Happy Mother's Day!

MY MOM IS ABSOLUTELY THE BEST MOM IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!! 

She's not only my mom but a best friend too.  I love hanging out with her.  She's a lot of fun and has tons of energy.  When we're together we're usually laughing.  She has always encouraged me and reminded me that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.  If I ever have a problem in life, I know mom will be on her knees praying for me.  She's a prayer warrior!  I take great comfort in knowing that. We are usually each other's back-up in whatever project we've volunteered for and have a good time working together.  I'm so glad we only live 18 miles apart.  She has always added sparkle to my life, sometimes a little too much! ha!  (...some of the predicaments we get into...) Her adventurous spirit keeps things exciting.  I'm thankful to God for instilling such a warm, caring, and nurturing heart in my mom.  In my eyes, my childhood was pretty much picture-perfect, and so much of the credit is due to her.  She poured her heart and soul into raising us and I thank her for that.  She is and always has been a wonderful role model in my life.  I couldn't imagine my life without my mom in it.  I love you mom! 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

"Her children rise up and call her blessed..." Proverbs 31:28

Home Alone

I'm experiencing something new today. My family left this morning to go camping at the beach, and I stayed home. This is extremely against my nature in many forms. First of all, I can't recollect a single time when all of them have been away from me at the same time for a few days. Secondly, since my middle name is GO, you'd think I'd be on this adventure with them. There are a couple of reasons why I decided to stay home this weekend. Believe me, it was a hard choice to make. I was going to go and then I wasn't...I was going to go and then I wasn't... And then I finally came to this conclusion:

1. When I go to the beach I like staying in a hotel or condo. I would prefer camping by a river or in the mountains.
2. The list of Mark's male family members kept growing and growing while the female persuasion dwindled down to nothing!
3. All the talk about fishing, all hours of the day, had my head spinning!
4. I thought it would be great for Mark and the girls to spend a weekend away together (A dad-daughter get-a-way). I feel for certain that this weekend will be etched in their minds forever and will be talked about for years to come! He's the best vacation dad and I know they will have a wonderful time together.

You may be wondering why I had to put any thought into this decision. Well, like I said, I'm always up for a new adventure and the thought of me being left behind was a little weird. But, the main reason why I wasn't sure if I should stay home was the fact that I wouldn't be in charge of my girls' safety. Don't get me wrong, Mark takes good care of his girls, but come on, all mom's usually think they watch over their children better than anyone else. I'm usually the mom who is watching out for my girls and 6 other kids while their parents are sitting next to me. Giving up this control was a little hard for me, but I knew I needed to do it. I felt like this weekend would be a great experience for them. And besides, God is ultimately in control of my children, so I'm pretty sure He can handle the job much better than I could!

While their dad wasn't in earshot, I gave them a quick lists of do's and don'ts.
Do put lots of sunblock on everyday and reapply.
Don't walk anywhere without your dad.
Don't walk too far out in the water.
Do go to the restroom and take a shower in the camper not in the public restrooms!

All this was followed by, "We know mouuum."

Before loading up at 6 a.m., I told each one of them I loved them and gave them a hug and kiss. If I would have let myself, I probably would have cried like a baby. I could see in their eyes that they were ready for this adventure with their dad, but were a little sad that I was staying behind. All of our eyes kind of misted up, we hugged one last time, and they said, "Bye mom, I love you" until I was out of earshot. I watched their truck until I could not see it anymore and then went inside and cried a little. Then I pulled myself together, reminding myself that it was my decision to stay home. The first thing I did was go to the sun room, sit down and pray for their safety and protection and I prayed that they'd have a wonderful time. After spending a little quiet time with God, I watched 2 episodes of Joyce Meyer and then decided to write this blog. No, I'm not just going to veg out all day. I'm going to clean house and then do laundry. Don't worry though, I won't be working the whole time they are gone. My mom and I have plans. Yep, we're going to San Antonio tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it. Well, I guess I better wrap it up and get to work, so I can play tomorrow!

Happy Father's Day, Dad!!

I was cleaning house today and thoughts of my dad drifted in and out of my mind. Some of them made me laugh and some made me tear up (I'm glad I was home alone). My dad, what can I say? He's a man filled with goodness, honesty, humor, and faith. He always provided a great living for my mom, brother, sister, and I. Although he may regret the long hours he had to put in at work, I always knew he was doing it for us. He worked hard so my mom could stay home and take care of us, and I appreciate him so much for that.

My mind was filled with mini-movies today about my dad, and the following are just a few that stand out in my mind:

Action: When I was young my dad would take me to his favorite fishing holes in Quemado. His days off were Mondays, so that's when we would go. I would always wear my orange cap with a little orange puff ball on top. He always had to bait my hook because I didn't like worms back then either.

