Makeup Makeover

Tonight some of the girls from our church youth group went to the mall to have a makeup makeover. Emily had no interest in getting made up, she said it would make her look girlie (LOL), but she gave in. They did a great job! It's very settle and my beautiful daughter is just beautiful!!!

New Year, new goal

I didn't make a resolution this year but there are a few things I would like to do or accomplish. Of course there is the weight loss goal, doing pretty good with that. Then there's the "I want to do better with my blog" goal, so that's why I am here.

I read a friend's blog. She posts pretty often and she prints out her posts to make a memory book for her children. I think that's awesome!!! I don't know if I will do that but I think it's a great idea! I was on Facebook and one of the special needs pages that I follow had the idea of "Thankful Thursday". The idea is to write down 3 things that you are thankful for, look back at the things later and it will make you happy.

Jibberish from Trey:
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Last year was not the best year! There were deaths and illnesses. As I reflected on the year and looked back at pictures of our loved ones I noticed I didn't have a lot of pictures of family. I noticed I didn't really have any pictures of myself and hardly any of Jason. So, I have a friend of a friend who blogs and takes a picture of herself/her kids/her husband every week. No matter what she is wearing or what they are doing once a week she takes at least one pic. I think I am going to try this too. It will 1. keep me blogging and 2. give me more pics of my kids, self, husband. I think this is a great idea.

So, I am going to do better with my blog. I will be thankful and embrace the camera at least once a week, I hope. Let's see how this goes. LOL

Happy Birthday, Honey!

Today is my best friend, my husband's birthday.

We met almost 12 years ago, 12 years ago next month. The night we met I knew we would be together forever, I knew he would be my husband. I thank God for him everyday. I thank God for our family and our life together.  Happy Birthday, Honey! I love you!!!

Harlee turned 4!

I just realized that I haven't put a recent picture of Harlee up in a while. I can not believe that she turned 4 years old a few weeks ago. I sure do love this little lady!!!

 

Welcome To Holland by Emily Perl Kingsley

WELCOME TO HOLLAND

by
Emily Perl Kingsley.

c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved


I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

Celebrating Holland - I'm Home by: Cathy Anthony

Celebrating Holland - I'm Home

Cathy Anthony - parent

I have been in Holland for over a decade now and it has become home. I have had time to catch my breath, to settle and adjust, to accept something different than I'd planned. I reflect back on when I first landed in Holland. I remember clearly my shock, my fear, my anger, and the pain and uncertainty. In those first few years I tried to get back to Italy, my planned destination, but Holland was where I was to stay. Today, I can say how far I have come on this unexpected journey. I have learned so much more, but this too, has been a journey of time.
...
I worked hard; I bought new guidebooks; I learned a new language, and I slowly found my way around this new land. I have met others whose plans change, like mine, and who could share my experience. We supported one another and some have become very special friends.

Some of these fellow travellers had been in Holland longer than I and were seasoned guides, assisting me along the way. Many encouraged me; many taught me to open my eyes to the wonder and gifts to behold in this new land. I discovered a community of caring - Holland wasn't so bad!

I think that Holland is used to wayward travellers like me and grew to become a land of hospitality, reaching out to welcome, assist and support newcomers. Over the years, I have wondered what life would have been like if I had landed in Italy as planned. Would life have been easier? Would it have been as rewarding? Would I have learned some of the important lessons I hold today?

Sure, this journey has been more challenging, and at times, I would (and still do) stomp my feet and cry out in frustration and protest. Yes, Holland is slower paced than Italy and less flashy than Italy, but this too has been an unexpected gift. I have learned to slow down in ways too, and look closer at things, with a new appreciation for the remarkable beauty of Holland and its tulips, windmills and Rembrandts. I have come to love Holland and call it home.

I have become a world traveller and discovered that it doesn't matter where you land; what is more important is what you make of your journey and how you see and enjoy the very special, the very lovely things that Holland, or any land, has to offer. Yes, over a decade ago I landed in a place I hadn't planned yet I am thankful, for this destination has been richer than I could have imagined!