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Thursday, November 13, 2008

Holiday Season Is Here......UGH!!!!

What's the point of the holidays?  Christmas is a given.  But Thanksgiving all the others.  It just serves to put people together that don't get along and to make us miserable.  We rush from one house to the other and eat so much that we are sick for days.  We pretend to like people that truly make us miserable for the sake of "Family Time".  We put up with all the rude comments for the sake of "Family Time".  We spend tons of money we don't have so that "Santa Claus" can live on in our kids lives for another year.  I'm not allowed to tell my 7 year old yet that "Santa" is just an excuse for us to spoil our kids and get away with it.  His dad would rip me a new one if I did.  Granted, his dad has plenty of help in that department.  This year for thanksgiving, I'm going to grill some burgers and watch the Cowboys sink further into oblivion.  Ryan will go to his dad's family this year.  It's just going to be Jim and I.  No more making my sister rush from in-laws to us.  No more trying to plan around everyone else's plans this year.  I'm done with it.  I'm not going to listen to people gripe about the money I've spent on the food as they eat it all and leave nothing for leftovers.  No more listening to people gripe about the money I've spent on presents for Ryan even though I bought the ones they gave him.  Santa is only bringing one thing to our house this year because not every kid goes to multiple houses for Christmas........yet.  We will tell the Christmas story and why we celebrate it.  But we aren't going all out anymore.  I'm giving up.  It's all about my husband and my son this year.  Where Ryan wants to go for the holidays is up to him this year.  He's old enough to choose.  I'm done trying to figure out how to fairly split the holidays with his dad because I want to be selfish with my time with him.  His dad isn't home like I am.  Technically I get way more time anyways because I stay home.  That's being selfish.  That's not fair to Ryan or his dad.  I'm not going to spend another holiday season stressing myself out until I'm sick.  I'm not going to spend crazy amounts of money that I don't have to feed people who are sooo ungrateful for it.  Burgers and Chips with parades and football.  If you want to come over great.  Bring something you want to eat.  It's potluck.  I have a 27" TV with no cable.  We can watch whatever is on broadcast TV.  I will be thankful this year for a gracious God who has blessed me with a beautiful son and a wonderful husband.  I will be thankful for a gracious God that has forgiven my sins and will allow me to enter heaven when my time comes.  I'm not going to try to please everyone all the time because nobody cares.  I try to go all out to show my family how much I appreciate ALL the things they have done for my husband, son and I and all I hear is $$$$$$$.  I quit.  I will just start handing over the cash and be done with it.  I'm not buying gas anymore.  I'm not buying lunches anymore.  I'm not paying for nails anymore.  I'm not doing anything anymore but handing over cash because that's all people care about.  People want to see us, they can call and plan a time for them to come see us.  I'm not driving all over God's beautiful green earth to them anymore.  Just because gas is under $2 doesn't mean I can afford it anymore.  It just means I can save it to fix the next thing that may go wrong with the car.  People want to see us.  You know our phone number.  

PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL ONCE IN A WHILE!!!!!  

IT'S NOT THAT HARD!!!!

WE CALL YOU ALL THE TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

I can predict this.  The phone will NOT ring.  NOBODY will call us.  Not even our "Friends" will call us.  Not even our family will call us.  That says a lot right there. 
The only person I know that will call is my Mom.  She calls me everyday.  She calls to see how we are doing.  She calls just to say hi.  She calls because she cares.  I do the same thing to her.  I call her everyday.  I pray she is around for a long time.  I will miss those calls when they stop.  I joke and I roll my eyes at times, but she knows it.  We laugh about it.  We know that when those calls stop, they will be missed.  

I had a friend years ago like that.  We talked multiple times a day.  I got married and consumed with my new life and stopped calling daily.  I wouldn't answer the calls.  I just didn't have time.  He died a few years ago.  I still have his number in my phone.  It belongs to someone else now I'm sure.  I just can't bring myself to delete the phone number.  Everytime I get a new phone.  I make sure that the number gets into the new phone.

That's a true friend there. 

I have another friend like that.  She will call me.  I will call her.  We hang out weekly.  That's a true friend right there.  What about everyone else?  Will you call us.  I doubt it.  That's ok though.  We'll get by.  We have God and each other.  That's all we need.

Maybe I will actually have minutes leftover at the end of the month.  Wow, I wonder what that is like!!!!!!!!!  


HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE!!!!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!!!!
HAPPY CHANUKAH!!!!!!!! (you know who you are  :D)


Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Why all the Drama

Man, there has been a lot going on.  We have a few prayer requests.  My niece has recently lost her baby and is experiencing the pain both emotionally and physically.  She was only 6 weeks pregnant.  She was however looking forward to the baby's arrival eagerly.  Ryan's cousin lost her father late sunday night in a horrific car accident.  He was only 39.  She's 13 and having a hard time dealing with her loss.  Her current living situation hasn't been good from what I understand from others in the family, but I'm not at liberty to say.  My sister-in-law got married this past Saturday.  We found out from my mother-in-law.  Pray that she is happy in her new life.  Pray for Jim and I as we work on our relationship with his family.  That has become strained again.  It feels like a see saw ride lately.  Jim and I have chosen to protect Ryan from this emotional ride by not allowing visits with them until this is sorted out.  He's talked to his dad again.  His dad's response was time will tell.  I'm not sure how that will pan out, but until then, we will only send pictures of Ryan and update them by email, letter and phone.  They have reminded him that Ryan is not their grandchild by blood.  Jim made a comment to Dad that Ryan may be the only grandchild they have through him.  That alone has brought to the front of my mind again that despite being 21 days late recently, I was in fact not pregnant.  This has been a long taxing month for us with all that going on.  Please pray for our family as we work through all this.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Family Pictures

We finally got our family pictures done a couple of weeks ago.  They turned out great!!!!  I can't wait to get prints and mail them to our family.  Some of our pictures are also on the photographers website.  

http://www.simplethingsphotos.com

I'm also posting ours on Picasa Photos.

http://picasaweb.google.com/kdhalley/FamilyPictures

Enjoy!!!!


Sunday, October 26, 2008

Six Flags Cont.



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Six Flags

We are at Six Flags with Ryan and a couple of his friends. We are having a great time. This is definitely something I have always been intimidated by. I hope this is something we will be able to do more often. I love taking Ryan and his friends places. I never imagined how much fun this could be. I'm noticing things in myself that I realized has changed over the years. I'm a mom and an adult. I know it happened a long time ago. I'm just not sure when. I love this feeling.

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Thursday, October 23, 2008

A Giving Heart

I've always wondered if Ryan picks up on the things that we teach him.  Maybe not the House Rules, but the spiritual things.  How to be toward others.  Today as my Mom and I surprised him at lunch, he surprised us.  There is a new girl in his class.  Today is her first day at the school.  Ryan asked her to join us at lunch. (They get to choose 1 friend)  He usually picks the same 2 boys each time.  While we were talking to the kids and getting to know his new friend, we found out that he has been helping her all day.  He volunteered to show her around.  For those of you that know Ryan, you all know he is not shy by any means.  He told me that tomorrow is the Dragon Bucks Store day.  We then explained to the new girl what Dragon Bucks are and how you earn and spend them.  She explained that they had something similar at her old school, but she doesn't think that they will carry over.  Ryan looked her dead in the eye and said "Don't worry, I will share mine with you.  You can have half of my Dragon Bucks"  I immediately went to tell one of the teachers nearby about that. (She was his teacher from last year).  Shortly before lunch was over she came and gave Ryan and the girl Dragon Bucks.  The ones she gave Ryan, he turned and gave to the new girl.  After we left the school, I turned to my mom and said "I guess he hears us after all."  As I'm writing this I'm getting misty eyed again.  It's hard watching my "baby" grow into a boy and soon a teenager then a young man, but this afternoon was a bittersweet moment.  Just to see the maturity he had at that moment and to see his heart so clearly.  It's so hard to fathom the miracle that is our children.  To see moments like that and to know that with God's help and guidance we cultivated this kind of response in our children.  Just to see God's love in them.  I'm in awe.  I'm so thankful that God chose to bless us with Ryan.  I wish I had the words to explain how I feel in my heart right now.  I can't wait to talk to Brad tonight and tell him about our lunch today.  I called Jim as soon as we left the school.  I couldn't wait for him to get home.  I'm so proud of my son.  I can see the man that he will become one day.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

HOOK 'EM HORNS!!!!

It looks like Texas won!!  
UT-45 OU-35  

HOOK 'EM HORNS!!! 
BOOMER LOSER!!!!!