Action: He would take me to Mary's Cafe with him while he would chat with the locals. I didn't care if I wasn't involved in the conversation, I just liked being with him. I would stick my nose in the tall glass and try to breathe in cool fresh air because the cafe was always filled with smoke!

Action: When I would hear his truck pull up, I'd run out and greet him with a hug. Sometimes I would sit on the orange couch next to him while he watched M*A*S*H or TIC-TAC-DOUGH.

Action: When I was little I invented a little dessert for my dad. I would take a vanilla waifer, spread peanut butter on it, and then sprinkle cinnamon on top. I don't know how he did it, but he'd always eat all of them, and would tell me how great they were.

Action: I liked playing sports as a kid, so he put a basketball goal up and would shoot hoops with me when he could. He always wanted to talk with me after my games, and was always very encouraging.

Action: I remember my dad doing the "Pee Wee Herman" dance in a restaurant and me be utterly mortified! I also remember going bowling and the guy behind the counter said, "How many games would y'all like to play?" and dad said, "We don't want to play, we just came to rent the shoes!" Needless to say, my face turned red several times throughout my teenage years!

Action: My dad taught me how to dance. The picture above was taken at a restaurant in Mexico. He was probably talking me through the dance steps. I was a slow learner when it came to dancing. I can probably count the number of people I've danced with on one hand, including my dad and Mark! That's o.k., that's the way I like it.

Action: My dad was always faithful in going to church. He would always slide in the pew about 5 minutes before the service would begin. Sitting next to him was usually out of the question... that seat was reserved for my mom.

Action: I knew something was wrong when Joaquin, Amber, and I came home for lunch and no one was home. After 10 minutes, we got a call from my mom and she said that dad had just had a heart attack. Thankfully, my brother had his driver's license, so he drove us to the hospital. When we got there they had just revived him because his heart had completely stopped. We're still so thankful to God for saving him and for the nurse who wouldn't give up when everybody else did!

Action: Me, dad, and Amber going to the Ft. Worth Stock Show having to sing along to 50's and 60's music! Good times!

Action: I'm thankful for my dad's wisdom when I was a teenager. He was loving yet firm. He saw things that I couldn't. Having my car taken away for 2 weeks and having to walk to and from school seemed barbaric, but he knew what he was doing. After the 2 weeks were over, I realized I liked my wheels more than I liked the guy!

Action: I was inwardly doing a"happy dance" when he approved of me dating a guy 8 years older than me during my senior year in high school. Thanks to my dad's wisdom, he saw past Mark's age and saw what I could see: an awesome guy!

Action: I was so thankful my dad was alive to walk me down the aisle. He looked handsome in his tuxedo. I remember thinking that was the longest and slowest walk of my life. He really did walk slow, I have the video to prove it.

Action: I remember him praying for me before they prepped me for surgery when I was going to have Libby. He also cracked a few jokes which made me less nervous.

Action: My dad accompanied the girls and I to a rodeo in Uvalde a few years ago, and when we got to the Border Patrol check point, he rolled the window down and the agent said, "Go ahead." He didn't even asked any questions. After we drove off, my dad looked back at my girls and said, "Some people you just don't want to mess with!" We all started laughing. They still use that phrase after we pass a checkpoint.

Action: Another Border Patrol story wasn't quite as funny. It made me a little nervous. We crossed the Mexico bridge and were headed back to the U.S., and the Customs Agent asked dad if he was bringing back anything from Mexico. For some reason, he got a little tongue tied and said, "Yes, shampool (shampoo), and drugs and stuff!" I was thinking, "What the heck did he just say?" The agent looked at him kind of funny and said, "Excuse me, what did you say?" My dad quickly admitted that we had gone to the pharmacy and gotten some Retin-A. Thankfully, he believed him and didn't pull us over. After he took off, we all started laughing!

Action: Several years ago, my girls were watching t.v., with my dad, and he started jokingly aggravating them, so they started tickling him. Well, they wouldn't let up. He started laughing and couldn't quit and it made the rest of us laugh until our stomachs hurrt. In between breaths he'd say, "Get them off of me!" I finally had to put an end to the madness, fearing he might have another heart attack!!

Action: Friday night Mark had to go to work, so dad called and offered to help us at the rodeo. We had a great time with him. He had encouraging words and of course, we listened to 60's music going home!

I could go on and on, but I better stop. My clock is reading 12:45 p.m., although the time posted won't say that! (I don't know why).

Dad, thanks for being so great and for being such a terrific dad! I love you!