Happy 26 Years To Us!

Twenty-six years ago today I married the most perfect man for me. I count myself blessed for being able to spend my life with this guy. I hope the next 26 years go by really slow so I can savor every moment with him.

Happy Anniversary Sweetheart!

Music Monday

Be Thou My Vision

Another song from Caleb and Amanda's wedding. This has been a favorite of mine since college days.

(I like the group singing this song, but not real sure how the pictures on the video fit with the song. Just listen to the words.)

Where We're Headed

Just in case anyone was wanting to know......

The hubby and I will be hanging out on this ship next week

We're headed north to Alaska to celebrate our 26th anniversary!!! We are soooo excited!

I'll have TONS of pictures to share when we get back. I have a few posts lined up, so there will be a bit to read while we are gone.

Toodles!

July 4th

I know the 4th of July was a few weeks ago. The hubby and I had a great little weekend get-away and I haven't written about it yet. I get an excuse because of the whole moving and unpacking 600 boxes and all...

We headed to some lakes in northern Iowa. I hadn't been there for 30 years. Yes, it had changed. Go figure. One thing hadn't changed. The amusement park. This wooden roller coaster has been there since my mom was a little girl. (Oh, I imagine they have replaced and updated parts of it, but it's still wooden and that's pretty awesome.)

We had fun a an hour and a half tour on this boat. It was interesting to learn some history of the area and it was nice to cool off out on the lake.

One thing we spotted from the boat was this bald eagle. Since they have basically been extinct in my lifetime, it is really cool to see those in the wild. I know it's not a terrific picture, but I was surprised to see my little camera captures the white head of the eagle.

Hubby and I enjoyed a weekend away from the unpacking. Unfortunately the unpacking/put-everything-away fairies didn't show up at our house while we were gone.

New!

I decided to change the look of my blog.

What do you all think?

Hello, My Name Is....

(Warning: Rant Ahead)

I have a confession to make.

I am a City Girl.

I am a City Girl and I am proud of it.

Somehow I have managed to make friends with people who are more country or hick, if you will, than I am. I appreciate their love for the outdoors, for how they actually like to camp, hunt, fish, get dirty and sweaty on purpose.

One request I have is to be appreciated for not enjoying those things. I like to be inside in the blessed air conditioning, to not get dirty and sweaty. And please give me a nice hotel with cushy beds. And I will get my meat all nice and wrapped in plastic, thank-you-very-much.

Let's just appreciate each other for each person's uniqueness. There really is no need for berating someone for not liking something you like.

I feel better now.

Thanks for listening.

Music Monday

Lead Me to the Cross
 
This is a  song from Megan and Zach's wedding. I actually bought the Hillsong CD this is on just for this song. 

I watched Megan singing this during the rehearsal and the wedding, and the love and passion she had on her face was something I just can't put into words. It does send me to my knees in thankfulness for her love for Christ.

Here's a picture of them singing during the wedding.

See what I mean?

A Happy Song

Remember when I wrote about my "exciting" (insert sarcastic font here) times at the laundry-mat because our washer had died?

When we moved we bought a NEW washer and dryer! I am surprised at myself and how tickled I am with this. In reality the old washer had been really struggling along for several years. I am very thankful for the new machines.

I just needed to share the happy song the washer and dryer play at the end of the cycle. It always makes me smile. (and yes, I can turn it off for when/if I get weary of it.)

(You can hear the radio in the background. Should have turned that off. The clicking sounds you hear are of the door unlocking.)

Isn't that fun?

Music Monday

As my readers likely know, both of our kids have gotten married in the past year. Sometimes I wish I could relive those wedding days. They were so special and fun and exciting. We praise God for the spouses our kids chose. It's wonderful to think that Amanda and Zach will be a part of our lives for a very long time.

One thing that really moved us about the kids' weddings was their choice of music. An 83 year old friend said she really liked the music at Zach & Megan's wedding. She liked that it focused on God and not "all that lovey-dovey stuff." I must say I agree with her.

I have a reader in Tennessee would has said she loves the music videos I post. So I thought I would share some of the wedding music with you all. Music Mondays is my cheesy title for that. So, for the next several Mondays look for some great music.

This is a song from our son's wedding. It still brings tears of gratitude to my eyes just to think about how our son and daughter-in-law desire to have Christ be the center of their marriage.

Center

What's Been Going On...

Outside my window... a corn field! I am really enjoying the view and the sunsets from the four season porch in our new house. (The other houses were way too close in our former neighborhood.)

I am thinking... a warm chocolate chip cookie sounds good. I cheated and bought some pre-made cookie dough. I hope it's as good baked as it is un-baked. ;)

I am thankful for... music. I listened to an awesome CD when I was on the road today. Kari Jobe. Good, good stuff to praise God with.

I am wearing... a new red top and khaki capris. I look like a Target employee. (And I even went shopping at Target today and no one asked be where to find something!)


I am going... on a cruise with my hubby of almost 26 years!

I am currently reading... So Long Insecurity by Beth Moore. Well, I'm reading that when I feel like I can concentrate, which hasn't been very often lately.

I am hoping... I can get back in the swing of writing blog posts. I miss it. I just need to not think about the next box that needs to be unpacked and blog more. The boxes aren't going anywhere.

On my mind... how I want to set up this new house. I have a lot of nic-nacs to find a home for. I just may have to invite my friend who is an interior designer for a visit...

Noticing that... I have a lot of conversations with complete strangers...at the grocery store, car repair shop, etc. It's kind of weird to not know anyone around here.

Pondering these words... Zephaniah 3:17 "The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing."
I try to figure out what it looks like to have God sing over me. The picture that came to mind today was one of me holding my babies and singing to them. I remember the tenderness and love I felt for them, how it calmed them down. (One of my favorites to sing to them was Amazing Grace. To this day, they both know all the words to that hymn.) So I am trying to grasp that the God Almighty sings like that to me. Whoa. (Or "wow" to quote our favorite preacher.)
 
From the kitchen... cupboards that are really close to being organized. The latest big project was to sort through all the plastic-ware. That was quite a job. Here's the before and after: (I'm quite proud of myself.)

 I think I got rid of more than half of what I had.

Around the house... fewer boxes, but still a lot to go through.


One of my favorite things... spending time with my husband. After four months of mostly living apart, it is wonderful to see him everyday.

From my picture journal...a hamburger from a local restaurant in our new town. Yes, that's a fried egg on it, along with some bacon. It was...okay. My hubby and I split one and that was plenty.