The Christmas blessings continued with Mike's family...cousin time, eating, laughter, kick the can, and everyone's favorite..family pics!




















What a huge blessing and memory to have all 24 of us in Abilene for Christmas.


33. Cousin Time!

34. More Cousin Time!

35. Incredible parents and in-laws

36. A Blessed 2008 with Family, Friends, Church, and much more....

Merry Christmas from us all...

Merry Christmas...from the Luttrell's...

and the Wilson's, Haley's, Lierman's...

Merry Christmas!
I know...the last time I blogged it was while in San Angelo enjoying Thanksgiving with my family and here I am again...in San Angelo...enjoying time with family.

There have been so many blessings since then...

27.Family time with Adelaide, Annalee, and the rest of the Luttrell's, McCord's and others.














28. A visit from the Cox's (Annalee's cousin on the other side of the family). What I love so much about being a part of this family...is it doesn't matter what side of the family you are on, we are all related...we are all cousins.



29. High School retreats...Rockin' C Ranch

30. Reflections in a still Lake.










31. Christmas at the gym.
Mike dresses up as Santa every
year! 32. Christmas in San Angelo.

Happy Thanksgiving!
What I love so much about the holidays is being with family...going back home...a few family traditions like taking pics of the kids here on the "farm" and recognizing all that we have to be thankful for and more gifts from God...

11. family time

12. being out in the country

13. sleeping late

14. laughing

15. teaching PaPa to set up a blog

(http://noelwilson.blogspot.com/)

16. watching the boys play horseshoes

17. endless movie time

18. games

19. enjoying our kids



20. many messages from friends

21. cowboy game

22. Thanksgiving meal

23. contentment

24. west texas sunsets

25. biscuits and gravy

26. knowing there is

more family

time to come!

I was reading a blog from stuff christians like and the writer wanted to know what blogs other people like to read. It was so fun seeing what blogs others enjoy. My favorite was http://www.aholyexperience.com/.

Ann Voskamp challenged me last night to start jotting down a list of all that I am thankful for - One Thousand Gifts List. This is not a list of gifts that I want, but of gifts that I have. It is recognizing the goodness of God in everyday life...noticing how God touches my life. my heart, my world. I am starting my list tonight...not just because we are two days away from Thanksgiving, but to keep satan from wanting me to see the "yuk".

This gift list is about gratitude...but it is so much more...

1. God

2. my family

3. my church family

4. friends

5. holidays

6. my hometown

7. teenagers

8. prayer

9. worship songs

10. beaches

...and more to unwrap....

Blogging is great!!! I am one that has good intentions of journaling...especially ever January 1st, but usually fall short of this goal after 2 or 3 entries. It is much more fun to write random thoughts or what's on my heart when I can add pics, etc....

Gram (my husband's grandmother) use to write every day in a spiral. It was usually just a couple of sentences telling who came to visit...or talking about who was at their birthday club...or who won the 42 game. But, I always loved the fact that she would take the time to write what was going on in Bugtussle, what had happened in her life that day. And all of us, her family, are mentioned in her journal several times.

Not long ago, I remembered a sweet memory from my childhood that I will write about one day...but I was so worried that I would forget that I quickly jotted it down in one of the many journals that I had started.

Thanks to Annalee and all of her fun writings...and introducing me to blogging...I'm in the club! It is actually becoming one of my new obsessions.

I don't have the advantage that Annalee and her friends have writing about their children from birth through every stage of their growing years, mine are grown or almost (junior in college, junior in high school, and 8th grader in middle school.)

So many of my thoughts will be random...a sweet memory.

Recently some picture cd's were returned to me that I had been missing. I was so excited to get these back because it was a mission trip to Mexico that Kacie and I had gotten to take together. Most all of my friends and family know how much I love this trip...and it was always something I wanted to share with my kids. Many obstacles kept Kacie from going until 2006, when she graduated from high school.

I will share a few pics from this trip, but want is always amazing is God's perfect timing... how he puts us in situations that allow us to shine for His glory...and that he gives us opportunities to make a difference in not only someone else's life but our own. God used Kacie this week to connect with the kids ---her spanish, her enthusiasm, her energy, her incredible attitude and her willingness to serve! For one week in Torreon and San Pedro, it wasn't about Kacie, but about the people there...the children in the orphanage...helping to build the church in San Pedro...and many other incredible moments. Praise God!

How You Live

I love the words to this song because it reminds me that I don't always live my life doing what is important. And what may seem a big deal...is often not. So I will use my good dishes, I will want what I have....

How You Live ------Point Of Grace

Wake up to the sunlight with your windows open. Don’t hold in your anger or leave things unspoken.Wear your red dress use your good dishes. Make a big mess and make lots of wishes. Have what you want, but want what you have. And don’t spend your life looking back.

Turn up the music. Turn it up Loud. Take a few chances. Let it all out. Because you won’t regret it. Looking back from where you have been, because it’s not who you knew and it’s not what you did, it’s how you Live.

So go to the ballgames and go to the ballet. And go see your folks more than just on the holidays. Kiss all your children. Dance with your wife. Tell your husband you love him every night. Don’t run from the truth cause you can’t get away. Oh no, Just face it and you’ll be ok.

Turn up the music. Turn it up Loud. Take a few chances. Let it all out. Because you won’t regret it. Looking back from where you have been, because it’s not who you knew and it’s not what you did, it’s how you Live.

Where ever you are and wherever you’ve been.now is a time to begin. So give to the needy and Pray for the grieving, even when you don’t think that you can. Cause all that you do is bound to come back to you. So think of your fellow man, and make peace with God and Make peace with yourself. Oh yeah, Cause in the end there’s nobody else.

Turn up the music. Turn it up Loud. Take a few chances. Let it all out. Because you won’t regret it. Looking back from where you have been, because it’s not who you knew and it’s not what you did, it’s how you Live.

Because it’s not who you knew and it’s not what you did, it’s how you Live.