Blessings

All I can say is, Blessings come, blessings go(or are taken away by confused people), but it REALLY is the small blessings, tender mercies, if you will, that make daily life worthwhile.  Yes, it would be nice to win the lottery(I don't play, so that would be a miracle), but it is the phone call, the peace at the end of a confusion, the socks in the mail, the hug from a kindred spirit,  that helps me realize God's hand in my daily activities.

BALANCING

Quick, while I can think of something positive to say, write it down!   That's the way I have felt lately, a lot of negative with a bit of positive thrown in.  Shame on me, I know, but in my defense, I am now living with TWO Allen men.  Brent and I have always balanced each other out, but the scales are tipped now.  Plus, the whining part of me wants to mention the constant state of sickness, the house sale that fell through, the 4, yes 4, mechanics we have tried to get to finish the boat but none of them showed up, the really empty nest that our home has become, etc.  Blah, blah, blah.
Let's see, how lucky I am that when I vocalize my feelings, I don't get fired.(Where have all the sensible people gone?)  How wonderful for Skype, cell phones, and email.  Let's not forget the dear old Postal Service.  How fun that we can have a full table of family members for a birthday breakfast for a son-in-law!
How INCREDIBLE to receive phone calls or visits from my daughters on the same day, many times over. What a blessing to have a friend that calls every weekday to motivate me to come walking.  Walking and talking!  I am so grateful for a Dr. I trust, and for the availability of medications that help me to wake up, move and be sane.  A lot of things come to my mind, now that I have started thinking about the positive.  Maybe that's the trick?!
I guess the good could possibly outweigh the negative, maybe, kind of, sort of. 
Yep.

Are you on THE LIST?

List?  What list?  I am sure you are asking yourself if perhaps you missed a good opportunity to sign up for something special.
Oh, it's a special list, but you don't just sign up, you have to earn your place on this list.  The name, you ask? It is :
DID YOU GET MONO FROM BARB?  How many people can be on it?  Well, way more people than want to be on it!  Here it is, broken into two catagories :

DIRECTLY             INDIRECTLY

Jenny                  James
Cindy                  Connie(Cindy's sister)
Brent

As this is a new list, we are just gathering names, so, if you think you should be listed, or would like to be, please let me know.

OLD FRIENDS

I was able to meet up with two old and, well, dear? friends this week.  It felt amazing and joyful to be with them again, as it has been many months since I have had any close contact with them.  They have been around but I have been too exhausted to have anything to do with them.
Their names, you ask?  Mr. Mop and Ms. Vacuum.  Now, you may ask how it is possible that I have not been in contact with them?  Not by choice, it has been a irritating, depressing, and tired time.  Which is why I actually felt joy in using them again to clean my floors.  Don't worry, other people have helped out, so I did not have to clean a 6 month mess!  But to be able to do it my way, to feel a tiredness from working, was so wonderful!  I even had a short visit with Mrs. dust rag.
You never realize how much satisfaction you get out of daily chores until you can't do them, and I am grateful for this past week, no matter what next week brings.

Look Laura, I am posting!!
Here are a few pictures that I have taken in the past (gasp!)
2 months since my last visit here. I will post more as soon
as I figure out what new and difficult things they have added.




I love this picture, matching daddy/son clothes, and Bryce is
actually clapping in rhythm to his mommy's drumming!

We have discovered a wonderful way to include the entire family
during our Family Home Evenings. I LOVE seeing the Allreds. I think
that's Kyler on the screen. . .






Stef invited us to one last "business" lunch at Mango's,
Bryce apparently is like his Aunt Laura, and loves guacamole.(And sour cream)






My "sister" Cindy shared a fun, hilarious really, afternoon with me,
finishing the cleaning of the attics at my Dad's. We got our exercise that day just from laughing,
we found so many unique and special treasures, most of which we passed on to D. I.
I wish for everyone the chance to clean out an attic.

Jenny had a birthday and ate a pizza. Well, it was a girl's lunch and we all helped.

Prose and musings to follow soon, I promise!

Birthday dreams

February is a wonderful time for a birthday, and this year was no exception. It was a good day, I did what I wanted, (mostly) and I received SO many Happy Birthdays that the warm fuzzies were overflowing. I was told that the party was me themed, and after looking at the pictures, I am resisting being offended! (But it was a sweet day, thanks dear ones!)

The party games were, well, different. Bryce was not feeling the love, not at all.

But he did try Grandpa's party game. . .

The excitement was infectious.

And to all a good night.

Alive and Walking

Yes, It has been a very long time since I have written anything! Life happened, as it does, and writing, and other things, went way down on the List. My Morning Walk, something I have done for years, became almost an impossible task. I missed it, I missed the movement, the morning newness, the fresh air, the "therapy" my friend Michelle and I gave to one another.

I never quit entirely, but it had been months and months since I had made it out 5 days in a row. Notice I said had, because last week I did it! All five days, the entire route, and it felt great!