Christmas & such.....

How was your Christmas? Well, mine was good. Our Christmas started the Sunday before Christmas. We had Christmas at my dad's house, beacuse he goes to his land and my step mom goes to Lubbock to be with her family. Then on Christmas day we had my grandmother's family over at our house. I love family time! It is great to have everyone under one roof. Fun times and great memories made. Christmas is my favorite time of year. It always has been since I was a kid. Not because of the presents and the decorations, but because it our Saviors birthday and it is a time for families to come together. It is a great holiday! I love the cooking, the baking, and the decorating and yes even the cleaning! I love it all. We had about 15 people over for Christmas. It would have been more, but the weather caused my sister and her family to stay home. We missed her, but she came out the after Christmas to visit, and that was soooo much fun! Her kids are so great. They make me smile every time I am around them.


This is Christmas at my dad's & stepmoms.
(The Mahaffey Family)


This is Christmas day with my grandma's family. (The Hart Family)

For some reason, I could not get into it this year. I wasn’t as excited as I have been in the past. Why? What is different this year then years before? Why does it feel different? No, it wasn’t the snow! The snow was GREAT!

Well, I think I know what my problem is. I hope everyone reading this doesn’t take this the wrong way, because it is not about anyone in my life right now. It is just how I feel...and it boils down to the same ole same ole! BABIES!

I want kids! I love to hear me sister’s kids running through my house. I love to hear them laugh, play, scream and yes even cry! She is a GREAT mom and her kids are blessed to have her as their momma! I want to watch a child’s face on Christmas morning after Santa has brought all of the toys! I want to experience a babies 1^st birthday. I want to potty train my own child, not someone else’s. I want to tuck a child into bed at night. Yes, I even want to wake up 5 times a night to feed a baby. I want to step over toys and clean up messes that a child makes. I want to be a MOM!

Yes, I know kids can be a hand full. I used to watch kids out of my house and I have between 3 and 5 a day! There were some days I never got out of my jammies. I have changed my share of diapers, cleaned my share of puke…….but not from my own kid. I know that we are not supposed to question God on things….but I am only human! Why can a prostitute get pregnant? Why can someone have “18 kids and counting” and I can’t even have one? Why can women have babies and then give them up for adoption? Why can someone have kids and then beat them? Why can a lady have kids and then never talk to them again? Why can a lady have a baby and then throw it in a lake to die? Why can someone have a baby and then years later the police find in a suitcase under a mobile home? WHY? Just think about all of the stories you hear on the news about babies or kids being hurt or even killed! WHY?

A child is a gift from God! I don’t care how you see it…but that is what it is….a GIFT from God. So, tonight when you put your kids to bed, please thank the Lord for them! Even Dennis the Menace is a gift from God; you are just getting paid back for being a little toot when you were a kid!

Some of you always ask why am I so busy all the time and why can I not tell people NO……it is because if I stay busy, I don’t think about these things! I know my time will come….but when?? It is hard to sit back and wait, but I know I have to.

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

"Today I will marry my best friend"

December 7….what a great day! Why you ask….because like our wedding invitations said 7 years ago; “today I will marry my best friend”! Let me start at the beginning……

Eli and I meet in 1999. Eli was friends with the guy I was dating at the time. I could NOT stand Eli & he could NOT stand me. But since he was friends with my boyfriend…..we had no choice….we had to be in the same room with each other! We soon became BEST FRIENDS. A short time later, I broke up with my boyfriend because he had certain issues (I won’t go into details, but he chose other things over me)! After about a year of being best buddies, we decided to go on a date!! We went to Johnny Rockets in downtown Dallas for our first date. It was so great to be on a date and be completely comfortable! I have never been that comfortable on a first date. I think it was because we had been friends before we stared dating. He already had seen the good, the bad & the ugly!

In 2001 on New Year’s Eve his whole family came down from Arkansas so we all got together at his aunts house. Everyone one in the room, except for me knew that he had a ring in pocket! His aunt got out her camera and wanted to take a “Family Photo”. We took several. Everyone kept laughing after we took a picture so finally I turned around an Eli was holding the ring over my head!!! He asked & of course I said yes. It was a great night. I don’t think I slept that night.

I am not going to lie, marriage has not been easy. We have our ups and downs; we fight just like everyone else. Thankfully there are way more ups than downs. We are human….but I wouldn’t change one thing about our relationship. He is amazing. He is my best friend and believe it or not…..I CAN TELL HIM ANYTHING! He is my everything.

I think my favorite thing about Eli is his sense of humor. I think mine is better…..but it is so nice to be able to joke around with him. We are always pulling some kind of prank on each other. ALWAYS. He will hide in the closet of the house and scare the pee out of me, or call me at work and pretend to be someone else, or hide my things so I can’t find them! We are like two peas in a pod or as we like to say, we are two puzzle pieces! He can make me laugh when I want to rip someone’s head off and that is VERY important to me. If you know me at all, you know I LOVE to laugh! If you don’t laugh at least once a day, the day is wasted! We have so much fun.

It has been 7 years ago that I married my best friend and he is still my best friend! I would totally do it all again….the good, the bad & the ugly! I am curious to see what the future holds for us.

Here are some pictures from my wedding scrapbook..........