated fake trees more often than I would like, but sometimes it has been out of necessity. We have celebrated Christmas with extended family at Thanksgiving several times and put up the fake tree before tree farms were even opened. Then, there have been a couple of times that we have had an extremely early Christmas before deployments. A fake tree works for that and I still find joy in decorating it. Honestly, some of my most memorable Christmas decorating memories have been with fake trees.

First, there were several years my grandparents had a small fiber optic Christmas tree. This little tree was in style when they bought it. My grandparents thought it was so neat. The rest of us liked it the first couple of years and then the tree started making a high pitched noise. The noise was terrible. We mentioned it to my grandparents for a couple of years and they could never hear it. They finally agreed that it must be true since we all complained about it two Christmas seasons in a row. That was the last of the fiber optic tree.

This year and last year we had a small fake tree. We decorated well before Thanksgiving last year. Decorating that small fake tree as a family knowing we would not actually be celebrating gathered around it together on Christmas morning was a mix of sadness and joy on my part. The best part was in the several months we left the Christmas tree up Little Bear and I laughed about decorating with Popeye. We wore our Santa hats and decorated. We laughed and made memories.

This year we decorated that same little fake tree before Thanksgiving. We celebrated Christmas at Thanksgiving with Popeye's parents. I won't let the fake tree stop me from joy at Christmas, but I won't lie and say I don't miss a real tree.

My Top 10 Favorite Places to Visit

I have been blessed in my life to travel across much of the United States. I have been to 36 of 50 states, not including the states I have only been to airports in. Many of the states I have been to were in my childhood, but they were still amazing and memorable. In my adult life, I have also been to some glorious places.

Out of all these great states, I have ten places I have most enjoyed visiting and have some of my fondest memories at.

1) The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, NM & CO

The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is by far my favorite place. First, the historic steam train is super cool. Second, the landscape and scenery are gorgeous. The first time I was there I was in kindergarten and we saw the Indiana Jones train cars on the tracks. We visited the railroad almost every year after that until I graduated high school. I have been blessed to go back several times as an adult and love it just as much if not more now.

2) The Alamo & Missions, San Antonio, TX

The Alamo and the missions in San Antonio will always have a special place in my heart. First, they are an amazing part of Texas history. They have a sad story that is also filled with hope and joy. They are also a place of beauty and peace. I can wander these missions for hours or sit and enjoy the peace that I feel in these places.

3) Shenandoah National Park, VA

Shenandoah National Park has a special place in my heart. It is one of the first places we took Little Bear hiking. We also went camping there once and saw more bears than I had ever seen. We saw 11 bears on our trip including three bear cubs. It was amazing. Skyline Drive is an amazing drive through the mountains, whether it is spring, summer, winter, or fall.  

4) Echo Amphitheater, NM 

Echo Amphitheater is an interesting and beautiful rock formation found in New Mexico. It is a lovely spot stuck between the mountains and the High Desert. The landscape is stunning. So stunning in fact that many famous artists such as Georgia O'Keefe have used the scenery for inspiration for their work.

5) Cass Scenic Railroad, WV

The Cass Scenic Railroad is a really neat place in West Virginia. When Popeye came home from his first deployment. While the Cass will never take the place of the Cumbres and Toltec it is a truly beautiful railroad. It is in the middle of nowhere, which gives it a really nice relaxing atmosphere. The Cass Scenic Railroad and the wonderful bed and breakfast we stayed at made a perfect getaway after months apart.

6) Top of the Rock, NYC, NY 

When we visited New York City it was a really neat trip. We did a lot of cool stuff including seeing the Statue of Liberty, but I felt overwhelmed by the crowds everywhere. I was thrilled with the views from The Top of the Rock. Top of the Rock was amazing. We could see all of New York City from up there. It was a special moment in time that I will never forget. 

7) Yellowstone National Park 

Yellowstone National Park is a really stunning place. We went when I was in middle school. I don't think my family planned to go there on vacation, but we ended up there. It was one of the coolest vacations we ever went on. We saw wildlife galore, but even cooler than the wildlife are the geysers, springs, and mud pots. The bubbling ground is so interesting. The science and nature combined to make bubbling mud pots, water that has so much acid it can dissolve almost anything, and water that shoots through the crust of the earth rising high into the sky at regular intervals is a feat that only God could perfect. 

8) Colonial Williamsburg Williamsburg, VA 

Colonial Williamsburg is a beautiful historic area. It has more history than almost anywhere I have ever been. The Revolutionary War and Colonial history here give you opportunities to learn so many stories. Besides learning about all the history you can enjoy the stunning gardens. During Christmastime, the Colonial style decorations are interesting and have inspired lots of craft projects for me. 

9) Fort Washington National Park, Fort Washington, MD 

Fort Washington National Park can be found tucked away along the Potomac River just outside of Washington D.C. It is a quiet park with an amazing historic fort that served our country from 1809 until 1939. The historic fort has a beautiful view across the river. It is filled with historic batteries, cannons, and more history than most of us can imagine. When you walk down from the fort to the shores of the Potomac you can fish and find sea glass or river glass as the case may be.  

10) The Blue Ridge Parkway, NC and VA

The Blue Ridge Parkway is the first place Popeye and I went camping. It is also where we rode the first train together of our married life. We made several trips up and down parts of The Blue Ridge Parkway in the early years of our marriage. It will always be one of my favorite places. The Scenery is lovely.

Thanksgiving Blessings

Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God has done.
~Count Your Blessings Johnson Oatman, Jr.

Some of my favorite blessings

Thanksgiving is a day that we have set aside to count our blessings. We tend to celebrate this day with friends, family, and other loved ones. Being a military wife we have had some interesting Thanksgiving celebrations. 

Last year Little Bear and I celebrated Thanksgiving by ourselves. We had finger foods and watched Christmas movies all day. It was a nice relaxing day. We spent it together thinking of Popeye and talking about how grateful we are to have him out protecting our country and our freedoms. 

Several years, Little Bear and I have gone "home" to visit family while Popeye was gone. A couple of years ago we were blessed to meet my niece for the first time and celebrate Thanksgiving at my brother's house. The blessing of Thanksgiving with family is always nice. 

We have also had years that Popeye was home. Some of these Thanksgivings, we celebrated as a family of three. Others we hosted Thanksgiving for relatives. One year we hosted some friends from Popeye's work that could not go home for Thanksgiving. 

Little Bear's First Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time to remember all the good things in life. God has blessed my family so much. He has given us the blessing of love. Popeye and I have a wonderful marriage. Little Bear is a joy to us and our family. He is such a happy kid and always makes us laugh. We have love of our family both near and far. 

God has blessed us with faith. We have hope even in the hard times God will bless us and watch over us. God has given us a wonderful church family. They encourage us and pray for us. 

God has blessed us with health. Even with gastroparesis, things could be so much worse. I am thankful that God has given me the energy and health to enjoy life and enjoy family. 

Today and everyday be thankful. Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving with Skype

Grandparent's for Thanksgiving

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; his love endures forever.
1 Chronicles 16:34 

A Loving Kid with a Big-Heart and a Lot of Faith

A couple of weeks ago, Sunday morning church both wonderful and emotional. It started like every other Sunday morning does. I was dragging because I hate mornings and am never ready to get up. Little Bear and Popeye were up and ready long before I was. We left for church and were only a couple of minutes late for Sunday School. I blame traffic, not really it was all me and my slowness.

This Sunday was a special service at our church. It was our celebration of All Saint's Day. They read a list of names of our church members that passed away during the last year and they lit candles for them. After this, we had a time for people to speak the names of family members and friends who have passed away in the last year.

I have been extra tearful lately, I blame hormones, but the tears started rolling down my face and I could not speak. Little Bear looks at me and whispers "say her name mom." When he realized I couldn't say it for my tears he shyly says "Great Grandma." Then, he whispers to us "I don't know her real name." Popeye told him and Little Bear said it quietly just as the prayer started.

The next thing Little Bear did was crawl into my lap and hug me tight until my tears stopped flowing. Then, sweet Little Bear looked into my eyes and apologized for messing up her name. I whispered to him that he did well and thank you and hugged my big-hearted boy tight.

Later in the service, we had the Lord's Supper. Little Bear accepted Jesus several years ago but has always been in children's church when we have done the Lord's Supper. This was the first time he participated in it. I whispered as much explanation as I could about how and why we do it. When the tray of tiny, gross, dry crackers (you know you have had that thought, too) came around, I reminded him to only touch ONE cracker and then I told him they are dry, hard, and do not taste good. I also told him not to make any ugly faces or say anything about how bad they taste.

The time came to eat our bread and the look on Little Bear's face was one of dismay and disgust and trying really hard to hide it. He chewed and chewed trying to finish the tiny piece of cracker. When he finally swallowed it down, he looked at me and whispered: "You were right, Mom, they are bad."

The best part of Sunday came when Little Bear walked down the aisle to make a profession of faith and ask to be baptized. He was shy and nervous so he took Popeye and me with him. He talked to the pastor about his decision and our church welcomed him with open arms. Little Bear was shy about standing up in front of everyone and having everyone stare at him. When people came up to shake his hand after the service, my Little Bear was in his element. He loved shaking hands and talking to everyone. He even asked me if he could do that part again sometime.

So, all in all, our Sunday was beautiful. Our Little Bear is turning into a loving kid with a big-heart and a lot of faith.

Ten Years

As a wee lass, ten years seemed like forever. I could not wait to be sixteen so I could drive. Then, I was waiting to be eighteen so I could buy lottery tickets and after eighteen I was waiting for twenty-one. Time could not move fast enough in those days.

Now that I am an old lady time seems to fly by. The last ten years have gone by with amazing speed. During the last ten years, I got my first real job. My divorce was finalized. I got married to Popeye. Then, Little Bear was born. 

I never knew how time would fly by and I would be looking back wondering where all those years have gone, but here I sit wondering how time passed by so quickly. This year marks ten years of Popeye's career. 

Popeye's job is hard. Some days it is because the work is hard and other times it is because being away from his family is hard. He misses out on a lot of family time. He misses school plays, birthdays, holidays, and just life. While Popeye is deployed we don't get to put life on hold. We cannot press pause on Little Bear growing up. We cannot stop time to wait for our anniversary. It's hard, on Popeye and on Little Bear and I. 

The hardships make the easy times sweeter than ever. The times when Popeye is home we cherish more. We relish in the time we spend together. I don't have the heart to count how much time we have missed out on during our marriage, but I know that the time we spend together is worth so much more. Absence really does make the heart grow fonder. 

So, here's to you Popeye... Happy Ten Years! You make us proud daily with the sacrifices you make. You sacrifice your time and energy to protect the freedoms we hold most dear. Thank you for your sacrifices and thank you for your service!

To Everything There is a Season

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which has been planted;

Ecclesiastes 3: 3-2 

It has been one year since my grandma left this world. When she left this world she went home and has spent the last year in heavenly bliss. She is with Jesus and my grandpa. I am torn between joy for her eternal happiness and sadness for my own loss.

I won't deny that this year has been difficult. I still have moments when I pick up the phone and realize as soon as I do that I cannot call her. It seems silly and a little crazy. It's not like I have forgotten she is gone, it is just habit, I suppose. After years of calling her almost weekly, it seems strange to have gone for one year without hearing her voice.

The hardest times have been around the holidays and around special family days. Then, there are the days when Little Bear and I went home and we normally would have visited, but instead we drove straight through the town she lived in. My heart broke again as we drove through without a reason to stop.

My grandma was a special lady. She adored me... and I don't really know why. I was always a smart aleck and sarcastic. I enjoyed her even when I thought she was a little nutty or a little mean. We had moments that we argued, but that never kept us from loving each other.

My grandma loved her family, but sometimes I don't think she knew how to show it. She was often harsh with all of us. She said hurtful things and meant them. It was her own style of blunt honesty. I often have wondered where I got that quality, but now I know.

The thing I admired most about my grandma is her faith. I don't remember her talking about her faith too much as a kid. As an adult, she frequently told me about God and how he blessed her. She loved him. She had a great faith and that faith filled her with peace, especially near the end.

I pray that my faith will blossom and grow as her's did. I pray when my time comes I can be at peace with my life and ready to join my Savior in heaven. In the meantime, I will read His Word and draw peace and hope from the Bible and the example of those who have gone before me.

Does your spouse hate your favorite movie?

Have you ever had a favorite movie that your spouse hates? I certainly do. Popeye and I have very different taste in movies for the most part. I love musicals, all kinds of musicals.

Movie Night... Not "Hello, Dolly!"

My favorite is "Hello, Dolly!" My dearest Popeye has never sat all the way through my most favorite film without falling asleep or vacating the room.I adore "Hello Dolly." It is hilarious and sweet. The music is wonderful. The movie is lighthearted and fun. I don't know who wouldn't like it. Popeye does not like it at all.

I finally got Popeye to talk about it one day. He blames it on not liking Barbara Streisand. I am not a huge fan of her either, but I enjoy her in "Hello, Dolly!"

Popeye enjoys gory action movies. I could do without them. He also likes movies that scare me, like

things with giant bugs. I like bugs but giant bugs give me nightmares, every time.
Thankfully, we usually find some middle ground and can enjoy a movie night together. Some of our favorites are "Star Wars", "Lord of the Rings", and "Howl's Moving Castle". It helps that we can hate some movies together like "The Mist" and "I am Legend".

Remodeling - A Marital Test

If you want to test your marriage tackle a remodeling project. It will stress you and you either learn to work together or you quit.

I'm serious y'all. It has been a test of our ability to work together and to be nice. We are remodeling the bathroom. We did great with the light fixtures. Popeye did the wiring and putting the light fixtures up. I patched the sheetrock.

We did well when we pulled up the carpet and the tile. We worked together, got the old junk out. We patched the holes in the concrete well. He did one part I did another. Things were going great.

Then, we began the flooring. It is a pain in the butt. I had read the instructions and watched the tutorials online. Which made me the "expert." Poor Popeye did not agree with my expertise.

We did not agree on how to do it. We couldn't agree on which direction to lay the vinyl planks. Then we could not agree how long to make the first plank. It was a mess.

We got through the first section okay after a few minor disagreements. We only worked a couple of hours the first night. The second day we worked from 11am until 12:30am with only a few breaks.

We finally found a system that worked for us. After a few mistakes and a few arguments, we realized Popeye should measure and I should do some cuts and check Popeye's cuts before he made them not after. We both made a few mistakes and wasted some flooring.

As it got late Popeye and I started getting irritable and snapping at each other. It had been a long day. We needed a break, but we wanted to keep going. We had been hoping to finish by the end of the day. We did not. We finally realized for the sake of our marriage and our sanity working until 12:30am was too late.

We quit for the night and had a nice rest. We finished the next day. Our floors are laid down and now we tackle the next portion of the task, baseboards, and painting.

My Happily Ever After

Image Captured by Fischelli Photography

I am not always a sappy person... Okay so maybe I am, but I would typically portray myself as more sarcastic and harsh. My relationship with my husband is not exactly a fairy tale, but it is ours.

So, how did we meet? We met as babies. Yup, that's right we have known each other our entire lives. Just because we knew each other as babies does not mean we got along or even wanted to see each other growing up.

When we were elementary school age, Popeye, and his family came to visit us. I somehow convinced him to reach out and grab a prickly pear pad. If you have never gotten pricked by a cactus you won't understand exactly how painful this can be. Not only do they have long sharp thorns, but they also have fine hair like thorns. These thorns are nearly invisible, which makes them extraordinarily hard to pluck out. Of course, when Popeye grabbed the cactus his hand was covered in thorns both large and small. This was not a great start to our relationship.

The next time I really remember seeing Popeye was when we were in middle school. My family had spent about a week at the beach and I had gotten a horrible sunburn. I had blisters on my shoulders and across my face. I was so embarrassed to be going to see them after years looking like a boiled lobster. I don't remember much more about our visit than that. This visit was when we became friends. We started writing each other letters after this.

We wrote regularly over the years. I would sit in class at school and write long, chattering letters. I rambled about school, church, life, family, love, and more. He told me about his family, being home schooled, his church, and the places he had lived. In high school, we tried really hard to get our families together. It didn't happen often.

When we were 16, Popeye confessed his love to me. I was a jerk. I laughed at him. I had a boyfriend... I was stupid. I should have spent more time getting to know Popeye then.

When we started college, Popeye and his family stopped to visit us on their way to take him to college. He asked if he could kiss me and when I said yes he shyly gave me a sweet kiss on the cheek.

College included the most turbulent and unstable years of my life. Popeye and I got in a fight and quit talking to each other completely during those years. I missed his letters, not that I ever would have admitted it then. I got married. Shortly after graduating college I got divorced. When I got divorced, I moved back home to live with my parents. It was not really by choice, I had no money and was just starting a job that made enough to pay the bills.

While I lived with my parents, Popeye's parents had a going away to the Navy party for him. My family told me I had no choice, but to go with them. So, I drug my feet and went, begrudgingly. While we were there I avoided people. Eventually, Popeye cornered me and we talked. It was wonderful. I felt like he understood me, even though we are as different as day and night. We spent most of the weekend together talking.

Our Wedding Day

Afterwards, we talked for days on the phone. Then, we started a long distance romance.... and it did not go well. We broke up after a few months. I was not ready for a relationship again, especially a long distance one.

A year or so later, I was out of town for work and happened to be in the same city Popeye's sister was going to college. I met up with her and we had a great visit, but it made me miss my friendship with Popeye. I ended up calling him. We started talking that October. He decided to come home for Thanksgiving and we weaseled me into getting an invitation to his parent's house for the holiday. It was then that we had our first real kiss.

That Christmas, Popeye came home again. He spent some time with his family and then spent a few days with my family and I. We got engaged a few days before Christmas. Then, he went home, across the country again. Thankfully, we had a short engagement. We were married three months after we got engaged. It was wonderful and being married to him has been one of the best things to ever happen to me.

We keep to ourselves a lot. Popeye and I are two very different people, but sometimes I think that is what makes us work. My dad says that when you put the two of us together we make one whole functioning person and he is right. When we got married two became one. Popeye and I work. Don't take that wrong and think we are perfect because anyone who knows us knows that's a lie. We fight and we disagree, but who we are together works.

I love Popeye with a deep enduring love. Even in the worst of times, I know he returns my love and devotion. We have our fair share of fights and then some. We struggle. We have been through separations, by distance not choice. We have been through illness and pain. We have moved multiple times. We live far from our families, but we have each other. My husband is my best friend, my love, and so much more. I am grateful every day for his support and encouragement. Thank goodness for forced encounters that led to my happily ever after.