Christmas Town, Busch Gardens 2018

The last time we went to Christmas Town was in 2014. I was enormously pregnant with our youngest (37 weeks) and ready to pop! So you can imagine why it took us so long to come back. Fast forward four years later and we were ready to try again. 

Let's face it. Taking kids anywhere Christmassy is just...So fun! So beautiful! So magical! Seeing their smiles tell more of a story than any words I could ever write. So enjoy my picture blog of Christmas Town, Busch Gardens 2018.

"Merry Christmas To All, And To All a Good Night!"

Baby Girl (7), Baby Boy (5), Tiny Blessing (very soon to be 4)

Remember When...

Parenting goals have been on my mind a lot lately.  My children's rapid maturity shocks me and often I think,

“Weren’t you just born? How are you so grown up already?” 

The time has surely flown by and just like you, I  wonder how to make the best of these long days but short years. 

Today, after cleaning out multiple closets and coming to the realization that I couldn't look at one more closet without going crazy, The Baby (who’s not really a baby at nearly four years old) hopped in the car and went to grab a few groceries. Then we spotted our favorite sweet spot-Dunkin’ Donuts and had to stop. She smiled ear to ear when her eyes caught sight of that large pink donut and giggled as she sank her teeth into its’ sugary goodness. Seeing her so happy made me miss the other two children at school.  I made a quick decision and asked,

“How ‘bout we pick your brother and sister up from school a little early and head to the park?”

Her tiny hands flew up toward her cheeks and said, ”Oh yes Mommy. I miss them. Let’s go!” 

Probably not the most sound parental decision I’ve ever made but that's what we did. Twenty minutes before the last bell would ring seemed alright this one time. And boy were they surprised. They played on the slides and climbed the play set until they were red faced and ready to go home.

As I sat on the bench watching them play, two words crossed my mind, "Remember when?” You know, as parents we often mess up ourselves. We do the best we can but sometimes we wake up grouchy, we let our anger get the best of us, we fight with our spouse. Basically, we sin. But to keep us on track, our goal should be that our children grow up saying, “Remember when?"  And not, “Remember when mommy and daddy messed up (insert negative behavior). Their memories should be so full of positive thoughts that the good outweigh the bad. Such positive memories that when they become parents themselves they’ll think, “I remember when Mom showed up at school 20 minutes early just to take us to a park. Gosh, she sure did love us.”  They'll pull into their own children's school parking lot and decide to repeat the memory once more.

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“Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:” 

Proverbs 31:28

Thumbs up...or pointer fingers. Whatever works ; )

It was PJ Day at school!

All the happiness in the world with this one!

Sugary goodness and sweet smiles.

Remember when...

Sometimes Changes Require Adjusting

  

New changes are always welcome, even if they require some adjusting. Over the last year, Dale’s job has had him traveling at least three days each week. After months of praying to the Lord, things have finally changed. His new office is at HOME! So even when he travels, it doesn’t feel so bad with him working from home on the off days. Naturally, we have had to do some adjusting to accommodate this change to both our lives. For starters, we created him an office space in the basement so McKinlea could be as loud as she wanted and my running the vacuum didn’t interrupt his calls. He realized that I nap from 1:30-2 everyday...so don’t wake the beast.  And I had to learn that just because he’s home doesn’t mean I can leave McKinlea with him to get groceries. Hey now, don’t tell me the idea of kid-free shopping doesn’t sound wonderful to you! ;) 

Besides the changes, we are fully settling in and thanking God for answered prayers. If you would have told me on our wedding day that we would move four times, have three babies, change companies three times, and deal with a grueling travel schedule all within 11 years, I would have said,”Nah, your joking me.” But now I know that when God put us together it was for a divine reason. He knew our love would take us further than we anticipated. He knew that we would have to rely on HIS GRACE to get through this thing called marriage. And He knew that we were better together, than apart. Tonight, I’m thanking God for answered prayers, even if it was in a totally different way than I expected. It’s nice to have my best friend home again. 

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭11:9‬ ‭

Surrounded by You

“It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by You.” I’ve been hearing this song over and over in my head today. It surely must be whispers from God. 

Do people ever hurt you? The answer for me is simply, yes. And sometimes, it’s the people we share our heart with that hurt us the most. But before you get excited and start wondering what gossip I may write about, this isn’t what you think it is. This is a message about praise.

