bsmiles and sunny days

One of my favorite things to read, at present, is Pioneer Woman. She's funny, she's nuts, and her life is like a ancient fortress, primed and tended by generations gone before. It's immovable. On the days when the fast pace of action and adventure and constant change is too hard to swallow, I dream of the constancy of a rancher's life and escape into her world. And besides all of that, I can read each entry in a few minutes and then hurry on to what's pressing. Right now I'm sitting in my pajamas at 9:30 in a dark quiet house listening to the coffee pot percolate wondering if I'll ever have a day like this again. I haven't laughed or cried or remenisced or made memories like I have this week in all of my life. One of the richest blessings that God has lavished on us has to be, no holds barred, the friendship that Christians have because of Christ. Relationships with people of like faith nurture us in ways that nothing else can. I am rich, even when we

As of seventeen minutes ago, I am thirty-one. I'm officially in my thirties. I was thirty last year; this year I am embarking on my thirties- some more than thirty. I'm thirty-one and this is what I know. 1. I have found true love. 2. I have learned how to love truly. 3. Children breed life. 4. Laughter is good medicine. 5. Kindness does not equal politeness. 6. Talk less, live more. 7. I am not a good listener but I'm learning. 8. Family is forever. 9. Acceptance is freedom. 10. Don't make excuses. Your friends don't need them and your enemies don't believe them. 11. Hard work is invigorating. 12. Music, fresh air, and sunshine chase the blues away. 13. The Word of God is LIFE. 14. Hope is my worldview. 15. Appearances tell lies. 16. My favorite place is the backyard. 17. You really only need five good friends, and sometimes only four. 18. Wardrobe is how you wear it, not what you're wearing. 19. Clean house because it's a responsibility, not just f

Moving has yet to top my *favorite things* list, but there are perks. Like the countless loads of neglected toys that find new homes via the Goodwill, the hundreds of pounds of garbage that are lifted from our habitation, and my personal favorite, the journey down memory lane. In a stack of unmarked VHS tapes I found my wedding video. This year marks our eleventh anniversary and a deeper dive into the boundless love that is ours because of Christ. I watched with tears rolling down my cheeks surrounded by our childern in the life that is ours because of Christ. What was really fascinating to me was the love that we felt with such intensity for each other when we barely knew one another, I could see it in our eyes. It was the same look that I have in my eyes now only it was naive and innocent and untainted and shallow. Depth comes with trial and perseverance and suffering and pushing past what seems hopeless to attain what is hoped for. I cry so easily these days... maybe it really

In the sixth grade I lived two blocks from my school. If I went through the front door, it was three and a half blocks, so typically I went out the backdoor, cut through the alley, and through our backyard neighbor's driveway/parking lot. *side: He was an orthodontist, built a mansion with an orthodontic practice in the lower half. He's having a difficult time selling the house/practice.* When the weather was tolerable, older kids, probably eighth graders, would crowd into a corner behind his house in the alley to smoke. If it was cold, they'd hang in a tight group to block the wind. I never thought much of it; actually, my siblings and I would balk at them in disdain from our kitchen window, generally passing by with an air of self-righteousness. It was rare for me to be alone in the exchange because Jon, my older brother, attended the school across from mine so I always timed my departure to coincide with his. In the sixth grade I had relatively short frizzy red