Over For Another Year

Well, Christmas is done for another year. I finished putting away all the Christmas decorations and have gotten the house back to normal. As much as I love to decorate for Christmas, I also love getting the house back to normal again. We did have a good Christmas. I think everyone was happy with their presents. Chris got an Xbox 360 and I think he has played it almost constantly. Katie got an Ipod and now has a permanent growth coming out of her year. Mike got a new TV for the bedroom with a great HD picture. I got an Ipod touch. The first one I got didn't work properly and I had to take it back. That is such a bummer to not have your gift work properly. We also got Rock Band for the Wii, and the guitar stopped working after the first night. Now we've got to send it back and get it replace. At least we still have the drums:) We were able to spend time with family and friends and had some really nice days.

In the midst of all the Christmas activities, Katie is playing in a Christmas basket ball tournament. They have played 4 games now and are so far undefeated. They have one more pool game to then see if they make it to the semi-fianl game. They have really been playing well and will hopefully take home a trophy!! The bad part about it is they are playing at Pope and Walton - not a close by school.

I'm looking forward to another week of no schedules. I did finally order some New Year's cards to get out, since I never got the Christmas cards done:) Happy New Year.

Times are Changing

It has really hit me over the past few days of how my kids are growing up. In many ways I love the ages my kids are right now. It has really been very freeing for me, being able to do some things I haven't been able to do for a long time. It is really nice to know I can leave the house for and hour or two and not have to worry about what I need to do with the kids. With Chris driving it has been a lot easier not having to pick him up after every wrestling practice or get him to school at 7:00 am on days he has a match. Katie is also becoming much more independent and responsible which I wasn't sure I'd ever see:)

But as Christmas time has come and I see all the "kid stuff" around, it has made me miss having little kids at Christmas time. It has made me wonder where the time has gone. Christmas is really taking on a new look this year. No more Santa and all the trappings that go along with that. The requests for gifts are changing too, which has been different for me too.

It has made me think about what I have been teaching my children over the years. Have I done enough? Have I done the right things? Have the mistakes I made harming them? All of these thoughts have gone through my mind the last several days. I just pray that I have instilled values and morals in my children that will help them make wise choices in the years ahead. I pray that I will continue to be a Godly example for them to follow. As all these questions run through my mind, one of them will do something that helps reassure me they are on the right path and moving in the right direction.

So, I guess we all need to enjoy each day with our children. I can vouch that it goes by quicker than you think.

Merry Christmas!!

Busyness Abounds

Okay, I'm not even sure I spelled that right, but if you change the y to i and add the ending, it is business which is not the word I wanted. Oh, well. This week has definitely been busy. It started off with me having no voice, which is not a good thing this time of year. Katie had a bb game on Monday night, which was a close loss. They are now 4-4 for the season, which isn't too bad. She has really come along way in her playing. She is finally learning to play a little more aggressive.

On Tuesday night I had a Christmas Party. It was with a group of ladies that play Bunco together. I am not a regular, but a subsitute. They still invited me to their party anyway. We had drawn names to exchange gifts. I get halfway to the restaurant and realize I forgot my gift! I felt so bad and everyone had a great time giving me grief. I will get the gift delivered some how.

Wednesday is church night. I had a meeting and then planned to go to Chris' wrestling match. They ended up starting early and they were wrestling over at Spraybery, so I just decided to stay at church. He won again. He is undefeated for the season so far, and has won every match by a pin or forfiet.

Today is Mike's birthday. A few weeks ago when I asked him what he wanted, he said a year's worth of massages. Well, I can't afford that on my part-time salary, but I did think I could at least fork out the money for one massage. So, I told him he had to be home by 5:15. He wasn't sure what he was in for. I had an appointment for a couple's massage at 5:30. Once we got there he wasn't so sure about the whole thing, but when we were finished he was ready to sign us up for a couple's massage every week!! After that we went out to dinner and then to Target. I think I came up with a very nice birthday evening.

Tomorrow is Friday and no relief is in sight. I am taking a group of girls from church to help at the Operation Christmas Child Warehouse. Chris will be wrestling in a tournament starting tomorrow night and lasting most of Sat. Church on Sunday morning, Katie plays bb Sun. afternoon and then our small group is meeting Sunday night. Does it ever end!!??

Enjoy your weekend:)

What a Day!

Well, today has been quite a day. Our Ladies' Ministry was going around the area doing different service projects today and then we came together tonight to eat dinner and share about the different experiences. I was supposed to go to a children's home and do some painting. I was on my way to church this morning to meet the other lady I would be working with when I hit a dog. It was crossing the street and then turned back right into the path of my car. I felt really bad, but there was nothing I could do. When I got to the church I took a look at my car and my front bumber was split and coming off at one side. That made me feel even worse. At that point there was nothing to do except head on to the children's home.

When we got there it was if they didn't even expect us. They had to get everything out for us to use. It was really a sad place, and I realized how blessed I have been and that it is only because of God's grace that I haven't had to be in a situation like that myself. Because there were only two of us, we only got 1 room painted. It took 2 coats to cover the room, which was very time consuming. Again I felt bad that we didn't get any more done.

After returning back to the church I had just enough time to get to East Paulding to see Chris wrestle his last match of the day. I get over to the practice gym and am standing just inside waiting for his match to start. After arriving, I got a call from Sara who was supposed to go with us today, but didn't get to. She was calling to see how things went. We talked for a while and then this man sitting in front of where I was standing turned around and said "Am I going to have to listen to you talk on the phone the whole time there is a match?" At first I thought maybe he was kidding, but quickly realized he was serious. I walked away and finished my conversation, telling Sara what this guy just said. She was dumbfounded too. Okay, I try not to use my phone in certain places where it might disturb others - a restaurant, the movies, the doctor's office, church - but in a crowded gym where people are talking, cheering and clapping??? I just didn't get it. And then, on top of that, Chris didn't even wrestle. He won by forfeit. By this time I'm thinking maybe I should have just stayed in bed today!!

I did finally make it to the dinner tonight and heard some great stories of all the ministries that were helped today by our women. I think the repeating theme was that we are truly blessed and need to continually thank God for how He provides for us each day. It is so easy to take the things we have for granted until we see others without so much. May we all in this Christmas Season remember the gift God sent to us, and look for ways to share His love with others.

I Did It

I did it!! I changed my background all by myself. It still amazes me how computer illeterate I am. I almost asked Chris for help, but I was determined to do it myself. I'm sure he could have done it in half the time:)

Well, we all survived our first day back at school after the break. Actually everyone was very cooperative this morning and got up without too much prompting. I'm sure that may get worse as the week goes on. I must say staying home for the break made today a little easier. It was nice having all the Christmas decorations already up. I also have most of my Christmas shopping done and even have presents wrapped and under the tree!!

I was finally able to play some tennis again tonight. It has been more than a week and I was having some withdrawals. So, I went out and faced the cold. For a while I was the only one. Then another brave soul made it out too. It really wasn't so bad except for the snow flurries:)

I'm in the process of getting my Christmas cards done. I have about half of them addressed so far. I now need to work on the picture that will go inside. At this age it is difficult to get my two to cooperate for a picture. The past few years we had pictures made on the cruise and were able to use one of those. Hopefully by the end of the week I can figure out something.

Thanksgiving

As the day comes to an end, I thought I would tell some things I am thankful for.

1. My family and their health

2. A warm house to live in, more than enough food to eat, and clothes to wear

3. My friends, both old and new

4. My church where I know people love God and want to serve Him

5. Children who are growing up and making me proud

6. Jobs for me and Mike and that Mike's job is still going well

7. Parents who raised me to love God and live for Him

8. And most of all the gift of eternal life made possible through Jesus

We had a very good day today with just my family and my parents. Quite a different Thanksgiving than we've had the past few years since we chose not to cruise this year. One reason we chose to stay at home is because my mom is getting in really bad shape. Each time I am with her, I realize more and more how she is going downhill. Her mind is really going and it is so hard to see her like this, when I still want my mama to be that same person she was as I was growing up. She still knows all of us, but she is just so forgetful and is not really able to do much for herself anymore. This year I actually did all of the cooking and she didn't even really come into the kitchen to even see what I was doing. I have to hand it to my dad. He is taking such good care of her and is so patient. I know it is so hard for him to see his bride in this way. I have always told Mike, since before we even married, that it was going to be a hard time for me when I lose my parents. Unfortunately that time seems to be drawing closer and closer. I have been so blessed to have the parents God gave me. They have set such a good example for me over the years and their faith has been an inspiration to me. They have such love for God, their family and their friends. I just pray now that God will be gracious to them as they continue to grow older and that He will prepare me for the day ahead.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and good luck with your shopping.

Decorating Complete

Well, I spent much of yesterday and today doing my Christmas decorating. I really can't believe I'm done. I've never decorated this early for Christmas. I hope I don't tire of the tree and such before Christmas. As excited as I am about putting up my tree, I'm also just as anxious to get it down when Christmas is over. I am not one of those who leaves up their tree 'til New Years. I won't it down and put away long before I have to go back to school. I'm sure another reason I've decorated early this year is the fact we are actually home this week. The past 4 Thanksgivings we have been on a cruise. I am really missing that, especially with the cold and rainy weather. Maybe we'll go again next year. It is just getting really hard to be away with all the kids activities. If we had gone, Chris would have had to miss his first wrestling tournament of the season (he was 4 for 4 with 3 pins) and Katie would have had to miss 2 basketball games (they won them both in the last seconds/minutes of the game). It would have been bad to miss those.

