I don't make New Year's Resolutions.

I never keep them, so I decided a couple of years ago to stop making them.

I have, along with many others, come up with a focus word for 2012.  A focus word is a word to focus on throughout the year, pray about, strive toward, etc.  I thought about a word for a while.  I have SO many things I need to improve on.  Given the place we are in our life, I chose...contentment.

I came across this graphic over the holidays as we all hurried to finish up the Christmas shopping and wrapping.  I became even more aware of the contrast between my life and so many others around our world.  The Lord has blessed me far beyond what I deserve.  Yes, I long for a child.  But why am I not more content with what God has blessed me with at this time in my life?  Why am looking for more instead of using what He has given me now?

God calls us in James 1:27 to "...to look after orphans and widows in their distress..."  What have I done?  I have tried to bring more awareness to adoption and the needs of our foster system.  My heart has become passionate about the subject, in fact.  I have advised many families looking toward adoption even though I still know very little.  Yet, God has still given us time to do more.  He has given us time as a "Party of Two" for a reason.  If we are ready to care for a child, why must we wait until we are matched with a baby.  How can we care for a child now?

For a long time, Russ and I always intended to sponsor a child.  We just never got around to it.  How sad that we took such a light hearted approach!  I'm ashamed to even say that.  It was the graphic above that reminded me, for lack of a better word, of what we always said we would do.  Why not now?  We are longing to care for a child.  Why not now?  Why not spend less than what it costs for us to eat steaks to sponsor a child for a month?  So we did it.

I have read on several blogs I follow about Compassion International.  I have grown to trust these women, and I know some through mutual friends.  I have watched them talk about how they have been blessed through this organization and through their relationship with their sponsored child(ren).  Some have even met!

Meet Winifer.  She is a five year old little girl from the Dominican Republic. 

We sponsored Winifer for a mere $38 a month.  That is pittance compared to what we spend money on throughout the course of a month.  It is a tiny act that we would probably barely notice coming out of our account.  However, to this little girl, it could be life-changing.  Some of the benefits a sponsorship includes are: nutritious snacks or meals, educational opportunities, health and hygiene training, medical checkups, the caring embrace of a local church, and the message of God's love through Jesus Christ.  We are able to communicate with Winifer by sending letters, photos, and gifts.  She will be able to write back to us with help of a Compassion worker. We will receive updates about Winifer through Compassion as well as at least three letters from her each year.  I am beyond excited about getting to know this sweet little girl!  We should have our information packet in the next week so that we can begin writing letters to Winifer.  We can begin praying for her now...by name.

I know I have said before that not all are called to adopt, but we are ALL called to support orphans and widows.  Maybe this is one way you are called to support those.  Or maybe your Sunday school class or small group would like to sponsor a child.  If so, I hope you will join us as we begin caring for this child.

I pray God continues to show us ways to use our "Party of Two" status for His glory.  Not moping and longing for the day Baby J joins our family.  Of course we look forward to that day with excitement and longing.  But we also acknowledge God's perfect timing.  We don't have to wait to start caring for a child.  We can start now. 

Happy Birthday to You

Well, I've almost gotten myself caught up on my blogging!  Russ and I drove in from Gatlinburg to celebrate my sister's birthday.  When we drove up to my parents' house, the bulldog out front greeted us...

We celebrated with family for a little birthday dinner of chicken spaghetti and sides.  The birthday cake was super duper cute!  You would think it was ordered weeks in advance, right?  Nope.  Mama had the best luck a couple of hours before dinner when she walked up on this cute cake!  Ha!

We all enjoyed our dinner, laughed a little, talked about our trip a little, and started singing "Happy Birthday" when Mama brought out the cake.

Kristin made her wish and blew out the candles...

Then, it was time for gifts!  Russ and I found this adorable owl apron in Gatlinburg and knew we had to pick it up!  I'm kinda wishing I had picked one up for myself!  I guess since Kristin is the cook in our family, it's better fit for her.

After dinner, we all gathered in the living room to catch up on the newest Grey's Anatomy before Russ and I spent the night with Kristin and Lee.  The next morning, we woke up and got ready for a birthday lunch at Pepper's with Kristin, Lee, Mama, me, Russ, and two of Kristin's friends.

Lee and Kristin

Lee planned "the real party" for the night of Kristin's birthday.  He fired up the grill and invited some of Kristin's friends for a night of fun!

No party really gets started good until we bring out the karaoke machine!  This called for a much more comfortable attire.  I can honestly say there were some fabulous singers performing!  I can also honestly say that there were some...including myself...who really should never sing into a microphone. Ever again!  Ha!

Kristin and Marley

Girls just wanna have fun!

Sisters!

The guys spent their night in front of the television watching a bowl game while us girls cut up in the kitchen with karaoke as loud as it could go!  It was a night full of great friends, fabulous food, interesting games, and fun times!

Shanado, Kristin, and Sheila

Dustin and Sheila

Brother-in-laws...scary when together!

The great thing about an awesome birthday party is the hilarious pictures that follow!!  Fun times were had by all...

