Another year comes to an end. A chapter of one's life is finished. Resolutions thought of...will I begin that diet, will I begin to exercise, will I...will I...will I.

I am thankful to have had these past year's experiences and to have learned from each one. I purposefully look forward to challenges in 2019 and the nudge God will give me in each and every one.

Thankful to finish out the year with my best friend, my love, a piece of my heart.  

The heavens declare the glory of God, and

the sky proclaims the work of His hands.

~Psalm 19:1

Merry Christmas from the F1 & F2 families.....

and my heart.

DAD

Lover of surprises

Whether he gave or received

Wrapped or hidden

He showed us

The smiles of joy 

Merry Christmas

The smirk of laughter

His heart so full 

Merry Christmas 

to my family 

Hope you enjoy F1 & F2 family gift

remembering dad.

A new home...

...for my niece and her hubby...here in Dothan, Alabama.

Sometimes life isn't fair. Nobody told us it would be. No one promised us a smooth, straight road with no bumps, turns, curves, black ice or loose gravel. However, we are promised that if we love God and live by His commandments, we will be rewarded in heaven.

In Romans 8:18 (CSB) it says, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us." And in James 1:12 (CSB) it says, "Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him."

And, even though we know this to be true in our hearts, sometimes it's just hard to see God's promises through our trials. It's hard to see God while we are suffering from a disease or when our loved ones pass away suddenly. It's hard to see God's hand in the middle of a divorce from an abusive husband or when we face the hard cold fact that we've done something horribly wrong. But it is in these moments when God uses His people to bring us back to His comforting, loving, peaceful arms. 

In Philippians 2:13 (CSB) it says, "For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose."

So, today, let's say a prayer for our best friends - the ones we allow to come a little closer to our hearts than others, the ones we count on to remind us of God's light during the hard times. Let us ask the Lord to work in them and in us as we journey through this world together, striving to honor God and complete His will for our lives.

Dear God,

Thank you for your promise to reveal your glory to us in heaven. Thank you for your grace and for your everlasting love. Lord, we come to you today to pray for our closest friends and companions on this earth. We pray that you give them the strength to overcome their battles as well as the insight to help us overcome ours. You know, Jesus, that this world can be tough, and we just ask your guiding hand to work in and through us to say do and be exactly who you need us to be to guide each other to lean on as we walk through this journey called life. You truly do take care of those who love you.

Amen

dayspring.com...November 24, 2017..."A Prayer for My Best Friends"...by Gini
Picture taken December 14, 2018

...our goat on the mountain for the weekend.

"Charlie Brown"

~ building walls ~

Ten Years...

...ago this journey began with my writing about life in the F1 family.

Throughout life we hold on to precious experiences that we see or engage.  These experiences become our memories. Memories of love, trust, sadness, joys, griefs, life milestones and anything more that causes our heart to open to experience.

Most of our memories are locked away in our heart & mind. I have journaled some of our experiences and preserved them in bound books. What fun it is to sit on a quiet day and read our memories!

                  Life brings tears, smiles,
                        and memories.

                The tears dry, the smiles fades,

                    but the memories last forever.

http://threeforlife.blogspot.com/2008/10/threeforlife.html

Hurricane Michael

For a week or so Glenn watched the weather channel and kept up with Hurricane Michael. We prepared as best we could...batteries, water, food, LED lights, sandbags, and we waited.

Hurricane Michael came thru PCB as a Cat 4 (almost a Cat 5). Late Wednesday morning everything began changing here for us in Dothan wit rain and wind. It continued until late evening.


We were very grateful that our only damage was a pine tree toppling. God's protection. Prayers for everyone in its path...Mexico Beach, Port St Joe, PCB to name a few.

our pine tree topped out

entrances into our subdivision area blocked

Trimble's House

yards cleaned up

five branches impaled the yard and

Garrett got each one out

...i love to see how much golf makes my hubby happy. he looks forward to his annual golfing trip with 13-15 other guys each October.

...i love that he goes on this trip, and his best friend goes too.

...i don't know much about what goes on but i know he has lots of fun, and that is what matters.

...i did get some pics from him.

Heaton-Northcutt Group

Emerald Bay - Destin, Florida

October 11-14, 2018

The annual AJG trip took us to Chicago, Illinois this year. Glenn & I drove to Birmingham, AL on Saturday, September 29th to spend the night since we had an early flight Sunday morning.

We met Wayne & Sandra, David & Darvi & Ron at the airport. Surprise! Glenn & I were "Preapproved TSA" passengers...smooth sailing through the checkpoints.

You never know what you will see at an airport.

The weather in Chicago was a bit cool, and it was a nice welcome. With prearranged Airport Shuttle and a quick pick up of our luggage, we were on our way to The Drake.

The flowers on the left are changed out every 7-10 days.

The ones at the top of the stairs are artificial.

flower change before we left

Wayne~Sandra~Mel~Glenn~Ron

Staying at The Drake and being close to Michigan Avenue afforded us the convenience of walking to the many shops and restaurants. A favorite store from our last visit was Filene's Basement. I was saddened to hear that it had closed.

On Sunday evening Glenn & Wayne went walking in a different direction from Sandra and me. They found a restaurant advertising a morning brunch so we decided that we would eat there the next day.

Upon arriving at the restaurant the next morning we found out it was for the weekend only. 

But...this little gem right here...every day...breakfast for us!!!

The conference includes members and their guests/spouses from an area covering seven states. This is the second time for Glenn & I to visit Chicago. We began attending these conferences in 2003 and have only missed three. We have made many friends.

 

For one of our conference evening meals we all walked to Ditka's where Mike Ditka showed up and greeted us.

Wednesday afternoon all of our group loaded two buses and traveled to the Chicago River point  where we boarded a sightseeing boat for an Architectural Tour. First, we headed out onto Lake Michigan and then back to the Chicago River.

Darvi ~ Sandra ~ Mel

Navy Pier

Chicago Skyline

going back thru lock to Chicago River

Trump Tower is 2nd Picture

end of a great tour

Alabama Group

L to R: Ron, Carie, Jeff (AJG) Sandra, Wayne, 

Mel, Glenn, Darvi, David

Lots of walking, shopping & sightseeing. Enjoy the pictures. 

Another year of renewing friendships has passed. 

What a wonderful time we had together!

September 3rd thru October 4th, 2018