Pictures of our trip

Home Sweet Home

I am home- finally- after a long flight. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 9:00 p.m. yesterday. When we arrived at the airport we found out that the flight was delayed until 10:30 p.m.
We checked in and went to our gate. After 2 hours of sitting and waiting (I did lots of reading) there was a gate change. So Paul and I picked our things up and went to the new gate. We sat at our new gate for another 2 hours. We finally boarded the plane at 11:30 p.m.
Then we sat on the plane for 1/2 hour before it took off. We were 19th in line to take off. Then to top it off we had a strong head wind which made the flight an hour longer than normal- so the pilot announced "sit back and rest before you get to Vegas because in Vegas they do not want you to rest" which made me snicker since that really does not apply to people that live in Las Vegas. SO- we ended up getting to Las Vegas at 2:00 a.m. PST.
Today I rested and tried to get ready for work tomorrow. Good thing we came home a day before or else we would have been a mess at work-
I was thinking today of the ride to the airport and the SILLY things that Rachel was saying.....
"Daddy dealt it, now we have to smelt it!" this was my absolute favorite... I laughed all day thinking of the wonderful time I had with my family.

Happy Thanksgiving and then some...

Well- Thanksgiving was AWESOME! The weather in Atlanta is really nice. A little cold for me but overall everyone is enjoying the weather. It has been a blessing spending these days with family. I sometimes wish I lived closer to the family to enjoy days like these. We also did early Christmas so that we could all exchange gifts. We drew names this year and only bought for one person. Paul got my mothers name and I got Michael's name. Paul got mom a bread maker and I got Michael Pibes- (a cologne from Argentina) and a gift card since he wants to buy himself a new camera.
Today we celebrated early for Paul's birthday since the family will not be with us on the actual day. His birthday is December 2nd. We got an ice cream cake and sang to him tonight at dinner.
Also, this afternoon, my mom and sister and I went to Fashion Bug- They were having a great sale- 60% off all regular priced items and 20% off all marked down items. I found some deals and bought my aunt clothes- I figured I could bless her with some new clothes.
Well- gotta run since we are going to watch Get Smart with my aunt!
Tomorrow we head for home.... Sad to go... but all things sometimes do have to come to an end!

Cold

Thank you God for cold weather - as most of you know I am actually not a fan of the cold. It is a refreshing change to feel real cold. This morning when we arrived in Atlanta it was in the 30s and there was actually ice on the steps going up to my parents house. I guess I am really thankful for heat since my parents have the heat on.
Thank you God for cold weather.

Traveling

Thank you God for the ability to travel!

I am done packing my bags and I am almost ready to go to the airport. Paul and I love to travel-I especially love going to visit family. Tonight Paul and I take the red eye to Atlanta! I am so happy to be able to visit! This is the first Thanksgiving that my aunt Judy will be there! How great this will be!

Thank you God for allowing Paul and I the time off so that we could visit my family!

Starbucks

Have you ever had a rough morning where you have a horrible time getting up? Well, for me that was today. It is cold here in Las Vegas and I did not want to get out from under the warm sheets. Regardless, I got up suffered through getting a shower and coming out to a cold bathroom (since we do not have the heat on yet) and got dressed quickly to warm back up. I only have 2 days of work this week so I should be excited about getting them over with... but still I lag behind... wishing for it to be Tuesday night already! Starbucks is a good way to give you a jolt to WAKE up. Paul was gracious enough to stop and get me a Latte- a venti to top it off.... SO now I am sitting here with my Latte enjoying some Selah music and warming up!

Thank you God for Starbucks!

Church

I am so thankful for Church. The outline of church today was:
1. Do not live your life in Fear
2. Live your life on Faith
3. Have a healthy Fear of God
4. Remember that the world does not revolve around me!
The scripture that was used was Mark 4:35-41. This passage is when the disciples and Jesus were going to by boat and a storm got started and the disciples had fear and NO Faith- The disciples had Jesus in the boat with them and they still had fear.
How often we loose sight of who is in control and how often we lack faith. We should not live our life in fear of the storms of life- we should live our lives in Faith with a Healthy Fear of God.
How important this was for me to remember- Since I don't always see the whole picture I start to ask God why, or are you sure God? When what I should be doing is saying Okay Lord I will have Faith and trust that you have the best for me.
Thank you God for Sundays- your day of Worship and for what we have learned today at your house.

