If Home Is Where Your Heart Is. . . .

Each year I hate throwing away all of the fun Christmas cards we get.  I love seeing the faces of my friends and their families and I usually keep them in an "everything" drawer until I just have to toss them.  This year, it came time to toss and I just couldn't do it.  I felt like I hadn't had time to enjoy them. . . . So, they're all up!  I love it!  It isn't pretty and it isn't professional and it isn't a lot of things, but I love it!  So, thanks for all of the Christmas cards and New Year's cards (and thanks in advance for the three Valentine's cards).  I love seeing your faces! Happy Just Because Day! You can see the space I left on one window for my Valentine's Cards I'm anxiously awaiting!

Our house in Branson is still for sale.  Please pray that it sells.  It really needs to not be ours anymore!!!  Please pass it along to anyone you know looking to move to the Branson area.  It is in a great location and it is our dream house (was).  I love it! Click HERE for the link to the MLS page. 5 or 6 bedrooms 4.5 bathrooms 1 or 2 nice home offices huge playroom living room & dining room custom kitchen with granite and top of the line appliances 3 car garage mud room 3 acres on a private lot

Okay, I stole 60% of this from a friend's blog, but I changed the pictures to be relevant to my family.  Thanks, Emily Alexander for being so creative!!!   “I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will be holding hands with little white boys and girls.”   ―  Martin Luther King Jr. ,  I Have A Dream   “We must live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”   ―  Martin Luther King Jr.   “the time is always right to do the right thing”   ―  Martin Luther King Jr.   “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”   ―  Martin Luther King Jr. “There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love.”  ―  Martin Luther King Jr.   “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”   ―  Martin Luther King Jr.     “Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see t

Wow!  What a day today is!  Last night I took Hays to see Lincoln the movie.  Oh my!  Today is the inauguration of Barack Obama for his second term as President of the United States. Today is also Martin Luther King, Jr. day. The fact that all three of these things fall withing the same 24 hours is awe-inspiring to me.  I loved the Lincoln movie.  President Lincoln reminded me so much of my Pappy in so many ways.  He was so methodical and took the time to think about his words before he spoke them.  He spoke in stories to get his point across.  He took the time to speak in a way that would relate to his audience (when he was talking to the young engineer, he used an engineer story).  He was portrayed as a wise man.  I loved the way he thought beyond the now and beyond the immediate.  He thought through all of the "what ifs" that may come up.  He fought to make the black man free and he took it one small step at a time, but he was intentional with each step. I

 If the title "Winterfest" sounds exciting, it was not, but we had a great time anyway!  Yesterday we were at the mountain all day boarding.  The weather was perfect and the snow could not have been better (unless there was fresh powder).  I think I learned that Winterfest is just a marketing tactic for DMR for their out of town guests over the MLK weekend.  It really wasn't as spectacular as "Winterfest" suggests.  We got to light Wish Lanterns (like on Tangled) and despite the freezing cold and the wind, we finally got ours into the sky.  The process was hysterical because we expected it to be just like Tangled and it was just like something that a bunch of pre schoolers thought through.  But we were so happy to finally get ours up!  Then there was a torch light parade and it was very anti-climatic.  But the kids loved it!  Winterfest.  We've done it.  We probably won't do it again.  But I'm so glad we did it!!!

(I'm laughing that Andy blogged about fear today because I'm about to blog about fear and it won't be nearly as spiritual.  I'm thankful that he blogged first so that I don't feel like his "have no fear" was pointed at me!) This past weekend I hopped in my car and headed to Branson as quickly as I could.  My dad called on Wednesday and told me that the doctors suggested that it may be a good time to say goodbye to my Gran'ma.  So, I called my friend, Wendi, in Colorado Springs and she agreed to make the trip with me.  I left before the sun rose on Thursday morning. I got to spend the whole day Friday with my Gran'ma.  She's my rock.  She's my best friend.  I have always been her little girl!  I adore her!  Our time was great.  She was fairly with it and I just crawled in bed with her and we talked.  My brother, Cooper, was there too and my mom and dad were in and out.  It was a perfect day with her! Saturday I woke up to a winter sto

Cabo ended up being a great family vacation.  It ended a little early for my parents due to some random events, but all in all it was a great vacation.  Braner Party of 7 really needed it to reconnect after all of Andy's adventures in the Middle East and elsewhere!  Bottom line: we had a blast together! This is one of Gabby's outfits from India and since she can't really show that much skin in Colorado without freezing to death, we took it to Cabo.  She's adorable!!! My beautiful beautiful tween! Happy 40th Anniversary to my parents! On New Year's Eve, we "camped out" on the beach and fell asleep waiting for the fire works! Maggie (and Dax) learned how to surf!