Also, we have tried to talk my Mom and Dad into going on the cruise with us for the last 4 years, but my Mom just won't go. She doesn't like to be so far away from home. So, we decided we needed to be here this year to spend Thanksgiving with them. They will be coming down on Wednesday to spend the night. I am now the one who cooks most of the dinner. My Mom just isn't up to doing it any more. She does still make the dressing, because I haven't learned how to do that yet!! I'm looking forward to the rest of the week of taking it easy and spending time with family.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

New CD

I just got Michael W. Smith's new CD, A New Hallelujah, and I love it. It has some really great worship songs on it. I got to see him sing many of them when I went to see him and Stephen Curtis Chapman in concert. I've not been to many concerts in my life, but that was a really great one. It was more like a praise and worship service than a concert. If you have the chance to see either of them in concert, go. If you like Michael W. Smith or worship music, you have got to get this new CD. You won't be disappointed.

Why?

I sometimes wonder why I do the things I do. For instance, playing tennis in the freezing cold and rain!! I got home from a match about an hour ago and still haven't completely thawed out. I hate cold weather, but for some reason I feel like I need to be out in it playing tennis. I love to play and enjoy it in the warm weather, but I continue to put myself through the torture of winter tennis. I guess it is fun in the long run, but sometimes I wonder! What makes it worse is when you lose in the cold weather. What a bummer! Of course if I hadn't been playing tennis in the cold tonight I could have enjoyed the cold at Cagle's Dairy with the rest of my family. They had the cold and rain there too. Not a good night for being outside. At least when I play again tomorrow the sun will be out!

Enough of that, I can't wait until Thanksgiving Break. I need a week out of school. From Labor Day to Thanksgiving Break is the longest part of the school year. It seems if I can make it 'til Thanksgiving, the rest of the year cruises by a lot easier. It does seem crazy that in just 4 weeks the school year will be half over. It seems to go by faster every year. It seems to go even faster each year as Chris nears graduation. This time next year I'm sure I'll want the school year to slow down for his senior year. Wow, I'm getting old!

Today as I was doing errands I was getting very excited about the Christmas season. I know Thanksgiving hasn't even gotten here yet, but I must say I LOVE Christmas time. I love to decorate, shop, bake and all the things that go along with Christmas. I've not done any shopping yet. I actually enjoy waiting until it nears Christmas to do my shopping. I like being in all the craziness. It doesn't seem like Christmas without it. I did get some things for my Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes today. That has become a yearly thing to participate in. It really amazes my children that a shoebox of toys and goodies will be the only Christmas present some of these children will recieve. It is a good reminder for all us to remember how blessed we are.

Homecoming

My family spent the weekend in Statesboro for GSU Homecoming. It was also an FCA/Fletcher Baptist Church reunion. No one else in my family was excited about going to this event. Mike doesn't have much love-loss for Statesboro and the kids kept complaining they wouldn't know anybody there. Too bad, we're all going anyway!! It turns out we all had a great time. Even though it has been 8 years or more since I've seen some of these people, the bond we shared makes it seem we've never been apart. It was great seeing old college and church friends from the past. It was a reminder of the times I had in FCA during college and the times at our church in Statesboro and how God used all of that to make me what I am today. It was awesome to see how we have all gone our separate ways and how God is using us all today in the places we are now. My college years were some of the best and I have memories I'll treasure forever.

It was also neat for my children to experience what I had during college. Especially as Chris nears college age, it was good for him to see how it important it is to stay plugged into Christian fellowship when you leave home. He went to the college Sunday School class this morning. When I asked him how it was he said it was really good. He said it was kind of odd because he knew the people who were there wanted to be there. They had nobody making them go to church. I pray he and Katie will be that way when they leave home. They will want to go to church even though noone is making them. I was also glad for them to see what I surrounded myself with during those days and how it is now part of who I am, all which ultimately impacts them. They had a great time meeting all the other kids and spending time with them. It was neat to see how they could bond just because of the friendship of their parents.

This weekend kind of makes me think this is little of what heaven might be like. The chance to reunite with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ we've known throughout the years. The chance to worship the One who made us one in His sight.

History is Made

Well, history was made yesterday. I guess it would have been made no matter which way the election had turned out. This will definitely be an election we will all remember for years to come. Unfortunately it didn't turn out as I hoped, but be assured God is still in control. I've received the following from a few people since last night and wanted to post it here as well. It is a good reminder for us all to remember God is still on his throne no matter who will be sitting in the White House. We, as His followers, just need to continue to pray for our nation and do what God has called us to do. We need to continue to set ourselves apart and live for Him as an example to those around us.



Top 10 Predictions No Matter Who Wins the Election

1. The Bible will still have all the answers.
2. Prayer will still work.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.
6. There will still be singing of praise to God.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the Cross.
9. Jesus will still love you.
10 Jesus will still save the lost when they come to Him

And God approves this message!

Isn't it great to know who is really in charge.

May we never forget these truths!

Just Getting Started

Okay, I've decided to give this a try and am creating a blog. Hopefully I'll have some interesting things to share from time to time:) I've gotten to where I read several other blogs and this is the reason I'm trying one myself. Tune in soon for all the fun and exciting happenings in the Morrison household!