Nature

Today we went to visit a friend of ours whose dog "Piva" just had puppies. Paul and I really enjoyed holding the puppies and playing with them.

Then we went to Gilcrease Orchid to do some picking and we sure had a blast finding veggies!

We got over 20 eggplants, about 100 tomatoes, about 15 green peppers, 1 pumpkin, 1 squash, 9 zucchinis, 5 okras, 10 banana peppers and one dozen eggs for $25! What a bargain! We had a blast together picking and EXCELLENT fellowship.

Thank you God for NATURE!

Friday!

I am SO thankful that it is Friday! Friday is the highlight of my week. After working 12 hour days by Friday I am pooped! I am really excited especially for this Friday because it is the Friday before I see my family! Also, tomorrow, Paul and I are going to Gilcrease Orchard to do some picking- I want to pick apples and make apple butter- we will see how that goes! Another thing this weekend is that I am going to the movies with a friend from my book club- we read Twilight together and now that the movie is out we are going to see the movie. I am not sure if the movie will disappoint me or not... Usually when I read a book and then watch a movie there is always disappointment involved! I guess the way it is put together in a movie is not the way my imagination put it together!

THANK YOU GOD FOR FRIDAYS!

POTLUCKS

Yes you read it corretly- I am thankful for Potlucks-
Today is our Thanksgiving Potluck at the office- I choose today for many reasons:

1. Dee Ann (our controller) only works Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.

2. I will be gone next Wednesday (flying to Atlanta to spend Thanksgiving with family)

3. This is Brandon's last week for the month. Next week his wife is having their 2nd baby and he is going to be home all week with her.

4. Who wants to eat Turkey 2 days in a row?

I find these EXCELLENT reasons to have the potluck a week before thanksgiving!

This is what has been signed up for (we will see how this works out)

Vince- fried turkey and gravy

Kathy- honey baked ham and cucumber salad

Tanya- stuffing and cranberry sauce

Ana- Dessert and salad

Roger- Home made dinner rolls

Dee Ann- potato casserole

Eydie- Broccoli casserole

Jenna- Pumpkin Pie

Elizabeth- not sure she said she will surprise us

Brandon- he will probably get drinks

Lou- will just participate in eating

Rocco- also will participate in eating

Melissa- usually does not stay for potlucks (she lives 5 minutes away and enjoys going home to her husband for lunch- newly weds ;-) )

Potlucks are a great way to unify an office- I try to plan one once a month ussually revolving around a holiday- I always find excuses for potlucks-

Here is the breakdown of the months and the reasons I use for the poluck- There are a few months that I need a creative idea so if you have one please suggest away!

January- Martin Luther King Potluck

February- Valentines Day potluck

March- St. Patricks Day potluck

April- Easter Potluck

May- Memorial Day Potluck

June-

July- 4th of July Potluck

August-

September- Labor Day Potluck

October- Halloween Potluck

November- Thanksgiving Potluck

December- Christmas Potluck

THANK YOU GOD FOR POTLUCKS!

Final Destination

I am so Thankful that I am saved and that I know my "Final Destination". There are so many lost people out there that fear death. I had a conversation with a lady one day and she was telling me how scared she was to die because she did not know for sure where she would be going- She then proceeded to ask me "why aren't you scared of dying" (Thank you God for opening that door for me) and then I told her that I knew my "final destination". She listened to what I said but was not convinced since she is very thoroughly indoctrinated "Mormon". They believe that they have 4 outcomes to death- First is the "celestial Kingdom" where you are with Heavenly Father- This is where all Mormons strive to be- and the requirements are being baptized Mormon and keeping the sabbath and doing good things- No one knows for sure if they have done enough Good things to get them to the Celestial Kingdom. Then there are two other kingdoms- the Terrestial and Telestial. These two kingdoms are not as good as the Celestial but it will still be some kind of Kingdom- The Final is Outer Darkness where REALLY Bad people go. No wonder my friend was not certain of where she will go- Who can measure how much good is enough to get you in the celestial Kingdom? And then- who gets the glory for the works? Since it is the person doing the works- I would guess that the person gets the glory-
I am so thankful that SALVATION is a FREE gift and that one must only accept the gift and believe it- NOT earn it by good works. Ephesians 2: 8-9 says it really well- "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (KJV)
Thank you GOD for the FREE gift of salvation.

