"Look What I Can Do.....Thank You David!"

And so it is that I'm back once again doing what my heart loves.....writing. And through that writing - -sharing and encouraging (hopefully) others with God's love, God's blessings, God's faithfulness and life in it's realness. :)

My life, as it looks today, is winding down a journey.

A journey that has had laughter, smiles, happiness, amazement, thankfulness, surprises, love, joy, accomplishments, togetherness.......as well as tears, anger, frustration, disappointment, fear, impatience, and non-comprehension. I speak of the words - raising children.

You see, our youngest child, who is Levi, will be 18 in less than 2 weeks, and graduating 7 weeks after that.  Our second child, who is Savannah, will be walking the aisle in marriage in 6 weeks. And our oldest, who is Heather, is on God's timetable to make straight her paths. If you would, please pray for each of our children for they truly need it.....and who of us doesn't?

And so that brings my journey - as Mom - to a close. I know you're going to say "You never stop being a Mom." and that would be correct. But, I don't believe everyone is called to keep being the "Mom" you were the first 18 years of their lives. Instead I see it as I step out of their lives.....letting go of all preconceived ideas that I have ever had any power to stop what they chose to do or not do.....continue to trust and pray that God has his own timetable and plans of turning them each one back to him.....asking him to stand the TRUTH, his truth, so firmly planted undeniably in front of them that they cannot see around it or through it and must deal with it in God's way and not their own..........

AND.........

I CONTINUE ON loving the Lord my God with all my heart, soul and strength.....and loving the beautiful gift of his love to me through my beautiful husband, David!!! 

My life started, almost 48 years ago, with God. And almost 27 years of those 48, God brought along my David to join me in this wonderful adventure we call LIFE. And so it is.....my life will begin and end with God and my David. Yes, added blessings along our adventure that we call children.....and hopefully someday called GRANDchildren. But nonetheless.....my life is......God and then my David. And I wouldn't have it any other way!!!

I have wanted to write a Blog dedicated to my David along the way of my Bloggings, but I didn't want it to come off as me just bragging about what I have. My intention and goal is to NOT have that come across to anyone.....for we are ALL blessed in God's blessings of who he has placed in our lives (even if you don't see it). But rather my desire to share comes from a heart that is so FULL of gratitude and complete LOVE for a gift to me. And in that gift of my David is the very heart of God himself. For my David shows forth the very nature and character of God daily to me. So please read this in the way that it is given.....through a genuine heart of gratitude.

David and I have been doing some renovating of our home. Renovations are fun, cool and exciting....I love to see new things take place, shape and form! And in those "Renos" <<the home shows call them that.....David has taught me many skills along the way. As I was learning each new skill, I began taking pictures. As I took more pictures, I began thinking back to all the MANY things David has taught me in life. I scanned back through many pictures of days gone by and came up with a collection of various things. Although certainly not all; these are some. . . 

Demolishing is super FUN!!! I yelled every single time I swung this sledgehammer!!

Thanks David. :)

We are hand sewing curtains in this picture! David has always been our seamstress in our family. And now with his guidance, I can sew too!!

Thanks David. :)

I can now say I have stained furniture as well as varnished too!! This is our handrail up the stairs.

Thanks David. :)

I am also the designated "roller-painter" too! David is the detailer and I'm the roller. 

Thanks David. :)

And yes, sometimes, I do trim work too!! Although this looks BAD - - we were coming back with a main color for walls. :)

Thanks David.

David has taught me a real LOVE for adventures of ALL kinds!! Our adventures lay before us daily (yours too)! Seize the opportunity whatever it may look like....you'll be glad you did!! :)

Thanks David.

Adventures even in the smallest sizes can be O so FUN as well!!! :)

Thanks David.

David has taught me to love exercise through walking too!! We walk everywhere and often. :)

Thanks David.

David has taught how to do yard work and make areas pretty by planting flowers! I seriously enjoy the accomplished feeling when you have worked HARD all day in the yards and look back to see something was done and know that you were a part of that something! :)

Thanks David.

I can now say I also know how to use a crow bar to remove an entire wall of paneling and base/crown moldings too!! Which had about a 100 nails AND glue on it!! And take it ALL down the stairs and into the garage myself!! No small feat!! :)

Thanks David.

And although these are David's hands and not mine....I learned how to sand spin along with him!! :)

Thanks David.

David has taught me how to even play golf....believe it or not!!! Although we never fully became accomplished at it, we had FUN!! :)

Thanks David.

Although technically full credit should probably go to my Dad for this one, for he started me off very early in life loving this adventure....my David is the one that renewed it's desire once again. :)

Thanks David.

But David gets full credit for the bow and arrow lessons! Haha! 

Thanks David. :)

As well as the cooking lessons!!  

Thanks David. :)

AND......I can shoot a gun now too!! 

