Nine going on Nine
Nevermind that it's a month and fourteen days late... a birthday letter to my boy... Merry Christmas, y'all! Happy 9th birthday, sweet Hud. Unlike your big brother, you really are nine at nine. You act nine, look nine, and play with kids and toys like I think a...
A Daddy who Cares
Allen Levi wrote the song by this name. I listened to him sing at our Young Life banquet last fall, with a few tears sliding down my cheek, and was struck by how grateful I am to to be cursed with a daddy who cares. A daddy who enforced curfew, who asked questions,...
Hallelujah!
A friend sent this video my way yesterday, and I can’t quit thinking about it. The four minute clip ended up being about twelve minutes for me, as one viewing wasn’t enough. It’s not every day that I get to watch spontaneous corporate worship in a shopping mall food...
Letting the Light Shine
They strolled right past us, unaware, canvas and paints in hands, headed further down the park's winding trail. I wondered if they were painting for fun, or for a school project... if the teen boy and girl were just friends, or dating, or brother and sister... hard to...
Tweenagers?!
“I’ve never seen a kid so excited about going through puberty.” - Hudson (about Branson, to my friend and fellow carpool-mom driving home a few days ago) Branson has been assuring us since the day he turned eight that he’s a “tween,” and yet insists that Hudson is not...
Home Safe & Sound… and a Little Overwhelmed
We met them at Spinks airport as they flew in last Sunday, at least we tried to. We saw Steve's plane fly right over us on 1187, but somehow by the time the kids and I turned into the small airport, the guys were already in the car and headed to Sonic. So instead of...
Corbin’s Surprise 40th!
I'm so excited right now I can hardly stand it. Just giddy. I surprised Corbin with a 40th birthday trip, and he really, truly has no idea what he's in for. A long weekend at his parents' lodge with a few good men. Hudson and Corbin laughing at Steve's kidnapping...
Proud Sister
Check out this press release on my big brother: Trey James, Xcentric’s CEO, has been selected as one of the top 100 Most Influential People in the Accounting Industry for the second year in a row. Trey was chosen by Accounting Today’s editorial staff, from among...
Mr. Slithery
I wish I would have just laughed. Given the chance to rewind the minutes and return to that moment in my car last Monday evening, I would have garnered all my self control and simply laughed when the black snake slithered out of the folded paper bag and onto...
Roomie Camp
A gift. Amazing. Still can't believe it all came together. The details weaved in and out through three months of summer "reply all" emails, and several weekends ago my college roommates and our families spent Labor day weekend at a hill country ranch in west Austin....
Gift From the Sea
I've met a new friend this week. She is adventurous and interesting and enthralling. Best of all, she reminds me of my Granny, so I can't get enough of her. Anne Morrow Lindbergh died in 2001, but her stories and thoughts stay very much alive through her books,...
The Barrenness of a Busy Life
I didn't make it to BSF this morning. I've been tentatively looking forward to it all summer, studying Isaiah and being back in an inductive Bible study after a several-year-long hiatus from any type of in-depth Bible study. I've never been a part of BSF (Bible Study...
First day back
"Are you nervous coming back?" my friend asked, as we left our fifth grade boys in their classroom and walked down the stairs. We dodged camera-laden parents through the tiled hallway as we talked. I looked back at her in surprise. "Goodness, no!" I laughed. "We're...
Close Kids ~ Book Review
If you have children, particularly more than one, you might want to grab a copy of Close Kids. This book was passed on to me by a friend, and I'm so glad to know about it. In an effort to parent proactively in such a way that his three daughters would have close...
Oshkosh 2010 ~ Bran & Cappy’s Great Adventure
Bran's texts beeped me awake last Tuesday morning at about 6:30 am, shorthand phrases to let me know Cappy was watching the weather, and that they were excited to head out to OshKosh in Cappy's two-seater VariEZE. His last text, "I lv u mom, c u ltr" was read and...
Exceeding and Abundant
We made it home last night from a fantastic week and a half in New Mexico. The eleven hour drive was fairly uneventful until somewhere around Quannah a gurgling sound came from the back of the car, accompanied by, "Mommy! I'm going to throw up!" And fortunately, the...
A Summer Update
Happy summer, now that we're into July! Our school year pace was fairly relaxed, but we're enjoying this summer pace even more. Last week we traded the Texas heat for New Mexico breezes and are enjoying some time in the mountains. But before we turn yet another...
42 Blessings (and counting…)
He followed my flowing wedding gown through the winding pebbled paths of the Dallas Arboretum that hot June afternoon, lugging a cooler brimming with sparkling sodas and virgin margaritas. The women chatted and giggled like a gaggle of birds throughout my bridal...
A Priceless Gift
Our parents gave us a humongous gift last week. Something so big, I can't help but write a little something about it. This is one of those "priceless" gifts... something we'll never be able to put a price tag on, with benefits we'll forever take for granted. In...
Headed back
“Hey, whatcha doing? “Just looking at all this school info, comparing everything again, thinking about next fall.” “Oh TJ, we need to go back. It'll be great for our family and our kids to be back at school again." It took about two seconds for Corbin's words to seal...