The Living Word of God

I am thankful for the BIBLE-

Yes I mean the B-I-B-L-E- It is amazing what God has to show me everyday when I read. What I find amazing the most is that I may read something that I read a year ago and I get something totally different out of it the second time around! Also- I find that when I am struggling with something my scripture reading the following day will relate to my struggles. AMAZING! The Bible is God's love letter to us!

Thank you God for the BIBLE!

Ana

I am so very Thankful for Ana (my assistant). She is the reason I actually survive at work. She is such a diligent worker- I am so very happy to say that she is also part of "the family". Earlier this year she asked Christ to be her personal Savior. I have seen such remarkable changes in her- it is just amazing the power of Christ in her life.

Thank you God for giving me a wonderful effective assistant.

Date Nights

I am so thankful for Date Nights with my husband. Paul took me to a movie and dinner last night. We watched Eagle Eye- which I might say was a good movie. Then he had made reservations at "Top of the World" This restaurant is VERY nice and it is a nice Romantic place for couples. They even came around and took our picture! We had a wonderful quiet relaxing dinner.

THANK YOU GOD for the ability to have Date nights and for a wonderful husband.

Good health

I thank God for our good health. Paul and I are so Thankful for our good health. Aside from being overweight- everything else is in good shape. We have the energy to get up every day and tackle what God has in store for us that day. Today we went to help Chuck (the silent partner of Lou Landini). He owns a building and one tenant vacated his suite and left a mess- so we went to help him move the cubicles and clean things up. God gave us the strength and energy to get the job done.
Thank you GOD for good health!

Family

I am thankful for Family. The holidays are always a little hard for me since Paul and I are far away from all our family. Our family is a close knit family and it is wonderful. We are there for each other through the good and the bad- through the laughter (which happens lots while I am around) and through the tears. I am blessed with wonderful parents and in-laws who are still happily married and love the Lord. Theyare a great example to both Paul and myself. I have Awesome siblings who drop everything and do what they can when I need them. I am very fortunate to have a wonderful family- I love them all so dearly! God has made it possible for us to be with them this Thanksgiving- and I am Extremely Excited since it has been 4 years since I spent Thanksgiving with them!!!

Thank you GOD for the wonderful family you CHOOSE for me!

Job

I am thankful for a good job. Daily I hear of friends and family being laid off of work and the struggles they are having finding a new job. This economy is only going to get worse and more jobs are going to be disappearing and because of that I am very THANKFUL that I have a good Stable job. We did our laying off months ago before things got really bad so we are now working with a skeleton crew- but we are all SO thankful to have a job and not be on the list of the unemployed. For those of you that do not have jobs- We are praying for you- and for those of you that DO have jobs- do not take it for granted THANK GOD DAILY!
Thank you God for my employment!

MUSIC

I am thankful for music. I have a habit of listening to music in my office. I use Pandora radio on the computer which plays music all day with no commercials. The best part is that I choose what type of music I would like to listen to so that is what they play. I have been listening to worship songs all morning- This has been a wonderful way to evangelize at the office- I have a new employee that said that when she comes in my office she feels peace. That the music is nice and she can feel the peace in my office.

Thank you God for voices to sing and MUSIC to listen to!

Thankful for Days off

Today I am thankful for the day off. It is veterans day and our office is closed. I took advantage and slept in- then I made myself a nice breakfast (omelet with tomatoes onions and cheese). I did laundry and read some more. Then I started getting things ready for dinner with Paul. It will be a treat for Paul to come home from work to a warm homemade meal (and it is all from scratch- his favorite). I made an apple pork roast, mashed potatoes, salad, lemon sponge pie (trying a new recipe) and biscuits. I made plenty so that there are leftovers for lunch tomorrow. It was a real treat to take my time and cook at my leisure and not rushing like it is most nights after work.
Thank you God for wonderful productive days off!