I'm so proud!

Happy birthday, Kristin!



2011 Blog Book

I'm pretty excited today!  I received our 2011 blog book in the mail this morning, and I have had a great time looking through the pages reading my thoughts from a year ago.  I sounded wise at times, and I sounded quite silly at times.  Looking back and realizing how much we change from one year to the next is one of the biggest reasons I absolutely LOVE having my blog printed into book form!  I have one for each year I have blogged...since 2008.

I have had several people ask what I use to print our blog.  I started using lulu.com in 2008.  I liked this site because I could personalize and upload anything I wanted.  I would copy and paste every post into Word and create a super cute digital scrapbook cover.  However, it took way too much time!  Especially when my blog books reached over 400 pages!  So, now I use blog2print.com.  It is super easy!  You choose the range of dates you want to print, and the site uploads the posts for you.  You have a few choices for your cover, but the rest is pretty standard.  It looks good enough and it only takes a few minutes.  Worth every penny!

I never journaled growing up.  I wish I had!  I loved buying new notebooks and diaries, but it never went much further.  My blog has become my "diary" and I love having it in my bookshelf to refer back to and share with family.  If you have a blog, I encourage you to have your posts printed into a book!  You won't regret it!

Over the River and Through the Woods

There's just something so wonderful about the mountains!  It reminds me of that song..."Over the mountains and through the woods, to Grandmother's house we go..." Except, of course, we weren't going to Grandma's.  Ha!  In the mountains, things seem quieter, calmer, and refreshing.

Russ and I certainly took advantage of our mountain trip.  We walked the lit streets of downtown Gatlinburg.  I love how the Christmas lights are still up everywhere, people are walking around, everything is open until 10 or 11 at night.  It's just a nice little village in the mountains.

We enjoyed coming back to our cabin-like hotel.  We grabbed drinks and watched some bowl games by the giant fire in the lobby.  Such a cozy feeling!

During the day, the village was just as fun.  The freezing temps and big winds made it impossible to leave without being bundled up in a good coat and a great scarf.  The fountains were even frozen!

I stay paranoid about bears when we walk through the mountains.  It's silly, I know.  But, don't you remember?  Even the candy shop had a bear intrusion!  That's reason enough to take second looks.

There were several days that we drove through different roads in the mountains looking for great photo ops for my photographer hubby.  The river running through makes such a soothing sound as we explore.

We made a last minute decision one day to ride the tram up to Ober Gatlinburg for a little ice skating.  Actually, the snow skiing was open too!  If we had known ahead of time, we would have dressed appropriately to participate.  But, alas, we did not.

I forgot how weird ice skating felt!  I will admit, I needed a walker to help me glide across the rink.  Too bad they didn't offer that!

Russ, however, was a pro!  He raced his little skates around the giant rink with no problem.  So, I solved my problem.  I held his hand and allowed him to basically pull me around for an hour or so!  I skated solo occasionally.  But, I found it was more fun skating with Russ. 

We certainly got our money's worth!  We exercised parts of our bodies that I had certainly not worked out in quite a while! 

After ice skating, we walked around looking in the various shops.  Russ found the perfect toboggan for his snowmobile trip!  I begged him to buy it, but he just couldn't do it.

The ride to and from Ober Gatlinburg on the tram was breathtaking.  We had a big snow the night before, so the mountains were covered in snow.  This is a picture we took from inside the tram, so it's hard to see.  But, the mountaintops are white!

After ice skating, we decided to drive around to see the snowy landscape.  Russ wore his furry hat proudly, and took his tripod and camera to the scene.  He found the perfect spot for pictures.

This log cabin was isolated from everything else.  We walked from the road to the cabin for Russ to take a few pictures.  Of course, pictures don't mean much to me without people in them...so I talked him into taking a few with us in the actual picture. 

The following day, we decided to "hike" up to Laurel Falls.  It's more of a walk than a hike, but hiking sounds more adventurous.  If you remember our last trip, we did HIKE.  This trip, we took it easy.  Ha!

When we got to the falls, I was determined to climb to the top and get our picture.  I'm not the most graceful climber, and the icy patches proved a little bit of an obstacle.  But we got the shots nonetheless.

What do you think?  Do I look like a professional hiker

Well, if I don't look like a professional hiker, I'm sure I look like an amateur "poser" for such a picture!  Ha!  At least it makes me look active!

Russ in front of Laurel Falls

Me in front of Laurel Falls

Riding the sky lift in Gatlinburg is like eating at Pancake Pantry...it must be done!  And the only reason one would pay $13 per person to ride a sky lift to an itty bitty souvenir shop is to get a picture like this...

On the day we were supposed to wake up to snow, we didn't.  We took a full day to drive up the mountain toward Chimney Tops.  During our ride, Russ stopped a few times to climb down the rocks and snap some shots of the river.

We began seeing a few flurries during his "photo shoot" and I got excited!  Russ, on the other hand, was near suffering from frostbite.  Can you believe Dr. Russ came to the Great Smoky Mountains in January WITHOUT a single pair of gloves?!

