Winter Get-A-Way

Don't ever eat yellow snow!! :)

The girls and I ice-skating

I'm glad this wasn't my car!!

DeeDee and C

Mi familia es mucho frio!

Gotta love snow icecream

Shopping

Uncle Mike And The Tubers

Winter Games 2014...watch out!

Dressed for a blizzard!

Girlies outside our cabin

Last Friday, we took the girls out of school and headed to Cloudcroft, NM, for some fun and relaxation. We say we want to go skiing every year, but we never do. Well, this year was the exception. We had so much fun! Mark's sister, DeeDee, and her family joined us at the cabins. Their company is always enjoyable, so they added to our fun!

Since we live in south Texas, we rarely see snow. So, this was a new experience for my girls. They loved everything about it, but eventually concluded that they wouldn't want to live in a place that got tons of snow. I concur! It was a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to hassle with the white stuff day in and day out. Also, I get scared driving on ice. Oh yeah, the one time I drive the Expedition, I get it stuck! A nice man helped me out. After about 15 minutes of him trying, I offered to get behind the car and push while he pressed on the gas. As I made my way to the back of the vehicle, I silently prayed that he put the car in forward rather than reverse! I hunkered down and pushed with my hands (like a school girl), trying not to slip on the ice, while he was giving it some gas...nothing...I turned to my youngest and said, "Pray!" Then I thought to myself, "Come on, you're stronger than that!" Thankful that I had just eaten a spinach salad, I leaned my body against the car and pushed with all I had (kind of like childbirth but using different muscles). Woohoo! I did it...ahem...well, I guess we did it (the helpful man, me and God)! :)

I've always said I'd never ski. Ever since I was in junior high and one of my friends came back from a skiing vacation with a broken leg (she had hit a tree), I never had wanted to ski. I had always envisioned myself hitting a tree as well. The thought of that had always haunted me. Well, I don't know what came over me. I guess I'm blaming it on the YOU CAN DO IT book I bought last summer. It gave me the encouragement I needed to step out of my comfort zone. Realizing bunny slopes don't have trees, made my decision a little easier too! I fell twice and concluded that I ski better without the poles. We just stayed on the bunny slopes. That ski lift is a whole other monster to tackle! Mark, Manna, DeeDee, my nephew and I were the skiers. Manna was a natural. She skied circles around me! I had a lot of fun though! My younger two didn't want to ski this year, so Uncle Mike took them tubing next to the bunny slopes.

The next day we went tubing a few miles outside of town. The hills were pretty high and steep and there was some room for error! One kid had to be air-lifted while we were there because of an accident. Fortunately, none of us were injured!!

All in all, we had a great time! We always do on vacations. Mark is a great vacation dad and the girls are easy to please. Now, I'm looking forward to our next adventure...I'm thinking someplace tropical where it takes about 2 minutes to get dressed!

Hands and Feet

Today turned out to be a very interesting day. The following was on my agenda today: Leave the house at 7:15, set up a dessert table in teacher's lounge, go to church for some prayer time, go to the bank and Wal-Mart in D.R., and then go to Brackett for the Girls of Grace meeting (where we were going to bake desserts for the Jr. High teachers). Before I went to the bank, I decided I was going to try to find the children's shelter I had heard about. We (Girls of Grace) were wanting to host a party for the kids at the shelter and I wanted to find the place and ask the lady in charge if we could. Well, I found the shelter, and the lady said that would be great. So, within the next month or so we are going to go over there and have a good time with the kids.

Okay, so after leaving there I scanned my list and headed to the bank. After the bank, it was on to Wal-Mart... I was headed to Wal-Mart when the Dollar Tree caught my eye. I figured Valentine candy would be cheaper there than in Wal-Mart, so I found a parking spot and went inside. I'm still amazed that some of the stuff in there is just $1! After grabbing lots of Valentine goodies, I checked out and got back in my car. Wal-Mart was in my sight; one more stop and I was going to be heading back to B-town. Well, that was my plan. This is when I was thrown a curve ball.

Since we live on the border, I'm overly cautious (I've heard too many horror stories). The girls and I usually hold hands when we're walking in the stores and I keep an eagle eye on them. Well, today it was just me, so my guard was down. I hopped in my car and shut the door. I was going through my loot when someone knocked on my window. I was startled at first, but then I noticed it was a lady. She was a heavy-set Mexican woman, probably in her 40's. My mind was half-way listening to what she was saying and half-way assessing the situation. Like, "Is there a man hiding behind my car and going to jump in with her when I unlock the doors, or is she some lunatic with a gun that wants to rob me?" Before I fully processed these thoughts. I was chunking all kinds of junk from the front seat to the back and was apologizing for my messy car! That's right, she asked me for help; she needed a ride home. I silently asked the Lord to protect me and off we went. I was also praying that I didn't end up at a place where I'd be robbed, kidnapped or worse...