Thanks David. :)

Hey I can even peel and eat a crawfish now....although very S L O W L Y!! 

Thanks David. :)

David has taught me the love of a good hike up a very TALL mountain....to reach the tippy top and feel the joy of accomplishment while praising the very Creator of our Universe!! 

Thanks David. :)

David has taught me to be ME..... like me.....to enjoy being me.....to accept me. That even in all my quirkiness and weirdness.....I can be ME.

Thanks David. :)

And he has taught me to enjoy each and all of our moments......together. For in those times we are at our happiest!!

Thanks David. :)

As wonderful and great as each of those things are (and there's so much more he's taught me).....I know with all my heart that the biggest and greatest of lessons are these . . . .

To love and forgive completely in it purest form. And what it truly means to do both.

To let it ALL go and give it ALL to God.

Three of those "All" being our children.

To understand what real faith is and assuring me that we can trust God even when it doesn't make since.

To know that FAITH is the answer always...no matter what. For our God is in control.

As he has often reminded me.....when is there ever a time to worry??

And it is in these last lessons, I have shared with you, that I value the most in him......"Thank you David." 

I am beyond blessed to be your wife, support, encourager, lover and very best friend!! :)

And so it is that I bring this to a close......a closing of a Blog......a closing of a chapter of my life as "Mom". 

But sure as God IS coming back again (and He IS!)....I'm off to a brand new and wonderfully joyous adventure and journey with the two most important in my life.......God first.....my David second. :)

Thank ya, Jesus!!!!

"Our Grand Adventerous Trip!!"

So, I've been meaning to write about David and my adventure recently to The Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. I just haven't taken the intiative to do it. My Blogs are written to encourage, give hope, give light, as well as to entertain. I wonder does sharing a Blog about an amazing trip fill any of that for anyone? Maybe....hopefully. I guess that's why I've put it off.
So here's hoping . . .

About 2 weeks ago, give or take a day, David and I had the opportunity to take a trip. And this trip came about because David was not paying close attention to the man on the other end of the phone conversation. As he was booking reservations for another trip we took, the man on the other end talked him into committing to a timeshare spill. Yup....just give us two hours of your time and look what we will give you! Um...yeah.
Regardless of THAT part of the trip...we had the most amazing and wonderful time!! So sit back and come along and enjoy our trip with us won't you. :)

Tuesday morning came bright and early - we saw the sun rise as we traveled - something I never see. Such an awesome thing to see how God orchestrates this world He has created! As we traveled, we saw many weather conditions. The chart topper of the day - RAIN. As I mentioned in a previous Blog, rain seems to be the order of the day when we are making a big trip. In fact, there was a stretch of 145 miles of almost solid heavy rain at one point....never seen anything like it. Even our cell phones were sounding off the Emergency Alerts of flash flooding! I decided not to tell my Mom how our drive was going until the next day when all was well....much better that way. :)

So God washed our little Green Ark safely into Pigeon Forge, Tennessee at 11:58pm, after traveling all day for 17 hours! All of 950 miles!! What a trip! As I've said....David loves to drive and I love to ride....but 17 hours IS a really long time.

Wednesday morning was upon us and guess what else was too? RAIN. This was the day that we had planned to hike. Our options were to stay in town and decided on a show or activity there OR go ahead with plan A and hike. Plan A it was!! We traveled to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Rain or not we were determined.

Once in the park, the Ranger was surprised, when David told him we were going hiking, due to the rain. I would say most of all the people there, at that time, were there to only go on the car tour of the historic "Cades Cove" loop. O we were too....but hiking was in our agenda as well. :) We like to be different.

Below, is some of our first sights of the park. How little did we know that those sights would only become much more beautiful the farther we traveled and hiked!

We entered the "Cades Cove" 11 mile loop. This National Park was once a home to many early settlers long ago and there stories and homes have been preserved through time. History is a chart topper for David and I!

There were stops along the loop that you could get out and walk up to the homesite. Many cars were passing that opportunity up due to the rain. Not us! That just meant I got to try out my new raincoat my sweet husband bought. I didn't understand WHY we needed to buy me a raincoat before we left home on this trip.....and now I did! He's so good......

He also made sure we had stay dry hiking clothes and hiking boots.....which all came in so very handy! :)

This was the home of the very first white settler. He lived there 200 years ago! Can you even imagine being the very first white settler on a giant mountain?! We were the very first settlers of our cul-de-sac almost 19 years ago....I'm thinking this was just a littttle bit different. Ha!

And on we traveled......



Next stop? One of my favorites! Old churches and graveyards! Of course!

Someone had a really NICE green Camaro there...I'm just sayin'. ;-)

I found these old tombstones to be interesting. They were so old no writing was visible whatsoever. But they represented a life that was once here. A life that was loved by another.