Isaiah 61:3 says,” a garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness.” So today, instead of staying hurt and mad, I chose to play this song and praise God. In the comfort of my own living room, I placed my hands over my face and spoke to the Lord as if He were there beside me. Immediate peace filled my heart and comforted my soul. Then I opened my Bible app and searched for verses on suffering. Do you know what the first verse was? 

“The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.” Psalms 34:7 NKJV

You see, the Lord was beside me. Everyday actually. And He is beside you too. It only takes a moment to stop thinking and begin praying to feel His spirit move in your life. Some may say that I’m crazy. But I know the difference between a hurtful spirit and a peaceful one. Take the time to pray. It doesn’t require eloquent speech but a heart of surrender. 

Authenticity for His Good

Today January 2, 2018, I found myself in a Vietnamese restaurant eating alone. My green tea soothed my chilled body and the extra cilantro I had requested flavored my Pho just right. People kept trickling in on their lunch break. Quiet voices all around me mixed with the sound of laughter from two college students filled my ears. It was good to be surrounded by life around me even if I was alone. And in my aloneness, my mind settled on the misfortunate happenings of earlier that day.

The day hadn’t gone quite as expected. My initial plan was to make a trip to the local DMV. Apparently it was time to renew my license and a new picture was required. Although I was perfectly content with a 21 year old picture of myself,  they were not. And so I had lathered on what I would consider an appropriate amount of makeup for my 33 year old face and hairsprayed the heck out of my hair. I took care to lightly contour the “fluff” under my chin and practiced tilting my head down with a half smile for the perfect DMV photo. After pulling into the parking lot, I found it unusually empty. “Jackpot, I said. This will be fast!” However, I quickly discovered that January 2nd was a holiday and the joke was on me-it was closed. So my plans had to shift and my day would be different. I visited a few stores but the mindless shopping didn’t interested me. So again, I got back in my car and decided to find a place for lunch. A hot bowl of pho sounded so good and I knew the perfect place..

As I sat alone with phone in hand, I poured over the current news of Hoda Kotb becoming co-anchor for The Today Show and read book reviews on The Elegance of a Hedgehog, my current book club obsession. This was pure bliss; sitting alone listening to soft piano music and sliding into the role of “fly on the wall” to everyone else’s conversations. As the realization of being alone surrounded me, I began to ponder deeper issues such as, “Why do I crave people interaction?” Or,”Why do I place such a high value on other’s opinions of myself?”

One of my greatest victories and turmoils has always been that I am that person who thinks beyond the surface level. I have the uncanny ability to open conversations with political views, global warming, evolution and yes, the meaning of  life. You can imagine that many people choose to run away when I open conversations like that! But it’s so hard for me to have surface conversations because they do seem ever so boring and not “life moving”. I know most people prefer surface topics as it’s easy and lighthearted- and that’s fine sometimes. But wanting to know more and why has always been in the forefront of my mind. As a kid, I used to imagine my first day in heaven. I would be sitting at the feet of Jesus just peppering him with questions. “Jesus, who created sin? Jesus, did you know Satan was going to be a fallen angel? Jesus tell me about all the microscopic details of creation!” You see what I mean! It’s like, I need to know it all!

The 21 year old on my driver’s license would have really hid her questions for fear of being “weird.” She would have felt like a strange girl for being deeply introspective. But not now, not at 33. The woman I am today enjoys deep instrospection and tries hard to ignore the  superficial feelings that come with needing to be loved by others and the sadness that accompanies aloneness. In fact, I invite aloneness because that’s when the Holy Spirt can enter my thoughts and I feel close to God.

There are a two valid points to my journal entry. First,  if we don’t challenge ourselves to think deeply, we are failing ourselves. We are cheating ourselves out of profound thoughts that develop us into better people. Some may say that they don’t have the time to think beyond what’s in front of them. But what they’re really saying is that they don’t have the desire to go beyond. There is a time and place for surface conversations but staying surface never allows us to peel back the layers of ourselves and others. Think about that for a second.

