Long Time No See

It's been two months since my last post.

And though I'd like to be able to say something like, "where did the time go?" or "how did that happen?"; the truth is that I've been very aware of not posting. Time didn't slip away. I didn't forget. It wasn't that I had nothing to say.

It's simple really. The more that I learn that someone is actually reading my blog, the more anxious I become in writing. To quote a sweet friend: In writing my thoughts here, I often feel as if I'm "standing in front of you wearing only my underwear". Shiver.

I've spent many years on the surface but, of late (the last couple of years really), God has me going deeper and deeper and I love and praise Him for that but, at the same time, I am not secure enough in myself to hash them out publicly.

Sure...my blog could be about "surface" events. It could be just a decorating blog or just a blog about my kids or, for pete's sake, what I ate for lunch. But that's not where I am and so, my blog, it has some catching up to do. It's having an identity crisis of sorts.

In the meantime, my kids are awesome. They amaze me each day as I've come to realize that they are young men. I'm thankful to be their Mom. They're as individual as they can be and I love that about them.

And, my husband, he's amazing too! He's back in school...getting his MBA at Vanderbilt. I'm very proud of him.

I'm ready to drag out the Fall decor for my home....I love Fall ! (Is that surface enough for you?)

And my Savior? Well, He's something else. I just began the study of Esther and these are some things that have spoken to me:

• There is as much to learn about God by where He does not make himself obvious as when He does. Just because you don't see Him, doesn't mean He's not there.
• You seek HIM and his will will find you.
• We must learn to trust His providence even when the Red Sea doesn't part.
• And....just in case you're thinking that He would choose (and use) anyone but you, see Esther.

Hand in Hand

There are some things in this life that are simply inconceivable.

I have followed the website of a young Atlanta boy (Ryan Morgan) for a couple of years. Ryan, in 2004, was diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblastoma. He has fought long and hard. He completed his initial treatments in late 2005 and then relapsed in April of 2007.

As if that weren't enough, Ryan's sweet Mom, Missy, was diagnosed with breast cancer in August of 2007.

Their website has chronicled their journeys and, in the last weeks, became more and more evident that one or both would likely soon lose their battles.

And so it is that Missy passed from this Earth on Wednesday (July 8th) and Ryan followed along the very next day.

Though it is so very hard to imagine such losses for this family....Dad - Les, and siblings Heidi and Will, it is equally powerful to realize that God, in his absolute sovereignty, allowed Missy to welcome her precious child into the kingdom of Heaven. Can you imagine what it must be like to experience that hand in hand?

Please pray for the Morgans as they learn to live life without Missy and without Ryan. I don't know them personally but I've followed them long enough to know that they have faith, they have hope and they have love.

Jesus, for the Morgans (and for all of us), come back soon.

FYI: Ryan's website is www.superryan.blogspot.com (I don't know if it's due to the sheer number of hits or what but it is not operating well at this time). Missy has a Caringbridge site (www.caringbridge.com/visit/missymorgan (this site actually hasn't been updated in quite some time).

Cruisin' 2009 - The Big Bad Boat

I know, I know....I've already been told, it's not a BOAT, it's a SHIP but that just doesn't sound as good so, for this post, it's a boat and BOY is it a big one.

Here are a few various pictures that we took of the boat/ship:

From the pier in St. Maarten
From the front of the ship. That's a heli-pad, by the way (in green)
From CocoCay...the boat anchored here and tenders carried us to the island.
Zoomed in from CocoCay.

Cruisin' 2009 - Sunsets

At the risk of boring ALL 2 OF YOU completely to death, I have decided to do several posts about our recent cruise. Sorry! I have LOTS of pictures and though I could simply put them in slideshow form (and quickly put you to sleep), I someday hope to print my blog in book-form and a slideshow simply won't work for this.

Soooo....in order to preserve some of the memories here, I have decided to do various posts highlighting different aspects of the trip.

Jeff decided early on that he wanted to get pictures of the sunset(s) each night. He was so faithful to check the Cruise TV station and get the exact time of sunset each day. No matter where we were or what we were doing, he would excuse himself to snap those shots. Here are just a few. One from each day (in no particular order):

This one's for you Kenny (aka "Just Because They Sell It In Your Size, Doesn't Mean You Should Buy It....Much Less WEAR it")

A Sneak Peek

At some point in our travels last week (before boarding the ship), Jeff and I talked about how awful it would be if we'd built this cruise up so big in our minds only to get onboard and be let down.

Know how that happens sometimes? We build up something and think about how wonderful it's going to be, have all these HUGE expectations, only to wind up setting ourselves up for disappointment when that thing can't possibly compare to the dream we have in our head.

Well....

I'm happy to say that though we have spent the better part of the last 10 months:

*talking about our cruise
*hearing about cruises
*reading about cruises
*looking at pictures of cruises
*wondering about our cruise
*shopping for our cruise
*planning our cruise
*surfing the internet about cruises
and just basically submersing ourselves in anything "cruise"
OUR CRUISE DID NOT DISAPPOINT !!!

It was just wonderful. Everything that we hoped and dreamed and more.
Just what we needed to rest, relax and celebrate the last 20 years together.

I have hundreds of pictures and am still working to label and edit them but I couldn't wait to, at least, give you a little teaser. I'm sure you can't wait for some more detailed posts later (just humor me) but, for now, I leave you with just a few. You have no idea how hard it was to choose only five.

And, by the way, God sure does have a lot o' water......who knew????

One Week From Today....

Jeff and I will fly out of Nashville for a 9-day trip that's been months in the making. We will arrive in Orlando, FL for an overnight stay and then take a shuttle on Sunday morning to Port Canaveral where we will board Royal Carribean's "Freedom of the Seas" for a 7-day cruise to CocoCay Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. Neither of us have ever cruised before and are really looking forward to discovering something new. We will celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary on the trip.

I am so very excited but anxious at the same time because we will be leaving our boys for 9 days. I believe the most we've ever been away from home like this (without them) is two or three nights. They'll be well cared for by Grandparents and other friends/family who love them. It just seems like a long time away the closer we get to departure.

I will have lots of pictures to share when we return but, for now, I found some pictures of the ship online: