WHAT ICE STORMS ARE GOOD FOR...

I've been tackling a major project lately.  Just the thing to do when the weather keeps you inside!  Approximately 25 years of double print pictures that I've been intending to sort and make into albums for a while are finally getting sorted into three piles, one per kid...

(this is just a small representation of the mess ;))

It's kind of crazy when you think about the change in photography/prints the last 20 years.  As I developed pictures, I got double prints to do the kid's albums LATER.  I made family and vacation albums for a long time, but I've switched to Shutterfly the last ten years.  But even though I'm not as crazy about scrapbooking as I once was, it would be a real shame to just toss all these memories.  I think hope my kids will appreciate them.

Do you have piles like mine?  I have a new plan to get me through them, and I'm really excited about it.  Maybe by putting it in print, it will encourage me to actually get it done.  It's been nagging at me for a while.  Like, years!  Here's my Declutter/Make Albums plan:

• Forget exact dates/years of each picture.  Although many have the date on the back, for these albums it won't be important.  Sort into categories: Baby, Preschool, School, Easter, Halloween, Christmas, different seasons, birthday, sports, performances, vacations, etc.
• Have 2-4 pages for each category, then move on.
• Choose only the best of the best pictures.  More is not necessarily better!
• Hit it hard right now while life is kinda slow and the weather is cold.
• Plan to work hard on it when The Hubs is out of town and I can make a mess.
• Think about the joy on their faces when they receive the albums this Christmas!
• Think about the joy I will feel to have this mess gone through and my motherly duty as keeper of the memories completed!  LOL

Anyway, I'm tackling it and hopefully each of my kids will wind up with an album of memories.  Blogging may take a back seat for a while...

HAPPY TO BE MOVING...

Recently I listened to a podcast that was about being happy for movement, that is, your ability to move.  It was a reminder that our body fat, weight, fitness level isn't something to obsess about BUT to be happy that your body works and can move!  I really liked the message and I think it's one many people need, especially women.

Just a few days after listening to that message my foot was bothering me and I was wracking my brain about what I could have done to have that pain.  Maybe I need to wear better shoes?  Not do pounding aerobic dances? Put my feet up a little more periodically? Probably all of the above.  I was feeling pretty sorry for myself...

Lo and behold, I got a huge reminder to be thankful for movement that next day when my sister called to tell me she was in the ER until 3:00 a.m. after breaking her foot the night before!  Her girls were good enough to go get her and take her but of course, the last 10 days I'm doing plenty to help her out (she was widowed several years ago).  She ended up having surgery and got 2 screws in her foot and had to cancel a trip to Germany to see one of her best friends.  She's on a scooter and having a hard time getting around right now.

(The foot propped up and the cat sleeping on her!)

So my foot pain was temporary, but I was gently reminded that the 5 pounds I'm so worried about is no big deal!  I pray for my friends fighting cancer whose bodies are in distress, I pray for healing for my sister's foot too.  And I'm thankful to be moving without too much trouble.

The podcast info:  "Sorta Awesome," with Meg Tietz Episode 128 love your body

SEASHELLS ARE LIKE PEOPLE...

Seashells are kinda like people.  

They look similar, but close up you see their differences.  

Some are big, some are small.  

Some white, some grey, orange, yellow, red, black.  

Some have texture, some are smooth.  

Some have stripes and patterns.  

Some are scarred by unknown forces.

Most have chips on the edges after being beaten by the ocean waters.  

Some are just broken pieces. 

   

They’re beautiful and worth examining. 

MY FIRST MARDI GRAS PARADE...

When we went to Alabama recently, I may have mentioned that we didn't look into many activities there ahead of time, which is pretty much against my nature.  We knew there were bike trails and a beach, and did bring our bikes and some things to do inside the condo, but other than that I didn't know much about what kind of attractions there were.

Once we got there and stopped in at their Welcome Center, we found out about some things to do and riding the ferry to Dauphin Island came up.  We could take our bikes on the ferry for a mere $5 and there were designated bike trails on the island too!  So we planned to do that on Saturday.  I checked the Dauphin Island calendar and saw that there was also going to be the "People's Parade," a Mardi Gras parade at 1 p.m.  We were told it was a "tame one." So I was excited to get to see my first!  Alabama claims that they celebrated Mardi Gras 15 years before Louisiana, just in case you were wondering!  But I think New Orleans took it to another level.

It was a nice sunny morning and we drove out to Fort Morgan where we caught the ferry.  It was fun, getting on there with all the cars!  It was a pretty 40 minute ride there and then we set off to explore.  We biked just a half-mile down to Fort Gaines where the Battle of Mobile Bay was fought and Union General Farragut said his famous line, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!"  We didn't pay to go into the fort but got to look around the outside of it. I can't imagine being on tiny Dauphin Island seeing all the ships come in to take over.

We biked through the town and noticed lots of people were already setting up tailgate parties and the parade was several hours away!  We also biked up to the big bridge that connects the island to Mobile.  We tried unsuccessfully to get lunch but some of the restaurants were closing early due to the parade.  Obviously the parade was a BIG deal.  We finally got a lead on one that was a good fish place and right on the water, too.

