Happy 8th Birthday Hunter -

I couldn't go to bed without first making a post for Hunter on his actual birthday (TODAY - November 27th).  I have a letter I want to finish writing to post to this, but I am way too tired to do that tonight.  I did find just a few pictures I had of him on my computer through the years and I just loved looking back over them and seeing how much he has grown. He is my little man. I am so proud of him and I am so thankful for my first 'real' love.

Hunter Dylan Brackett

November 27, 2000

Time 11:16 PM

6 lbs 8 oz

18.5 long 

Hunter's teeth coming and then going.

On the left page is all the many "faces" of Hunter (not so happy faces) 

I am so very thankful!!!

What a day, what a day! I am in NY (Rochester) and having a wonderful time.  There is snow on the ground. I love that. Morgan has been a treat the whole time (even on the plane). She hasn't really missed a beat at all.  The family is just loving how much she has grown.  Today was a relaxing lovely day.  There was no time schedule and it has been nice to just relax and be around other adults, having adult conversations and while getting to enjoy being with Morgan and having extra hands to entertain her.  

Tomorrow we are going to go to a Christmas tree farm to pick out a tree and cut it down.  I have never done that before. So I am looking forward to that.  We may go and do a little outside ice skating.  That should be a funny site to see. Over all its been a very nice treat for us to enjoy a holiday together, get away and be with some family.  I am very thankful for that.  Last night we attended a nice hip church about 20 minutes outside of Rochester.  A nice way to end a long day of travel and day.

Today is about being thankful. I know a lot of people are listing things they are thankful for.  I love reading them. I could make a list that would ever end, and I mean that.  My cup really runs over with things to be thankful for. 

I have my salvation. I am thankful for God's son, who sacrificed His life for me. Thank you.

I have my family.  My two beautiful and healthy children to love and hold.  Today is also my sons 8th birthday.  Wow!!  I am so thankful! 

I have my husband.

I have my own health.

And its not about what I have.  I am simply and truly THANKFUL for these things that we can take for granted every single day.  

I am thankful for the ability to love and be loved. 

I am thankful for our freedom and the freedom to worship our God freely.

I am thankful for the food I had today.  

I am thankful for so much.  

I am thankful we went to Sear and had some family photos taken, and I am thankful that it will be my last time to ever use Sears again.  I rather pay a professional photo $200 and get a few beautiful pictures, than to pay $110 to get a few alright pictures.  You with me here? 

I am thankful for the friends I have made because of the wonderful world of computers and Internet.  

I really hope that everyone was able to be thankful for and in everything, good and bad.  

We're blessed.....let's be thankful!!!

Here are some of our pictures from Sears!!!  Yes, I know you will say "whats wrong with these, they are beautiful or they are great," and I will agree with you. However, a lot of them are blurry.  We had better ones, where everyone was smiling great, but the pictures were blurry.  The ones we had to choose from are just "alright" and the girls 'excuse' was that the camera has been sticking and not wanting to focus.  Yea, well my credit card has been sticking too and maybe I will just pay half the price for half the quality of photos I am getting.  (Laughing)  A friend gave me that "credit card" line. I wished I had thought of it and used it at the time.  LOL

Alright, alright enough chatting, I am thankful that I have my family with me and was able to go and afford such family photos to begin with.  I truly am.

(click to zoom)

Happy Thanksgiving!!! 

Week Five Devotional - Love is a Choice

Mark and I are leaving tomorrow for upstate New York (Rochester) to visit his family for Thanksgiving.  Hunter will be here in Florida with his dad this year for the holiday and will be participating in a Thanksgiving Hockey Tournament.  Who plays hockey on Thanksgiving?  Apparently those that play on the travel team.  I think that is silly! Anyways, off track here.  We were going up to NY so that Morgan could meet her great-grandparents who were going to drive up from Philly to NY.  We learned yesterday, that is now not happening, because they are just too old to be driving in that weather.  The weather has been extreme over the last few days, lots of snow.  I am sad they they don't get to meet Morgan this trip, but hopefully they will get to meet her in January. Morgan is the first grandchild and great grandchild on Marks side of the family.  I am very excited about all the snow.  Mark and I are taking some ski stuff so we can go hit the slopes one day (or two).  We love to ski! In fact we went skiing for a whole week for our honeymoon in Jackson Hole.  This will be Morgans 3rd flight since she was born, and her first snow.  I am looking forward to the pictures I hope to capture while out there. 

Anyways, I probably will not be able to post much while out there, and I return on Sunday.  So I wanted to wish everyone a very wonderful, a very happy, and a very blessed Thanksgiving Holiday. I will post on Thanksgiving if I have some down time. I would like to share my list of thankfulness. 

God Bless! 

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Love Is a Choice

by Rick Warren

… That you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Deuteronomy 30:20 (NIV) 

*** *** *** ***

Love is a choice and a commitment. You choose to love or you choose not to love.

Today we’ve bought into this myth that love is uncontrollable, that it’s something that just happens to us; it’s not something we control. In fact, even the language we use implies the uncontrollability of love. We say, “I fell in love,” as if love is some kind of a ditch. It’s like I’m walking along one day and bam! – I fell in love. I couldn’t help myself.

But I have to tell you the truth – that’s not love. Love doesn’t just happen to you. Love is a choice and it represents a commitment.

There’s no doubt about it, attraction is uncontrollable and arousal is uncontrollable. But attraction and arousal are not love. They can lead to love, but they are not love. Love is a choice.

You must choose to love God; he won’t force you to love him (Deuteronomy 30:20). You can thumb your nose at God and go a totally different way. You can destroy your life if you choose to do that. God still won’t force you to love him. Because he knows love can’t be forced.

And this same principle is true about your relationships: you can choose to love others, but God won’t force you to love anyone.

Today's Quote 

Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.

 

God is the only one who can make the valley of trouble a door of hope. 

Today's Quote 

Do or do not. There is no try.