Deep down I knew it wasn't my day to die, so I started chatting with the lady next to me. I had to bite my tongue to not tell her to buckle up (It's the mother in me). She thanked me for the ride, from the beginning, and said she was in need of a guardian angel. She said that she used to work as a custodian at a nursing home, but hadn't worked in a while because of health problems. She proceded to tell me that she had an operation the week prior and times were really tough. She said she knew God would get her through. We chit-chatted about her family and God. Then, I noticed tattoos on her fingers. I was instantly struck with the thought, "I wonder if she's done some 'time'?" I tried to shake off the notion and stay focused on our conversation. I found out that she had 3 kids: 2 boys (4th and 5th) and one daughter who is a sophomore.

As we were traveling to her house, she asked if I'd like to buy her small television. I told her I didn't need a television, but I did tell her I'd help her out. She was very grateful. When we pulled up to her little shack of a house, she said her heart was pounding fast. I reached into my wallet and handed her some money. She hugged me and thanked me and I said I'd be praying for her. Lots of times I tend to be a little skeptical about what people tell me. I don't like to be lied to. Well, to be truthfully honest, I don't want to look gullible or look as if someone has made a fool out of me.

When I drove away from that little shack (with boards on some of the windows), I didn't know for sure if the lady was telling me the whole truth about her life, but I did know one thing for sure...she was dirt poor and needed help. Her story about having surgery a week ago may or may not be true, but it won't change the fact that she needed help. Tears welled up in my eyes as I drove off, for 2 reasons: I was sad that she was so destitute that she had to ask a stranger for help, and I was so thankful for the blessings in my life.

I immediately called my mom and Kristi (they both help with Girls of Grace) and asked them what they thought about changing our meeting up today. To make a long story a little bit shorter, our Girls of Grace meeting consisted of delivering lots of groceries to this lady. One of the 5th grade girls had the idea of giving her a bible, too. So, the church secretary got us a bible. We signed our names and wrote that we'd be praying for her. The girls were excited to help this lady. We prayed for her on the way over. When we got there, she wasn't there, but a humble man took the groceries and thanked us and asked God to bless us. Several of the girls commented (later) that it didn't look like there electricity was on. I was grateful God allowed this lady, Mary Anne, into my life today. I want to teach my daughters and the girls I teach at church that if we can do more than pray for someone then we should do it. We should always bathe people in prayer, but we've got to be the hands and feet of Christ too. It can't just be about lip service. Times are tight in the Frerich household, like in so many households in America, but I've come to the conclusion that if I "don't give a person a hot dog when I'm not rich, I won't give her a steak when I am rich. We've got to do what we can with what we've got. Ten, 25, or $50 may not seem like a lot of money to some people, but to someone who doesn't have a cent and is hungry, it's a heck of a lot!

"Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; free them from the hand of the wicked." Psalm 82:3-4

Old Home Videos

We had the luxury of being home all weekend. It was nice. I cleaned house, found a few things in the attic that made me reminisce about my childhood, had a good chat with my sister on the phone, and at the end of the day the girls and I watched old home videos. They even watched our wedding video. They cracked up at how young everyone was. One of my girls said, "I like your voice, you sounded cool." I asked what she meant by that. She said I sounded young. I said, "Well, I was young, 19 to be exact!" Then I got to thinking, "Oh my gosh, I got married before I had an adult sounding voice!" I also had 3 children before my brain was fully developed! That's right, research says a persons brain is fully developed at 25. I had my 3rd kid when I was 24! My poor children!

It's been fun watching old home movies...from watching our newborns sleep for 3o minutes straight to watching them dance in the living room to watching them ride horses to watching them open up Christmas presents...it all takes me back. Their little voices and personalities were so cute! Thinking about them back then and thinking about them now makes me so thankful that God has blessed me with such wonderful daughters. It doesn't take much to make them happy and I love the way they find pleasure in the simplest things. I guess they probably inherited this trait from me because I tend to get excited about the littlest of things. Gorgeous sunsets, $3 Home Trend candles from Wal-Mart, and a good cup of coffee all make me smile and put a spring in my step!

Reminiscing these last few days has made me truly thankful for my life and my family. In this crazy world of ours, people can tend to get caught up in the rush of everyday living that they don't take time to appreciate the little things. I don't want to be one of those people. I want to try and enjoy every day and find something to be grateful for - something about the day that makes me smile. So, in blogs to come, every now and then, I'm going to share the little things that make me smile.

Watching old home videos with my family makes me smile... :)

By the way, if you have a video camera, whip it out and start recording, I promise you'll be glad you did in years to come!