And last, there is so much freedom in being OKAY with yourself. When referring to the differences in people, I have always shrugged and whispered a silly but truthful statement, “Whatever floats your boat. Whatever melts your butter.” And as if on que people snicker at my dry sense of humor. Yes, it’s somewhat odd and humorous but giving up the desire to be approved of by others invites joy into your own life. A flashing thought crossed my mind, “There are different strokes for different folks and I can’t fake it ‘till I make it.” So many cliches’ in that last sentence! But what I’ve come to know is that faking it never works. You’ve

got to be yourself- the one God created you to be. Yes, there’ll be times when you feel alone but think about the alternative. To give up on who you are would be a much greater sorrow to bear as your authenticity would be stolen by the one and only, YOU.

Placing my cloth napkin on the table, I scribbled the tip and signature on the receipt. Enough alone time for me! Deep thinking can be exhausting. Oh yes, even I need a break from my own thoughts sometimes. But if I didn’t think this deeply or write my thoughts in this journal, how would you know you weren’t the only one? See what I did there? You needed to read this blog. Proverbs 19:8 says, "To acquire wisdom is to love yourself; people who cherish understanding will prosper. You and I are not alone. There are handfuls of us sprinkled everywhere. We are the ones who push others to think outside the box. So take your authenticity and use it for His good.

I'd Rather Be With You, Than Anyone Else

August 2000

This weekend we went tent camping in Craig County, Virginia. During our trip, we stopped by Dale’s old homeplace and took a picture at “our tree.” Comparing the picture to the one we took 18 years ago, I noticed that a lot has changed. But if I asked myself if I wanted to go back in time, the answer would be no. I love this stage of life with him. We can be comfortably silent and still enjoy each other’s company. We get to dream of trips with the kids and how we want our life to look. We get to go on dates to Lowes and Target and I love the simplicity of it all. 

We do have disagreements but always want peace. There was a point in life when I realized 18 years was too great a time span to give up on the good life. After all, things always do get better. Yes, we have lines on our faces and thicker waist bands but three youthful children to admire. When we hold hands it used to mean, “I love this feeling.” But now, it’s to say,”I love YOU.” I often feel that Dale and I were placed together early on to show that commitment is achievable. That’s not to say we haven’t done and said things we dont   regret. Oh yes, we've been spitfire mad at each other. There was that time a whole breakfast ended up in the trash can because something mean was said. Oh and several times we've cooled off in the garage. But at the end of the day, I’d rather Netflix and Chill with him, than anyone else. I'd rather cook him breakfast than throw it away. And yes, I'd rather see him slowly open the garage door to find me fuming in a camping chair, than anyone else.  Too many beautiful memories have been made to give it all away. He’s my past, my present and my future. 

June 10, 2018

The Moment A Mom Achieves Gold

Would I Have Been The One?

Lord God, I fall to my knees thanking you, honoring you as King of my heart. You searched for me and rejoiced when I was found. I don't deserve this love. I humbly bow before you. Where would I have been on that day you were crucified? Would I have been the one yelling, "Barabbas! Free Barabbas!"?  Or would I have been the one with unbelief in my heart saying, "This isn't the Messiah."? Would I have been one of many in the crowd who screamed, "Crucify him!" Would I have been the women crying to see their Lord crucified? Would I have been the criminal on the cross who scoffed at you not believing you were the Christ? Or would I have been the criminal who humbly surrendered his life to You? The truth is Lord, I am no better than any of them. I don't deserve this unconditional love and mercy you give me daily. So I lift my hands to heaven in complete adoration. I pray for those who haven't experienced this unexplainable peace that has filled my heart since the age of 12. When I gave my life to you, I didn't know how much You would affect my life. You have provided me hope and peace and LIFE everlasting. I think of these verses with head bowed low. I can't wait for the day I can stand with the masses singing songs of praise to you. Amen.

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn't earn it, and I don't deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God.

