Happy 2011!

Whew!  It has been a long time since I posted.  I got completely caught up in enjoying Christmas and the rest of the holiday season.  We all had a wonderful Christmas!  Seth turned eight on January 8 and he had his first “real” birthday party.  We always have family parties, but this year Seth wanted to invite his three best buddies to an afternoon at Pete’s Party Castle.  It was so much fun!  He is obsessed with cars right now and his cake was super cute…. Complete with couple of classic cars on top! 

The biggest and best present was his brand new puppy!  We have two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Bentley and Clarabel, but Seth has always wanted his OWN dog.  So, two days after Christmas, we gave in and got the cutest little six week old Miniature Dachshund puppy.  We named him Presley because  Seth shares his birthday with Elvis Presley! I Iove having a “baby” in the house! 

Seth and I went back to school last week after being off for two weeks.  I had fun pretending I was a stay at home mom for a while.  I am so blessed to have such a wonderful job though so going back to work wasn’t really that hard. 

I was talking with a friend at work about the new year and she mentioned that she does not make New Year’s resolutions.  I don’t either – I gave up on those years ago!  I still weigh twenty pounds more than I would like to and I don’t think making a new year’s resolution is going to make me shed that pesky weight.  I had seen several friends on Facebook state that they were going to choose one word to live by for the entire year.  I mentioned this to my friend.  I told her I had been thinking of letting my word be JOY.  Then Joann mentioned that for the past several years she has chosen a hymn to live by to guide her through the year.  That is it, I thought!  I can do that…. It would be similar to having a favorite verse that you turn to when you need encouragement, help staying the course, etc.  I love Psalm 46:10 which states “Be still and know that I am God.”  JoAnn said that this year she has chosen the hymn “I Surrender All” as her guiding principle.  That is one of my all time favorite hymns and what a wonderful personal goal for the new year….. surrendering our ALL to God.  I thought about several favorite hymns ranging from “Have Thine Own Way Lord”, Only  Trust Him, “ It Is Well With My Soul” and  “Great is Thy Faithfulness” before finally deciding on “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” as my song for the year.  I struggle at times with worrying about things of the world without fully placing my trust in God.  I get caught up in worldly cares and trials and focus more on trying to work things out MY way without turning my eyes to Jesus. This beautiful hymn, written in 1922, begins with “Oh soul are you weary and troubled, no light in the darkness you see?”  I don’t know about you, but I have felt that way at times.  Overwhelmed and discouraged, not seeing how truly wonderful, this life is EVERY day if we simply turn our eyes to Him.  This is my commitment to myself for 2011 – to turn my eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of Earth shall grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.

May each of you have a blessed 2011. 

This is sweet Presley having his first bath!