make a joyful noise unto the Lord

As Christmas approaches, I am reminded of many memories from past holidays. As a child, I can remember the fun of decorating the tree and rearranging the presents over and over again with my little sister. I also fondly remember the time we bundled up switches to leave for our parents with notes from "Santa" about the bad things they had done that year. Of course, it was all in fun, and we laughed every year when my mom put out the switches as part of our holiday decorating... it became a tradition.

When I became a mom and began to make memories with my own family, it was important to me to create traditions for my children and to make the holidays meaningful and fun. Recently, my daughter commented that our family doesn't have any traditions. That statement really took me aback, and I began frantically searching my mind about what traditions we do have in our family. I began to easily identify the things that we do to make the holidays special, and I took it upon myself to prove that we do have traditions in our home. So, I started making a list. In only a few minutes, I was able to list over 20 things that I consider to be traditions. When I shared the list with my daughter, she disagreed about many of the items being "a tradition". I realized that the word tradition is actually a pretty loose term. I had no choice but to surrender to the fact that my children don't recognize some of the same traditions that I do. That was a little hard for me at first, but I came to terms with it eventually (albeit unwillingly).

I decided that it's ok for us to have different ideas about traditions, as long as one thing always remains. In my home, and with my family, we will always celebrate the Christmas holiday as the birth of our Savior. After all, this is the underlying truth that rules our lives and holds our family together every day of the year.

"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth." Psalm 100:1

stay for the day

"Don't for a minute change the place you're in."

Promises

I saw the most vibrant double rainbow yesterday afternoon.

God's promises continually amaze me.

Happy Birthday Poppy!

My dad was a supreme baseball fan. When I was little, he would take our family to see the Rangers play every summer, and when my son was born, my dad made sure that he took Dane to see Nolan Ryan pitch every year until his retirement. When Dane was in 4th grade, he chose to portray Nolan Ryan in the school's Living Museum exhibit. On the morning of the Living Museum performance, my dad showed up on our doorstep at 6:00 a.m. He had driven into town (an hour's drive) to deliver an important artifact for the big day. When I opened the door, he was standing there with a baseball, autographed by Nolan Ryan, for Dane. Although he couldn't come to the Living Museum, he wanted Dane to have something really special for his exhibit. Dane was thrilled, and I (obviously) never forgot that touching act. What a great Poppy!

Today is October 19, 2010, and the Texas Rangers are playing in the club's first playoff series in their history. Today also would have been my dad's 68th birthday. I can't think of a gift he would have loved more than a Rangers playoff win! Happy birthday, daddy!

Day Life Lessons

My daddy was proud and very strong in his opinions and beliefs. I've taken many of his life lessons to heart and made them my own. And the other ones.... well, they just make me laugh... Day girls have class.

Always vote. It's what we do.

A boy will rue the day he lets you go.

Wear nice shoes. People notice your shoes, especially on first impressions.

You're not ready to take your family skiing until you can flush a $100 bill without wincing.

Blue Bell ice cream is best eaten with a tiny spoon.

A man's got his needs.

To wake up, put "feet on the floor".

Never stick your tongue to the inside of a freezer.

I don't have a high arch, it's actually a "Day heel".

After a long day on the slopes, it's good to "ski the bar".

Sometimes, love can best be expressed with "a hun".

"You get in, you get done, and then you get gone."

~by John Mayer, Assassin

This brilliant, insightful lyric is so applicable to my day.

Actually, it's perfect widsom for many things in life.

I'm so proud of my daughter. She's beautiful, intelligent, articulate, persistent, and continually full of surprises. She's fought to overcome some huge obstacles and has kept her end goal in sight. Today she received the payoff for her hard work and was accepted into the college of her choice! It's a very happy day in our house.

"...But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14

"I'm only good at being young." This must be my favorite John Mayer lyric... I can identify with it.

"I'm only good at being young." This must be my favorite John Mayer lyric...

I identify with it.

just a girl

"You're quite the funny girl today. Thanks."

~That's the nicest thing anyone said to me today.

I saw an old friend today who told me, "You've reinvented yourself." I like that!

a good day

What a wonderful day to be a day girl! After 18 months, I graduated with a master's degree this afternoon. I have learned so much about myself.... such as, I'm not a 3%-er anymore! As my brother said, "It's a hell of an accomplishment considering the circumstances." As my sister said, "This is a new beginning." I like the sound of that.... let it begin!

I have so much love and appreciation for my greatest supporters. It's been a long, challenging road for me with many successes, as well as the devastation of losing my daddy during the last months of my graduate program. I know he was planning to be here with me... we had talked about it when I saw him just a few weeks earlier. Thinking of him today brought many tears to my eyes, but I know he would be so proud of me. That is one of the many reasons I'm proud to be a day girl.

What a wonderful, wonderful day!