McCaig Christmas

This time of year always has many Christmas celebrations and the McCaig's were our first! Judy had a wonderful meal and way too many yummy desserts! She and Neal also came up with some great games for us to play! 

The first was White Elephant, except none of brought things.  She and Neal had de-cluttered and had White Elephant gifts for us all!!  It was hilarious to see their faces as we chose a wrapped gift from the pile.  Here is what the kids ended up with; snowman decor, a cookbook, and origami book, and 9 pounds of pennies!  Kelby stole the pennies away from Richard when Dominic googled the dollar value of 9 pounds and it's about $17! 

The next game was played wearing oven kits and opening one package.  It went round and round the circle until Dominic finally got the last of the wrapping off and found 10 brand new dollar bills.

Baylee received the game Speak Out, where you put the contraption in your mouth and try to say words while others guess.  So they all wanted to play that  next.  It was hilarious!

One of the gifts was a maze inside a ball with a marble you had to get around the maze without letting it fall.  Richard tried and tried but no luck making to the end.

What a great way to kick off this holiday season.  Judy and Neal always know how to host a great gathering and we enjoyed every bit it!!

Winter Formal

Our winter formal for the youth was a success! Since we were coming in from staff retreat we relied on our wonderful leaders to decorate, order food and get everything set up for the evening, and they did a great job!

There was dancing and games and food and gifts.  It's always fun to hang out with this group. 

Staff Retreat

We had such a fun time in San Antonio on our Staff Retreat. We stayed right on the River Walk and really enjoyed our cozy hotel.  We planned and brainstormed and encouraged and prayed and worshipped and ate and fellowshipped.  It was a great 3 days and it was such a blessing to get to know everyone better as we all strive to make Acts a better place.

14

Does anyone else have "a number?" Like your favorite number or that number that just is a constant in your life? Mine is 14. It started out as 'our number'...my ex-husband and I's, but God has been showing me how it was never meant to be my number with anyone else but Him! 

In the months after the divorce I would receive money or books in the mail from others praying for me and it would arrive on the 14th or letters would come that were written on the 14th and most recently, He gave me my dream home in 2014.  He has slowly and faithfully been showing me 14 is our number!

This week I am in San Antonio for a staff retreat with our church and being here at this time, in this hotel is no accident or coincidence.  God had something special for me! Today, December 14th, marks 14 years from the day my ex-husband proposed to me at Marriage Island on the River Walk in San Antonio.  I knew He wanted me to go back to that spot today.  So off I went and it was less than a 3 minute walk from our hotel! As I was walking I kept seeing purple flowers after purple flowers after purple flowers! It was so beautiful!

When I got to Marriage Island I just sat and listened; to the nature around me, to music and to Him. It was such a special moment.  In the stillness I was reminded how faithful He is, even when we are not faithful to Him, He is still faithful to us! 

There was a sculpture and underneath was this plaque. I love that the sculpture and place historically represents a "place of restful waters."  It sure was a place of rest for me today!

I love how He is always able to take our mess and junk and brokenness and turn them into something beautiful. 

Thanksgiving 2016

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! We spent the the afternoon at the Hollingsworth's.  Lynette and Roy made a delicious lunch and we were able to hang out with Richard's brother and his kids.

In the evening, we went to the Pippen's for game night!

We and Sorry, Monopoly, and Round the Board going.

On Friday, we sent to the Tech/Baylor game at the Cowboys Stadium.  They gave us all pom poms as we walked in and I was the only one that grabbed the red and black....and the only one still waving it at the end of the game, too!

Birthday Weekend

My birthday weekend started with a girls trip to Canton! A pit stop at Buc-ee's is always a must!

The morning started off rainy, but quickly cleared up! We saw as much as we could in nine hours, but you truly need more than one day to see it all. I also found out very quickly that we should have brought a cart or a wagon. By the end I had everyone carrying my bags for me because I had purchased too much stuff to carry on my own! 

Once we got home, the boys surprised me with birthday balloons that they had picked out while we were gone. They were thankful they were able to stay with PaPa and go to the movies instead of shopping with us.

Sunday morning I was able to meet up with Tanna for breakfast and a chance to catch up. It was a quick visit, but I am glad we were able to squeeze it in.

Sunday afternoon Richard and the kids drove up for the party. The theme was a wine tasting!

The table was filled with cheeses and meats and crackers and pickled veggies. It all was so good!

There was even cake pops and dark chocolate with an almond champagne and a rich port for dessert.

Our party favors!

Mom even had the plates that attach and hold the wine glass so we could walk around and visit while we ate.

Mom got me a wine shirt to wear and herself a new wine apron for the party. Thanks for making this party so personal and special! Every detail was perfect!

I had such a fun weekend with so many I love, on top of all the texts and Facebook messages!! As I get older, I just keep feeling that life gets better and better! I am so blessed and excited to see what this year holds!