... while Emily is ALMOST a teen

Yes, here we are ... celebrating the first grandchild birthday of 2012. Emily is the birthday girl today and she is 12 years old. Oh my!!! Next year, ALL of my children will be the parent of a teen. How in the world did that happen?

So how do you describe Emily? Using the letters of her name, I say she is ...

Energetic ... and an awesome fast-pitch softball pitcher

Magnificent ... hunting Easter Eggs

Incredible ... just to hang out (or sit on a fence) with

Laughing a lot (especially with best friend Nattalee)

Young lady - and a beautiful, intelligent, kind and caring one

And in addition to all of that, she is thoughtful and caring. Below is the poster board she and Lauren worked together on for my birthday. That's rather awesome that they did the board, but even better that they thought of it all on their own.

Emily, my precious, I love you MORE THAN THE WORLD!!! I am honored and awed by God's goodness when He gave you to us.

Bunches, my sweet, bunches,
Nana

... WHEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

I've been on roller coasters that didn't go this fast! 

Where did the year go?

60 Lessons I have learned:

1. Love is important - make it a goal in your life.
2. Fall in love with your best friend - or become best friends with the one you love.
3. Staying in love is a choice. Choose love EVERY day.
4. Parents are to be cherished, honored, and eventually, taken care of. Don't miss your chance.
5. Sometimes family WILL let you down. Don't let it make you bitter.
6. If you love someone, tell them often. Don't miss the chance to let them know how you feel.
7. Good friends are hard to come by, so cherish them.
8. Don't be ashamed to mourn the loss of someone/something cherished.
9. Fake friends are a dime a dozen - treat them kindly but don't give them your trust.
10. Smiles are the least expensive face lift you can get.
11. Giving smiles away brings great rewards.
12. Laugh - laugh often - laugh with gusto. 
13. Holding a baby (especially if it's your grandchild) is better than any tranquilizer in any pharmacy.
14. Mistakes teach valuable lessons. Learn and move on.
15. Bloom where you are planted!
16. Don't fill your life with "stuff". Instead, fill your life with people you love.
17. There will always be time for the things that are important to you. You need to decide what that is.
18. Reading the Bible is important. Praying is more important. Make time to do both.
19. Take time to have fun.
20. Be kind to the downtrodden. You may be the only friendly face they see.
21. Hugs are medicinal. 
22. A child's giggle is priceless.
23. When you promise a child you'll do it "later" ... really do it later. 
24. Before you can love others, you must love yourself.
25. Don't let others control your happiness/mood/emotions.
26. No matter how little you have, realize that there are others who have less.
27. Wanting more than you can have will destroy your enjoyment of what you already have.
28. Embrace your uniqueness. 
29. Never compare yourself to others. You should be your own measure.
30. Try something new. It's okay to fail if you learn from the trying.
31. Stop wishing your life away. Enjoy Mondays as much as you do Fridays.
32. Take joy in the simple things. There are far more simple things than grand things in life.
33. De-clutter your life. In throwing out the trash, you just might discover a hidden treasure.
34. Set goals.
35. I don't have to be the best person in the world ... I just have to be the best "me".
36. Choose words carefully. Once they leave your mouth, you can never take them back.
37. Never stop dreaming.
38. Kindness is free. 
39. If others hurt you, don't try to get even. Let God deal with them.
40. Take care of your health - physically - emotionally - spiritually.
41. Enjoy the beauty that surrounds you. The world is an amazing place full of wonderful things.
42. Be confident. Trust yourself more than you trust anyone else.
43. Think good thoughts. They'll crowd out the bad ones.
44. Be thankful. 
45. Expect good things to happen and recognize them when they do.
46. Procrastination does not necessarily equal planning.  Recognize the difference.
47. Sometimes you need the shortcut, but when you can, take the scenic route.
48. Use your power for good ~ not evil.
49. When possible, refuse to live by the clock.
50. Compliments should be free, but not cheap.
51. Enjoy being creative ... in whatever way you enjoy. 
52. Engage in conversation - listening - talking - sharing!
53. Never say "never". 
54. Stand up for what you believe in. 
55. Speak the truth.
56. Never expect more from someone than you know they are capable of giving.
57. Embrace calm. It gets you through a lot of rough times.
58. Let your actions speak louder than your words.
59. Live your life so you'll have no regrets. There is no rewind button on life.
60. Don't lie about your age - don't regret birthdays - they are a privilege that many were denied.

I hope I've learned more than this. 

I hope I continue learning. 

I hope I have many, many more years to utilize all of this knowledge.

Happy 60th Birthday to me ... 

and thanks to my Mom.  She's the one who did the hard work!

Bunches!

Nona

. . . and I'm thankful for those that raised me

I don't know that I was a difficult child. But I know this for sure, I wasn't an easy child. 

Really, aren't these photos enough to prove that? They were so young and then they had me and --- 

wait, they still look pretty good, don't they?

This one cracks me up. I'm guessing it's Christmas time (judging by the cards so artfully taped on the wall behind all of us). If that's so, then this would be December of 1952. Wow, my parents look pretty good for having four kids. I can imagine how we were all acting 5 minutes before the picture was taken. Yet, Momma and Daddy aren't pulling their hair out. In fact, they both look pretty relaxed.

Here they are with me --- hey, they still don't look crazy. 

And seriously, if you knew the back-story on this one, you would realize that their smiles and pleasant attitudes have nothing to do with us. The truth is, they were an incredible pair that worked together to raise four semi-normal children (well, except for the 3 boys who are absolutely NOT normal).

And although Daddy has left us to go be with Jesus, Momma is still here doing what she always has done ... she prays for us daily, she loves us unconditionally, and she is infinitely proud of each of us. 

Today (and every day), I am extremely thankful to God for the parents He gave me.

Bunches!!!!