2010 December — We are THAT Family

How to Live in a New Year

10:27 pm Bykristen

1. Let your life shine {in color}-

You only get one chance to live your life. Don’t be afraid to live it out loud.

2. Open your arms wide to the unknown-

Don’t be afraid to step into uncertainty. Leaving room for Him to show up is called faith.

3. Chase what matters-

The pull to live like everyone else is strong. Go after what’s really important-

you’ll never regret it.

4. Test your wings and try something new-

You never know, you just might love it!

5. Follow the winding paths, even the ones that lead to valleys-

It’s in the low places that we learn the lessons that carry us to the mountain.

7. Capture the beauty of the desert places-

Often we rush through the rough patches and long for tomorrow. Enjoy today. It’s all we truly have.

[On our long, long journey from the bottom of Texas to the Top this week, we stopped to dance in the 51 mile per hour wind!]

Happy New Year!

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My Kids are More Spiritual than Yours

9:58 pm Bykristen

My kids have an obsession with The Nativity, especially the youngest.

I’m okay with that.

I’m pretty sure that, statistically speaking, this fact reduces the chance of life in prison. Maybe.

My kids worked for hours on a Lego Nativity one rainy December day. SpongeBob and Anikan were involved:

While at the farm, a pitstop on our way to visit my sister-in-law in the hospital, my kids spent some time with the cows. They like to name them. One ended up being Baby Jesus.

(Sidenote: At the risk of losing the title of having spiritual kids, I will tell you that my son named one cow Crusty Nuggets. I’ll leave you with that word picture.)

But my favorite Nativity by far was the one constructed in the hay barn with help from cousins. I give you: Mary and Joseph, Baby Jesus and an angel (cousin):

Notice the ethereal glow:

(she was posing just like Baby Jesus in our Nativity at home)

The minute we walked into our Amarillo hotel room, she claimed the luggage rack as a manger for “Baby Jesus #6):

See? I told you: Spiritual. Having bumper stickers made immediately. It will be the latest rage!

Happy New Year!

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WFMW: 2010 Reflections

9:00 pm Bykristen

If you could tell people just ONE THING. What would it be?

With a New Year just days away, I thought it would be a great time to link up THE ONE post you want people to read instead of a regular tip if you’d like (or if you have a tip ready, feel free to link it).

Pull it from your archives or write something new…what is it?

What do you want to say??

For me, it’s this post. (I still think about this constantly).

Happy New Year!

Don’t forget next week’s THEMED EDITION: What Doesn’t Work For Me?

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What Matters Most

11:33 pm Bykristen

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Ours was peaceful, simple and good. Oh, and it was vegan.

I don’t kid about meat, people.

It’s a long story, but the short of it: my hubby is a new diabetic. He was diagnosed a month ago. I cried. For days, I could only think about his sweet sister, my dear friend and her terrible, current journey as a diabetic.

We’ve devoured books and tried to understand the complicated world of diabetes. He was determined to try and control his blood sugar by controlling his food intake instead of taking four medications. One way to do this? Going vegan: no animal products (that would mean no meat and no dairy). His doctor gave him 90 days to see if it would work.

Um, yeah. You might recall my inlaws run a cow operation and I sort of have a special relationship with butter and consider myself a Chick Fil A employee.

We are on day 20. He’s lost 15 pounds and has controlled his blood
sugar!! I’ve lost a few, too and have recurring dreams about chicken. But I’m seeking counseling.

So. Christmas dinner was different. But supporting my husband is on
my what matters most list. And sweet tea is totally vegan!

We had planned on spending New Years at the farm with my hubby’s family, but a phone call on Christmas Day changed our plans.

My dear sister-in-love was admitted to ICU with kidney failure, due to diabetes. It’s in those minutes that you’re reminded of what matters most. We packed up the car and stopped by the farm overnight and will go on to visit my sister-in-law tomorrow, now that she’s stable.

I’ve got a lot to be thankful for and every day God reminds me of what matters most.

And apparently, it’s not meat at the moment.

P.S. Works for Me Wednesday will go up at 10 pm CST. If you don’t already have a tip, I thought it would be fun for everyone to link up the ONE post from 2010 that you really wanted to be read!

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