Our Day at the American Girl Store

Last Friday, to celebrate the end of summer and the beginning of third grade, Jenny, Malaya, and I took Nicki (the doll) to the American Girl store at the Galleria. We have wanted to do this all summer. I wished my camera had been on Malaya when we walked in the door.

Her eyes were HUGE - priceless.
Nicki got her hair done. Malaya chose exactly how she wanted it to look - ribbons and all!
Here are the two girls at lunch. You can see Nicki's menu. Aren't they beautiful????
Here is our table at lunch. It was just beautiful - all pink - with napkin rings you could keep. They each had a character trait engraved on them.Jenny and Malaya with Nicki. Malaya asked if this could be our new tradition-- going to the American Girl store on the Friday before the first day of school. Sounds good to me! I had a blast! Thanks, girls!

Truitt was here!

What a precious! Truitt was here for about 10 days

but it didn't seem long enough to get all the sugar we wanted.

Check out those eyes!
Cousin Malaya couldn't get enough of him either.

She is so so sweet with the little ones in our family.

They played so hard!

He loved to play outside in the water!

Here is in checking himself out in the mirrored window in our church.

Truitt, Grammy and Grampy miss you so much! Please come back soon!

August 21, 1976

Thirty-two years ago today, Rick Ross became my man! As I listened to him speak last night at Saturn Road on commitment in marriage, my mind went back to 1976 - the excitement I felt, the anticipation, the nervousness, the uncertainty, the certainty. We were 19 - mere children but felt, oh, so adult. We have defied the odds! We have made it!
Thirty-two years! So much invested here! Three gorgeous, healthy, deeply spiritual children who have chosen awesome partners to share in our family. We have 4 amazing grandchildren! We are ministry partners.
As I am reflecting over these years today, the word 'travel' describes the 'story of us'. We love to travel together. We love our trips! But I have loved our journey of parenting and grand-parenting, of growing deeper spiritual roots together, of learning tolerance of our differences - and even learning to celebrate them.
Our history is deep - this man KNOWS me!
He knows by the way I am breathing if I am getting motion sick. When we get in the car with someone else he asks to adjust the air for me. Such a protector!
I know I am a top priority to him! He loves to make special plans for us!
I have learned to love golf! especially Tiger!
And I got an I-Pod!!!!! I can't wait to load it! ( He knew exactly what I wanted - he listens to my heart!)
I love you, Rick Ross! I am delighted I get to share my life with you! Thank you for the years of work to get us to where we are! I am anticipating continuing our travels!

Reflections on Alaska

I am sitting in a Vancouver hotel room, waiting to leave for a home-bound plane and trying to decide how to put into words what I have seen over the last week. Impossible! Alaska has been an amazing place to witness the handiwork of the Almighty from a whole new perspective. Psalm 104 was my prayer of praise during our day at Glacier Bay. We had a fabulous time! I loved sharing this trip with Rick and the comfort and ease we feel when traveling together. Calvin and Virginia were ideal travel companions!

During the trip I finished Hold Me Tight - which I would highly recommend to anyone! Great read and extremely useful tools!
I also read a book that has been on my shelf much too long: "to be told: know your story, shape your future" by Dr. Dan Allender.Here are a few quotes:
*Your life and mine not only reveal who we are but they also help reveal who God is.
*Adversity introduces us to ourselves.
*Paradoxically, we're moving toward the discovery of something we don't yet know but have already received.
*A dream without suffering is little more than a fantasy.
*...you can be assured that the inciting events call for you to sacrifice your comfort and ease in order for your story to move forward.
*In the midst of affliction, we become either our truest or our most false self.
*God writes our story not just for our own enlightenment and insight, but to enlighten others and to reveal His own story through our story.
*What we do is what we really value.
What we value enough to do tells others what we really believe.
What we really believe shapes what we will become.
*...what we do matters little compared to how we do it.
*An absence of gratitude with regard to our present compels us to change it rather than be
transformed by it.