Reckless Love, Cory Asbury

“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish." ~Matthew 18:12-14

Simply Magnolia Market

January 4th just happens to be the best day of the year...my birthday! But this birthday was extra special because I had already asked my husband not to get me anything. In other words, I’m not a stuff lover. I didn’t need any more things in my house to collect dust. He was surprised by my response and nonchalantly said, "Sorry, I already got it through Amazon Prime. You have to open it.” So begrudgingly, I began opening this heavy box which could not be anything good, right? Inside, I noticed a huge ream of paper with a file folder on top. I looked up at him with a small inquisitive smile that said,”What in the world have you done?” He just grinned back, reminding me of a little boy who had done something mischievous. Inside the file folder was a dream come true! He had secretly planned an ENTIRE TRIP  to Waco, TX! Even going as far as planning out the itinerary for the weekend. My mouth hit the floor in utter amazement when I realized he was taking me to MAGNOLIA SILOS! Joanna Gaines style for home décor is everything I strive for in my own home. So to get the opportunity to see her business was magical. As you can imagine, I gave him the biggest hug and kiss ever. A couple weeks later, we were flying high in the sky...

Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Psalm 36:5

Every cloud in the sky seemed to blanket the Earth and reminded me of a verse in Psalms.

He turned in all his frequent flyer miles so we could go. One of the few benefits from a job that requires my husband to travel. 

Aw, nothing starts the morning off right then a favorite drink in hand. That may or may not be just orange juice. I'm not telling ;)

After flying into Dallas we drove the two hours to Waco!

Perfectly happy to do life with him. We made it to Magnolia Market at The Silos!

601 Webster Avenue

Waco, Texas 76706

Want to write an old fashioned letter to someone? You can here! It was neat to see people taking the time to write a note to someone special.

Magnolia Gardens, nothing blooming in February but the garden store was very cute.

The Magnolia Bakery, where all your cupcake dreams come true.

About to enter the store!

Just beautiful! So many sights to take in. I wanted to VERY SLOWLY walk around noticing everything.

It was a crowded day but everyone was kind, probably because we were all so excited to be there!

Food Trucks, Food Trucks and more Food Trucks! We chose Captain Billy's Whizzbang's Hamburgers. Mmmhhh with the bacon crushed inside the hamburger patty.

After some time at the Silos, we decided to venture out and get a cup of coffee. What better place than Common Grounds featured in the Fixer Upper episode, "A Craftsman Remodel for Coffeehouse Owners." We loved the laidback college atmosphere and Cowboy Coffee.

1123 S.8th Street

Waco, Texas 76706

Next was a stop to Harp Design Co. where you all will be very familiar with Clint Harp's work. Of course, I had to buy two candlesticks from his store.

808 N. 15th Street

Waco, Texas 76707

Next door to Harp Design Co. is the Harp House. You may remember this being Clint Harp's home that Chip and Joanna remodeled. It's now used as Bed and Breakfast.

After the two hour drive back to Dallas, we ate at a Southeast Asian Restaurant called Lava 10. Can you tell we LOVE sushi! SO GOOD!

On Day 2, we wanted to go back to Waco and look at a few homes Chip and Joanna remodeled as well as drive by their home. I was beyond excited!

Even though it was a dreary day, my enthusiasm to see their home was like sunshine.

 

And then it was off to JDH Iron Designs, not too far from Chip and Joanna's home. You may recall that Jimmy Don's Iron Designs was featured in Fixer Upper for his unique metal signs.

9685 N Lone Star Pkwy, Valley Mills, TX 76689

We looked around his store and the viewing room. Of course we had to buy a sign. I so hoped we would get to meet Jimmy Don but after much waiting it didn't look like that would happen. So as we walked out the door talking about the sign we had just ordered, a man came around the corner and says, "Hi, there." I was in celebrity shock! All I could think to say was, "Are you Jimmy Don?"

   It was! Jimmy Don talked to us about how he chose his metals and the blessing it was to have been featured on Fixer Upper. He seemed like such a happy guy who truly loved his work. Our day was made!

                  

This is the sign we ordered. Isn't it great?

In the final hours of our day, we decided to play detective and locate some of the Fixer Upper Homes.

I've shared the addresses incase you'd like to see them too!

Beanstalk Bungalow

28th Street and Gorman Avenue

The Gorman Story

20th Street and Gorman Avenue

 

The Original Magnolia Store

3801 Bosque Blvd, Waco Texas

I hope you enjoyed reading my Magnolia blog. This is only Part One of our Texas adventure. I have a whole other blog dedicated to Southfork Ranch coming soon! Yes, I said that correctly. Along with being a Fixer Upper Fan, I am also a Dallas fan. Stay tuned for our final Sunday adventure.

~Kim