By the time we reached the overlook, we were in blizzard-like conditions!  The wind literally took my breath away the second I stepped out of the car.  This picture doesn't do it justice, but the snow was blowing sideways and you couldn't even see the mountains behind us because it was almost completely white.

This creek was completely frozen over.  The temperature was 17 degrees at this point!  I was giddy with excitement!  Russ was cautiously driving up the mountain.  I'm sure my dad would be appreciative of his caution.  I was ready to drive as high as we could.  Russ, however, thought it not so smart.  And he was right.  The ride down even gave us a good taste of icy patches and difficulty seeing past the snow.

Our trip over the river and through the woods proved to be very fun indeed!  I am thankful for the playtime and rest time Russ and I had together!  If this is our last vacation as a "Party of Two," it was well worth it!  If not, I can't wait for our next trip!  I certainly have some ideas on my list! 

Good Eats and Great Treats

Now, you must know that when we vacation...we throw ALL rules out the window!  Including the ones about counting calories!  Since we didn't have a plan, didn't have a schedule, and played everything by ear...we also didn't have food.  What does that mean?  We get to enjoy the local good eats and great treats around the mountains!

Actually, we did have one thing planned.  We bought tickets to Dixie Stampede for our first night in town.  We never go to Gatlinburg without enjoying a wonderful show and  the incredible Southern food at the Dixie Stampede!  It's a Gatlinburg staple for sure!

If you've never been to Dixie Stampede, let me walk you through it.  You start by walking into the carriage room to enjoy peanuts, popcorn, and drinks while you enjoy the opening act.  We always enjoy the comedy and musical talent of the bluegrass country band!

About 45 minutes later, we are escorted into the main arena.  This is where the magic happens!  And, by magic, I mean the most amazing food and the most entertaining show around!  The Dixie Stampede dinner and show is an action-packed and fun-filled show filled with horses, tricks, comedy, and singing!  It's very entertaining and great for families!  So, if you're ever in the area, I highly recommend it!

In case you are wondering what exactly is so wonderful about the food...let me share the menu with you.  First of all, the creamy vegetable soup is like nothing you've ever had before!  The home-made cheddar biscuits are out of this world!  There is no silverware.  Use your hands...just like they did in the Civil War days!  Oh. My!  I'm already craving another trip!

Several nights, Russ and I simply strolled the streets of downtown Gatlinburg.  We stopped in the shops, reminisced about our past trips, and took advantage of the treats as we passed by.  One of the signature stops in downtown Gatlinburg is Ole Smoky Candy Kitchen!  You can't leave Gatlinburg without some Smoky Mountain Taffy!

The main attraction inside is new!  In October, the candy kitchen was "bearglarized!"  That's right!  A bear busted the window in the front door breaking into the candy kitchen and began eating away at the sweet treats!  The newspaper articles are posted in the shop for you to see.  The eyewitness accounts are quite interesting!  The bear was found by two women who arrived early to work.  I can only imagine that early morning wake up call!

We found a new favorite spot!  I don't know why we haven't found this before!  Probably because it is near Pancake Pantry, and we are obsessed with that place.  I guess we overlooked this hidden treasure.  The Donut Friar is a perfectly quaint hole in the wall that has the most amazing hot apple cider and eclairs.  Well, they have more than that...but that was my sweet of choice.  Ha!  We stopped in at least once every single day for hot apple cider! 

And, who in their right mind goes to Gatlinburg without a trip or two to Pancake Pantry?!  There is no comparison between the "real deal" and the Nashville look alike.  I insisted on two visits this trip.  I had my regular silver dollar pancakes.  Then I finished my second trip off with the Swiss chocolate chip pancakes!  Worth. Every. Calorie!

Another yummy dinner place I love is Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant.  Unfortunately, we didn't arrive in time to shop at the Apple Barn and see all the fun treats made from apples.  The delicious dinner certainly made up for what we missed.  Let's see...our meals included hot apple fritters with apple butter, salad, main dish, two sides, and a yummy dessert!  Wow!  We were stuffed when we left with our to-go box full of dessert.

During the day, we stopped wherever we felt like it to eat lunch.  Bubba Gump's is always a fun place to grab a bite.  Russ makes a great Forrest Gump.  What do you think?  Life is like a box of chocolates...

We took one night to eat "fancy."  This time of year was perfect!  No lines or reservations needed anywhere!  Which was great since we didn't want to plan anything!  We chose The Peddlar as our nice dinner.  It was just as good as I remembered!  The peddler brought out the meat and cut our steaks in front of us.  We had a river view table.  It was a lovely evening as a Party of Two!

Dessert?  Yes, please!

Our last night in town, we wanted to make sure we had some way to watch the Orange Bowl.  I guess that is something to keep in mind when traveling the first week of January...bowl games are on every night!  We didn't miss much of any of them.  We chose Mellow Mushroom as our last meal simply because we already knew it was good, and they had televisions!  Ha! 

Our Gatlinburg vacation was a wonderful time of togetherness.  But, it was also a time of DELICIOUSNESS!