Christmas in Disney...

I haven't posted in a long while...and, after today, won't get to until 2010 - so here it is!

Merry Christmas to ALL!

We'll post on FB from Disneyland!

Blessings to you and yours!

Nathan

So this post is for the family --

I was always amazed that Nathan became a doctor. All I remember growing up is that he wanted to play football - and preferably for the Dallas Cowboys (at least that's my recollection). Now he is a wonderful doctor for women as they transition through all stages of life.

It totally made my day to see this video of him..so different from the last time I saw him. BUT - hopefully that changes next summer at the family reunion.

Watch for yourself!

Cake of 8

So - Peyton turned 8 last Friday. As part of the family tradition, she also got to choose the type of cake she wanted for her birthday. Her request? She wanted an 8. Yes, an 8. So her Aunt Gail complied! The cake showed up at the birthday party in the shape of an 8 - and lime green to boot!

Maybe next year the cake will be whittled down to 'normal' cake size. A cakes just a little too big when it's as big as the 6 month old baby of the family!

In Memory

Gwendolyn Faye Goodyear

May 29, 1949 - January 10, 2008

The only thing that helps the ache inside of me is to know my beautiful mother now sits at the feet of her Lord and Master on high. I love you Mom.

U-Cut Trees

I love Christmas. I also love going out to get a Christmas tree - and last Sunday afternoon was the appointed time! Dusty, Peyton and I braved the rain to head out to a U-Cut Christmas tree farm.

We arrived at a small "mom-and-pop" tree farm - and just in time, the rain abated! We were handed a saw and a plastic bag (for kneeling on) and told, "Any tree just $20." Really? That's even cheaper than last year!

It didn't take us long to realize that their trees were probably so cheap because most of them were overgrown. After some scrounging, we found a nice 6 foot tree for Gail's family. It took a while longer to find one for Dusty's family. We were looking for a taller tree - of which there were plenty. We finally found the one we wanted - knew it was a "little" tall but figured we could remedy that at home. The owner was nearby with his chainsaw - so we decided to ask for his assistance cutting it down. Boy were we glad we did because the base was approximately 7 inches in diameter! Peyton and I carried the smaller tree back to the truck while Dusty waited for some assistance getting her tree back to the truck. The owner and his brother-in-law went to help and it took the 2 burly men to get the tree back to the truck. I'm not sure we could have carried it on our own because it was REALLY heavy. We paid for the two trees and were on our way home.

On the way home, we kept laughing at how big Dusty's tree was! We knew Richard was going to think we were crazy. When we got back to the house, Richard asked who the gigantic tree was for - and proceeded to shake his head when we informed him that it was their tree! Dusty informed him that next year he'd just have to brave the rain and go with us. But we knew he could make it just right - with a little help from his saw.

So after a little work, the 14 foot Douglas fir became just tall enough to fit inside the house. Now Dusty waiting for it to dry out and then will vacuum it before bringing it indoors (See December, 2007 blog, "New Uses for Vacuums.")

It was a great afternoon - just $20 for a 14 foot tree!

Let the smell of Christmas invade our homes!!!

Wedding anyone?

Just a few photos to share with you from my nephew's wedding. Enjoy!

The beautiful flower girls and jr. bridesmaid.

And of course, the beautiful bride.

The groom with the smiling Dani Lynn.

Flowers for the best man!

Dani Lynn Shannon

How can anyone watch the birth of a baby and still wonder if God exists?

Today my sister Dusty gave birth to a beautiful little girl. Named Dani Lynn Shannon, she weighed in at 7 lbs. 10 oz. and was 18 1/2 inches long. She had a bunch of dark hair and seemed to be a fairly quiet and content baby from the get-go!

Her "big" sisters (Taylor, Peyton, and Rian) are so exited!!!