Thoughts from this spot...

This was such a great story. Generally speaking, the story is about Remington Wyatt who witnesses a murder and goes on the run. She knows a lot about how to get "lost" because of the job she was working in at the time of the murder. Enter FBI agent, Rafe Baxter. In trying to further his career, he takes on a cold case having to do with the murder of a federal judge. Both of the main characters' paths lead them to Louisiana where the past has come to meet Remington in ways she hoped to avoid and where it is intersecting with her present and future in ways she could never imagine. Robin Caroll does a great job of drawing you into a story that if not written correctly could have been confusing and boring. Instead, it is a story that is constantly moving and twisting in ways that keep you on the edge of your seat. Just when you think you have it figured out, something else beings to unravel! I LOVE those kinds of story lines. Once again, Robin has proved she is one of the b

So, each year I pick out an ornament for each of the kids and one as a "family" ornament.  Most of the time, I try to find something that has to do with what we have done or something that speaks to me about this past year.  I really have not tried to even find one this year because it has been just kind of weird this year.  Today, I was shopping for something else and found the *perfect ornament.  Through all the ups and downs of this past year, I have been able to find that even keel, that peace that only comes from God.  How?  Today, I was listening to Adam Robinson, and his sermon reminded me of the how --- Hope.  Hope that only comes from knowing that the God of this universe, creator of all and lover of My Soul, still holds me and my family in His hand.  Hope that knows that He sees all and holds me through the hard times and promises never to leave me.  Hope that the promises of Heaven that were brought originally in the form of a tiny baby over 2000 years ago apply to

The Good Fight , by Shawna K. Williams, is a wonderful addition to the story that began with Jakob Wilheimer and Meri Parker's story in her book, In All Things . Their story continued in No Other . This book goes in a little different direction and, rather than continuing their story in depth, it expands on a supporting character named Roger Talbot. The novel catches up with Roger about ten years after the end of the first book and is set in Port Delamar, Texas. This story introduces the new Roger Talbot, a changed man. We also meet Pennye Boyle and learn how her life has been unknowingly intertwined with Roger's. It is a very well-written novel that will keep you enthralled until the end. Even if you haven't read the first two, you can definitely still read this as a stand-alone novel. From the very first pages, I was pulled into the lives of two very different people filled with the same negative, distrustful outlook on life. It is a wonderful love story with just a littl

The Cocktail and Dinner Party was fun.  (See pic at bottom of note.)  The location was very nice, and it was great to get a free dinner with my DH.  He even....gasp.....danced with me!  Granted, it was one dance, but it was so sweet to be in his arms like that again.  The music was only "okay" so I really didn't push for more dances than that one, and I didn't have to push too hard for that one! The day ended on a sad note with my oldest deciding (after getting mad) that he was moving out.  Needless to say, the next day was not a super-happy day.  In many ways, we are ready for him to move out! Not in that way, though, before he had all his ducks in a row.  I was sad and a little scared for him, but for now, he is staying somewhere safe so I am trying to be at peace with that. Sunday, DH and I had a hard time, and the three younger kids were all a little freaked out -- just didn't know what to think about the oldest leaving.  Then, I had to get over it because

So, tonight the DH (darling husband) and I are going to a "Cocktail Attire" event. Of course, as any good woman knows, I didn't have anything to wear so I've been shopping a tiny bit. Looking for something that looks good, but not obscene. Something that looks like something a 40-something should wear and not a 20-something. Shoes that I can actually stand and possible dance in. And of course, something that doesn't add to our debt. Shopping for this event has not been easy.....and dare I say it? It has not been fun. Fact one -- women my age who want to still look really cool and gorgeous, but also modest, do not have very many options in the cocktail dress department; add 50 pounds overweight and the choices decrease exponentially. Fact two -- bad back plus a knee that has been acting up for over a week equals very slim choices in the cute shoe department also. I put these gorgeous 3" heals on, and immediately, my right knee is aching. Really? Really?

I am going to attempt to start blogging. I love to read and I like to write. Do I have anything worth saying? Not sure, but sometimes it just helps to get it out there! Is my life perfect? Nope, but I truly live a blessed life. You can almost always find me in some kind of Bible study and also reading some kind of Christian fiction. I'm not that picky. I've been an avid reader my whole life. That part of me never seems to change! Lots of other things have changed now that I've reached my 40's.....but we'll go there at a later date! I just finished reading a really interesting detective story called Back on Murder , by J. Mark Bertrand. It was a very thought-provoking book about a police officer's struggles with his job and wanting to get back to place in his career that he had "lost" for a while after a personal tragedy. I enjoyed the insight into a police officer's mind as well as the specifics of the mystery. It kept me guessing as to