And on this mountain....if you weren't Baptist then you were Methodist. Here lies the Methodist.

 We arrived at our destination of the day and set off for our much anticipated hike to Abram's Falls! Two things to see 1. the great and mighty falls. 2. BEARS! What an adventure to run into such a wonderful creature!! But first, it was lunch time and my David had prepared a wonderful lunch. He found us a wet log to sit on....but he covered it first with a blanket....and then he fixed our lunch. It was the most delicious peanut butter and banana sandwhich I had eaten. We also had fruit, chips, cookies, and coke. Couldn't have asked for better!

Now....we were ready!

We walked across these streams and the water was AWESOME!



The sights were becoming that much more beautiful with each step we took! But what waited ahead would even be so much more!

Along the way, I took various pictures of plants and flowers I found.

I did this also in memory of my dear Auntie....who also loved to take pictures of flowers along the way of life. :)

And after a hike of one hour and thirty minutes, straight UP a mountain, we arrived at the mighty and majestic Abram's Falls! Absolutely powerful as well as gorgeous!!

It may have not been the tallest waterfall, but it certainly was the most powerful. It had more water rushing over at greater speeds and power than the others.

Yes....it was worth the hike in everyway!!

As we came down the moutain, we got to encourage a man on his way UP the mountain. I had written about this encounter in my most previous Blog. "we were on our way down the mountain and a man was hiking alone up the mountain. He was growing weary from the hike and wasn't so sure his efforts were even going to pay off. He questioned us as we were in passing saying "Is there really a waterfall ahead?? I keep going and can't find it!" We both assured him "Don't stop now, you're almost there! It's just a little farther ahead. Keep going." Later....as we had taken our time coming down off the mountain, we see this man once again. He was SO HAPPY! I asked him "Did you find it?" He excitedly replied "YES! and my friends are never gonna believe I did this! But I got proof....there was a girl there and she took a picture of me on my camera!!!" It was so awesome to be able to encourage this man to "Keep keepin on!" when he could have easily given up and not reaped his awesome reward! In much of life we can apply this mentality - - one step at a time. And in that one step at a time, you know what happens? You get closer and  closer to all that God has waiting for you ahead!! We know that our ultimate reward will be when we see Jesus' face and he wraps his arms us around us welcoming us home! But there are many "rewards" here on this earth as well. Keep keepin on, my friend. Don't stop....you're almost there!"

While on the way down the mountain, I got my hiker husband to stop and pose. Something he doesn't care for, but was pretty darn sweet about it.

The temperature was only 60 degrees, and amazingly it was NOT cold at all!! This girl would have been freezing to death back at home....but thankfully not so here! We noticed that even though we had kept a good pace on the way up the mountain as well as on the way down....we STILL got passed! We chalked up with the assumption that.....Texans must just be plain ole slow. They take their time to take it all in I guess. Ha!

Although, we weren't "fortunate" enough to see any bears....dad-gum-it!! I did take a picture of a picture of one!

We returned back to our car and resumed the car tour of "Cades Cove". We got to see some more beautiful history.



After our tour, it was getting late and dark. We still had to come the rest of the way down the mountain. As we twisted and turned through the paths of the mountain....it began to get dark and foggy and raining again. It made for another nice adventure! :) Back in town....we ate at Big Daddy's Pizzeria << very GOOD! with Baskin Robbins for dessert! Yummy!

The next morning, Thursday, we were off for another hike. Today's hike would be an "easy" hike. We found sunshine after leaving house 3 days ago....Yay!!

Such beatiful scenery we encountered! If only a camera could truly capture it!!

And we arrived to the beautiful Laurel Falls!!

 Note to my Mom:: Don't look at this picture. Or the next one.....

Still keep your eyes shut.....

Laurel Falls was absolutely gorgeous!! And now it was time to come back down the mountain.

I love him SO VERY MUCH!!!!

Mom, the true Mountain Woman!!

Now it was time to get the 2 hour presentation back in Gatlinburg.

Note to self: I do NOT like 2 hour time share presentations and find them HIGHLY a GIANT waste of our time. But we did what we had to do and it was done.

While in Gatlinburg, we found ALL the many tourists!! It was far too crowded for our liking and left quickly!! Back to the mountains for us!!

We were headed to our last and final hike to the waterfalls. This would be Grotto Falls.

I love some of the beautifully twisted and mountainous paths we traveled by foot to get there.

And finally we were there!! It was so freaking AWESOME to actually walk behind this waterfall and stick my hand in the powerful water coming so forcefully down!!!

Ok.....I can NO longer continue this Blog.

There are more stories to share to finish up our grand adventures, but my computer is totally UN-cooperative. You see....I've been working on this Blog for a continuous 5 1/2 HOURS. No lie. I'm ending this Blog and will finish it ......later. I'm pooped!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for reading thus far!!!