Happy New Year!

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:

but this one thing I do,

forgetting those things which are behind,

and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

I press toward the mark for the prize

of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

~ Philippians 3:13-14

"...that in all things he might have the preeminence."
~ Colossians 1:18

Tidbits From Our Trip... Part 3

In our last tidbits post, I shared some photos
of people and fellowship during our trip.
In this last post of our trip, I wanted to share pics
of us enjoying the abundance of snow we were blessed with!

The day we arrived there was no snow on the ground
but by the end of the evening our van was coated
with the beautiful, cold, fluffy stuff...




Suzie enjoyed the snow as much as the children did...

Here she was in the middle of the road (a cul-de-sac)
with all the fresh, fluffy snow!

Early in the day, the children enjoyed playing in it...









And the days after that...








...Even in the blustery wind...








While everyone else was outside getting frosty,
Ally was inside resting with Frosty... lol



One evening, after washing the van,
father and son explored their car wash mystery...

They saw something laying on the ground
and decided to jump ship (jump van) to see what it was.
It was part of the car wash, actually,
and they were quite satisfied with their discovery,
despite the freezing temperatures.

One of the days, the children worked together with Daddy
to make their first snowman...
(Will had already gone inside before this pic)

This one, actually, got knocked down so they built another
with Daddy and then built a small snow fort with Ally
(though I was taking a nap and no pics were taken).


And this shot seems to be the laugh of the trip...

Daddy was shoveling the driveway and, well,
he didn't quite dispose of all of it properly... lol


(Thanks for the pic, Daddy!) ;o)


Thank you for sharing our trip with us!
Hope you enjoyed seeing our tidbits!

Tidbits From Our Trip... Part 2

Now that I've shared the beautiful sights
that the Lord blessed us with on our trip,
I wanted to share some pics of people
and the moments we spent together.

Here are a few shots of us on our
almost 950 miles and, roughly, 18 hours trip...


Everyone was cozily situated. Ü


Suzie enjoyed some fresh air along the way.


And I enjoyed a mocha and peppermint twist mocha.

Here are a couple of shots once we got there...
Papa enjoyed listening to Ally play her guitar and sing...





The Saturday after we arrived,
we had a family Christmas party...


my sister, Ally, my mom and dad


Daddy and Ally



My beloved and me



The younger ones sang a couple of Christmas hymns
and Will recited a portion of Luke 2.

Suzie, though she couldn't go to the party,
did receive a gift from an uncle... a ham bone!
And she loved it!


Sunday afternoon, my brother, sister, and their families,
and my grandma came to my mom and dad's house
to open gifts and witness my mom and dad exchange vows.

Here are a few shots from that afternoon...


My "baby" and me



Mama and me



Me and our "lap" dog, Suzie.



Mama and Daddy sitting together as their children
and their grandchildren open gifts.

Mama and Daddy, later, after exchanging vows...




During the week we were able to visit my beloved's dad,
visit the town I grew up in, stop to see my brother's house
that he built, and visit more with Mama and Daddy.
Tuesday's church was cancelled due to the weather
but we were glad we were able to visit our friends
and distant church family at least once during our visit. ;o)


On Christmas Eve, Mama was admitted to the hospital
with extreme difficulty in breathing.
She had pneumonia, congestive heart failure, and copd.
She was there on Christmas Day, too,
so we went to visit with her, especially, since we left the next day.












Daddy was there with her and we brought them
Christmas supper from the house
so they could have it together...


They, also, opened their stockings to each other...



Beth and Carolynne enjoyed looking out the hospital window...


... and sitting on Daddy's lap...


It was such a blessing to be able to go north
and visit with family that we don't get to see often.
We didn't like leaving Mama in the hospital,
especially since Daddy had pneumonia, too,
but we are glad they are home now and doing better.
It was a blessing to be there when we were.
God's timing is so perfect.

Next post, I hope to share a few pictures
of us enjoying the snow!

Tidbits From Our Trip... Part 1

Since I have so many photos,
I thought it would be best to share them in different posts.
In this post, I wanted to share some of the
beautiful sights the Lord blessed us with...


On our way... through the mountains...

It may just look like rock but what beauty is in it!



The smoke/fog that lay over the mountains was breathtaking!


After getting into the mountains,
we were met with freezing rain...


and with it came a beautiful coat of snow...

A wonderful winter wonderland!


When we got out of the mountains, the snow had stopped
and there was no snow until we reached Michigan.
When we were about half an hour away from our destination,
the snow began, again, and lots of it...













It snowed every day we were there
(except one, which was rain/sleet).
It was such a blessing!!


(This is what we had to tread through to see my brother's house)



A view after my beloved shoveled the driveway.



A sight of icy Lake Huron


And more beautiful snow...








Living in the southeast for many years, snowfall is very rare.
In fact, we've only experienced one and it was last month.
The only time we get to see snow is when we travel
north in the wintertime.
The children and I were praying for snow during our visit
and the Lord, truly, provided above and beyond
what we had asked.
"Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly
above all that we ask or think..." ~ Ephesians 3:20
Snow! EVERY day! What a blessing! Ü


Scripture that filled my heart and mind
as I was seeing and loving all that snow...

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD:
though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
~ Isaiah 1:18