Tis the Season to be Thankful

Thanksgiving is my favorite time of the year. I believe that we should always be Thankful but November gives me daily reminders to be thankful. From now until Thanksgiving I am going to post daily what I am thankful for.

I am Thankful for NATURE- God created beautiful flowers, plants, trees, etc... I see daily reminders of the beauty God has made for us! This morning on my way to work I noticed the mountains had snow on the caps. So pretty!

What are you THANKFUL for?????

Thankful

What am I thankful for....

My wonderful husband who made maple pecan waffles yesterday and brought me breakfast in bed!

That is how my saturday started!

The rest of the day was a blurr- trying to get "things" done on my never ending list!

Thank you God for a sweet wonderful caring husband-

I love you PAUL!

My crazy life

I have been doing my best to organize my time so that I use it more effectively. I spent an hour making a menu for the month and then getting the grocery list made. Then I started to get a little out of control I started making lists on what I would do on Saturday and at what time and approximately how long the job should take me.... Problem #1 with this... I have scheduled my entire day from 8:00 am until 7:00 pm. Problem # 2 some of the projects may take me more time or less time then what do I do? Problem #3 what happens if I do not get everything done?
You know sometimes planning is not the best for me... I get carried away and then I spend more time worrying about doing what I planned instead of properly doing things- so my hubby suggested that I do the best I can and to not over plan (easy for him to say since he will be doing school work all day- this is another reason I need to keep myself busy so I do not bug him)
Well- that led me to re-do my list and just put down what needs done and nothing else.... NO time frame NOTHING- just a plain list!
I am going to be trying new recipes for the crock pot (ones that I hope Paul likes since he is not a crock pot fan). Hopefully they will be yummy- I will have to share if they are good. I am going to try to use the crock pot more often since we are gone all day and going home to food already done is always a NICE thing- when Lizzie was out for the two weeks we got spoiled to coming home to dinner on the table- (I wonder if Mike would let her come out once a month???)
I will post and let you know how my list weekend went! Hopefully I will have good news- you know that I finished everything and still had time to read a few chapters of my book - boy don't I like to DREAM- ;)

What an encouragement!

In my devotions today I felt great encouragement from God's word. I have been really discouraged with the elections and also the state of this country! Every day I talk with different customers and how the economy is affecting them. It is sad because I have many customers that will be cutting back because they are not willing to pay the higher taxes which will be imposed by the new leader of our country.
Then today I read this Psalm and I felt encouraged by it! Thank you God for sending this to me today!

Psalm 31 (KJV)
1In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.
2Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.
3For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me.
4Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength.
5Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
6I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the LORD.
7I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;
8And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room.
9Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.
10For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.
11I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me.
12I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.
13For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.
14But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my God.
15My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.
16Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake.
17Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.
18Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.
19Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!
20Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
21Blessed be the LORD: for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city.
22For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.
23O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.
24Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

3 Chicks on a Trip

Three Chicks on a Trip was the theme of our adventure together. Mom, Lizzie and I went on a 3 day cruise aboard the Carnival Paradise for a girls get away. This was the surprise I had for Lizzie and mom.

I love being with my family! Mom and Lizzie do so much for me without complaining (cleaning my house, laundry, cooking, etc...) that a trip for them is what I like to do for them. We wore the same shirts just different colors. We love matching so we found these shirts and bought them to match!
Lizzie and I matched completely! Here we are relaxing right before getting on the cruise. Mom took this picture and she was so proud of herself for working the camera properly.

The cruise went to Ensenada Mexico. We took a bus to "La Bufadora" (the blow hole). It was a 45 minute to the location. The scenes are beautiful there. So peaceful and awesome to see the beauty of God's creation. At this location they also have a giant flee market where you can shop. We did some shopping and then ate some "churros".

My favorite part of the whole trip is watching mom completely relax! She is always busy and taking care of everyone else and always putting others first that on a Cruise she is forced to RELAX and that is what is the most rewarding to me! I love to see mom just let loose LET GO! I love the memories I continue to make with Mom and Lizzie! I will treasure them forever!