We biked back toward the ferry area which was also where the parade was to begin.  I have to say it was the funnest parade with the best music!  Multiple floats with little bands on them playing some great tunes.  We were thrown lots of mardi gras beads, moon pies, even little footballs and plastic cups with advertisements on them.  The little girl next to us had brought a large plastic storage box and would shout to everyone that passed by, and her bucket was filled with all of the above, plus stuffed animals, by the end of the parade.  Pretty crazy!

It was a great adventure day! 

BABY SNOWBIRDS...

For a few years now I have been wanting to get out of town in January.  It's such a bleak month and my husband has said multiple times that he could really work from anywhere with Wifi.  So I held him to that and several months ago found a condo on the beach in Alabama to stay in for two weeks.

  

Orange Beach, Alabama is the home of beaches, condos, seafood, brunch, bread pudding, backcountry trails, and lots of friendly people. We had been to Fairhope for a Spring Break trip a few years ago, but never as far as Orange Beach.  We knew it was drivable – about 13 hours – and we could take whatever we wanted, so we did!  We took our bikes and some books and projects, along with our swimsuits, with high hopes! 

We learned that there really are such things as “snowbirds!”  Almost everywhere we went we were the youngest couple around!  In the information we got at the welcome center, we saw there are snowbird groups from specified states that meet and do activities together.  We were BABY SNOWBIRDS just testing this thing out.  

What did I do for two weeks?  I read, walked on the beach, meditated, biked, tried new recipes, replaced the zipper in my robe, completed a craft project, binge-watched a Netflix series with The Hubs, learned new makeup techniques on YouTube... Some of it may sound silly but these are things I rarely have time for when I'm at home.  The beach was cold, but wonderful!  I walked on it barefooted every day except one, when it dipped to 20 degrees – quite cold for them! Twenty degrees is cold, but back home it was only 6, so we still felt fortunate.  Most days the temperature was in the 50-60's.  There were trails nearby for walkers and bikers that were the best maintained ones I’d ever seen.  We biked several different ones, mostly with the end result being the local Starbucks.   

Living in our tiny condo (392 sq. ft.) was fun for a short amount of time and I cooked most of our meals.  It was really the first time we had ever gotten away without some kind of tourist plan with sights to see and history to learn.  I think most of our married life we spent our vacations with our children in mind, educating them and showing them the wonders of the world.  So to go somewhere WITHOUT AN AGENDA was really different and relaxing! 

THIS was a TRUE VACATION... 

THAT DOESN'T APPLY TO ME...

When we went to Europe in November, it was to visit our missionaries and also attend a special retreat they go to once a year, the Euro-American Family Retreat.  I hadn't thought much about the retreat at all (much more about the 5 days of free travel between weekends) just that we would be there, and the lessons probably wouldn't apply to me...

Was I ever wrong!  The retreat was so meaningful.  I'm sure the effect is multiplied for the missionaries that serve in Europe and see the others this one time a year.  The fellowship was great, conversations, introductions, hugs and love all around.  We knew several of the missionary couples from our college days.  The singing was awesome.  There were a lot of good singers in the group!  The lessons were excellent. They centered on how to help passive Christians become active.  I was very much intrigued and applied them to the particular ministries we work with..

 Everyone really wanted to be there, unlike some activities within the general church, sometimes.  The breakouts were good.  In-between all of the sessions, different groups were dining at meal times in the adorable town of Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber.  Those who wanted to participate, which was probably about 50 of us, sang in a special concert in a 700 year old church!

We stayed late to practice with the English speaking singing group.  We were lead by a very capable woman from France.  We sang several songs we knew and one we didn't, that we fell in love with, "Behold Our God!" Hopefully we will be singing it in our congregations before too long.  It was a great bonding experience for those who participated as we sang in this freezing cold church (no heat) with amazing acoustics.

We left on the third day of the five day retreat and I was so sad to not get to hear all the lessons.  The next time I think "THAT DOESN'T APPLY TO ME," I will pinch myself! :)

PROPOSAL PARTY...

We are starting off the New Year with a bang!  Our youngest is engaged!  It's been a whirlwind since he met Miss Right.  They go to the same school but didn't really know each other until last summer, when they were both in New Reign, a singing group, and traveled together with the group recruiting for the college.

He's been planning ever since then and popped the question Saturday night.  It was at our home and her parents flew in from Portland.  Another brother came in from Denver and a sister from Las Vegas.  She has another brother and sis-in-law that live here.  So lots of love and travel went into this event.

He popped the question at our house, because there's a construction project they've already been working on in progress in our driveway... a tiny house!  Kinda crazy, especially since the walls have just gotten up over Christmas break, but they knew they both wanted to live in a tiny house and are both really hard workers and decided to make it happen.  With the help of some family and friends, he decorated it inside and asked her "come see something." With brother being the photographer, he proposed while we were all hiding inside our house to surprise her.  It turned out great!

Our son wanted me to make a fajita dinner and I'm so glad he suggested it because we got to really talk and relax with most everyone - not like being at a restaurant.  HERE is my favorite recipe that I found a couple of years ago and love.  I made it along with all the trimmings, and also some special cookies made with cookie cutters that look like them!  It was a fun night.  

The cookie cutters were a Christmas gift our son gave to them, so I had to try to use them!  You send in a picture and they are made out of plastic.  I think they really look like them!  No lie, they weren't easy to use, but they turned out!

Friends

Mom helped me!

A home-made gift from a roommate!

Decorations in the tiny house

The parents and the happy couple!