Back to School

At the age of 45, I'm starting to think that Summer is over-rated!  First of all, living in Texas with a heat index of 100... is definitely not paradise.  Second of all, living with an 18 year old son certainly has it's challenges... especially the "going and blowing" all the time.  I have to say, it's been really nice getting back to a schedule and I am looking forward to Ahlden's senior year.  Now, bring on the cooler temperatures and let's enjoy some Fall!

TENNIS GIRLS - Destin, Florida 2012

What an amazing trip with NINE amazing women!  I have to be honest, I didn't think we could pull it off.  I mean, really, ten women in one condo for seven days!!!  We had so much fun on the beach, drinking red snappers, girl talking, seeing Magic Mike, and dancing the night away at AJ's.  We did get our tennis in every morning and what fun that was, even when I could barely move my feet.  I hope that this becomes our annual tennis trip! Thank you - Janice, Shirly, Monika, Kayla, Chris, Sally, Suzanne, Denise and Marie for a great week!

REALLEY?

 

CAR BATTERY DEAD BECAUSE SWEET JANICE LEFT THE LIGHTS ON THE NIGHT BEFORE.  SALLY HAD NO PROBLEM RAMPING THE CURB TO JUMP US OFF.

ME, MONIKA AND SHIRLY WORKING ON OUR FITNESS.

GIRLS NIGHT OUT. 

EATING TACO BELL AFTER GIRLS NIGHT OUT!

OUR BAR ON THE BEACH.

WAITING IN LINE TO SEE MAGIC MIKE!

MONIKA CAPTURING ME AND SHIRLY COMING BACK FROM OUR WALK.

JUST ME!

Life's Seasons

It's been a while since I have blogged!  I have been tossing and turning since 3 o'clock and decided to just get up and feed my mind with something positive.  I started reading my Experiencing God devotional because I knew that God was nudging me to get up and find peace in His word.  My reading this morning was about Life's Seasons. 

To Everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven.  Ecclesiastes 3:1

     The beauty in the way God designed the four seasons is that , though each one is distinct, they all work together to bring life and growth.  Spring is a period of freshness and new life. Summer sees growth and productivity.  Autumn is a time for harvesting the rewards of past labors.  Winter is the season of dormancy and closure.  Each season has it's own unique beauty and makes a significant contribution to life.
     Just as God planned seasons in nature, He planned seasons in life as well.  In God's perfect design for our lives, He has planned for times of fruitfulness and activity.  He will also build in times of quiet and rest.  There will be times when He asks us to remain faithful doing the same work day after day.  But there will also be periods of excitement and new beginnings.  By God's grace we will enjoy seasons of harvesting the fruit of our faithfulness.  By God's grace we will also overcome the cold winters of heartache and grief, for without winter there would be no spring.  Just as it is with the seasons of nature, these seasons in our lives work together to bring about God's perfect will for each one of us. 

Well, I am definitely experiencing the cold winter in my life with some hardships, but I remain hopeful for the Spring that is just around the corner.  My prayer this morning is for grace, mercy and peace in my life.  His Grace brings us good things every day (1 Tim. 1:14).  Peace is a state of mind and heart that we experience when we are confident of God's grace and mercy toward us. Peace comes in knowing that God's grace will sustain us, even in our most difficult crises (Phil 4:7).  The peace that only God can give us goes right to the soul, relieving the heart and mind.

   

Day of Lounging and Cooking!

A much needed day by the pool!!! Yesterday was probably the most relaxed I have been in a while.  Caitlin came over and joined us for the day and Ahlden's girlfriend, Brianna.  I actually floated around the pool for about an hour, which is very hard for me to sit still that long.   The day was nice, but even nicer was when Caitlin joined me in the kitchen to cook.  We made crawfish etouffee,  grilled scallops with a salsa verde and grilled peach salad.  Caitlin took over the peach salad and she did such a great job, I have to post the pic. 

A Mother's Tears

"A little boy asked his mother, "Why are you crying?" "Because I'm a woman," she ...told him.

"I don't understand," he said. His Mom just hugged him and said, "And you never will.

Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?"
...
"All women cry for no reason," was all his dad could say.

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.

Finally he put in a call to God. When God got on the phone, he asked, "God, why do women cry so easily?"

God said, "When I made the woman she had to be special.

I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet gentle enough to give comfort.

I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children.

I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining.

I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly.

I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart.

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly.

And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed."

"You see my son," said God, "the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart - the place where love resides." ♥ ♥

Mother's Day 2012

MOTHERHOOD is a choice you make everyday to put someone else's happiness and well-being
 ahead of your own.  To teach the hard lessons, to do the right thing even when you're not sure what the right thing is... and to forgive yourself over and over again for doing everything wrong.
- Donna Bell

Happy Mother's Day to me!  I woke up to a card and flowers on the island from my son, however, he didn't grace me with his presence until around noon.  I had a very quiet morning, enjoying coffee on the back porch and listening to the birds sing.  That happens to be one of my favorite things to do!  Caitlin came over and we made lunch and played the piano.  The goal for the day or should I say, the "selfless act" that my kids wanted to do to show me that  they love me, was to go to the movies.  Well, let's just say, "The place was PACKED!"  We decided to go eat instead and, yep, we went to Fish City to eat Crawfish!  23 pounds to be exact! Thank you for making my Mother's Day a great day, I Love you!.  I hate that I didn't get a picture of the gang, so I posted a few of my favorites.



Grandparent's Legacy

This is my Herb and Vegetable Garden.  This makes me happy!  Some of the plants have just been planted, so they may look small at this point... but they will be knee high in a month.  I have always had a love for gardens and I have my grandparents to thank for that.  Leon and Helen Shankle left many legacy's, but for me,  it was watching my grandfather in his garden and my grandmother in her kitchen.  My grandfather's garden was at least an acre!  I remember corn, peas, okra, potatoes, tomatoes, and so much more.  Most of all, I remember shelling the peas!  We would sit with our bowls of peas and shell for hours.  Little did I know at the time that it wasn't so much the shelling as it was all of us around the table bonding.  I truly miss those innocent days with the cousins and how life was so simple.  We had a huge family... I was one of 16 grandchildren and most of us lived within a 5 mile radius of each other.   We were the Shankle clan and we were proud of it.    Unfortunately, my children will never experience that, other then me asking them to go cut an herb from the garden that I need to cook with.  I guess that is "some" exposure.  May you rest in peace grandmother and grandfather and thank you for all the sweet memories that will never be forgotten! 

Leon and Helen Shankle