In the beginning...

Hello! Well, it seems I have been drawn into the blogger world. I love reading others blogs and so I decided to start my own. With Ashley's help, we set up my blog and now it has hit me...what will I say???

Maybe I too shall start at the beginning of "my" story, though I think I will need to make it somewhat short and sweet...because I fear it will be quite boring!

My life begin October 16th, in San Angelo, Texas at Shannon Memorial Hospital. From what I have been told, I was fortunate to be born in the hospital. It seems my sweet Mom had gone to the hospital on several occasions only to be sent home...false labor. So, she resolved she wouldn't go back until it was the "real thing". She was having pretty solid labor pains but decided instead of going to the hospital, she would instead go have her hair done...I mean after all...she wanted to look good! Well, I believe she had everyone in the salon in a panic before they got her hair fixed and delivered her to the hospital! Good to know she had her priorities in place! Ha! No fear...she had it under control! She had a good looking hair style and then had a BIG baby girl with quite a unruly hair style of her own!

Though I lived in San Angelo and Odessa as a baby girl, my first memories take place in the same town as I live in now...Abilene. My growing up years were fun and carefree for the most part. I was blessed to have two loving parents, a great older brother and lots of precious family and friends. We attended Woodlawn Church of Christ and it was there I made life-long friends and wonderful memories...and it was there I met my sweet husband, Larry. His family also attended Woodlawn, so though I knew him from a young age, it was my sophomore year in high school when I "really" noticed him. We dated through high school and were married a year after I graduated.

We bought our first home, a few months before we married on a "sweat equity" loan...and boy did we sweat! That house went from a slum to a very cute starter home. We lived there for a little over a year, sold it and built a house in the big town of Hawley! Two years later, God blessed us with our first child, Zachary Austin and though we both wanted children...I truly don't think either of us realized how much fun being parents would be nor the blessings God had in store for us! Three years later, we again were showered with God's love as we welcome our second child, Ashley Jo. Our little family was complete! We lived in Hawley, until the summer before Zach was to begin kindergarten at which time we desired for our children to attend schools in Abilene. We sold the house and moved into a duplex days before school started. A year later we bought the house that we still lovingly refer to as home! It has been a house filled with love, laughter and many coats of paint! I quickly realized how much fun it was to fix up and change things and luckily I have a husband who is not only a very talented carpenter but sweetly goes along with my decorating whims!

I remember so many older women telling me "enjoy your kids...they grow up way to quickly" and I am here today to say...they weren't lying! It seems like we blinked our eyes and they were graduating from high school and headed out to make their own path in life! We prayed from the time we held them in our arms, that God would raise up spouses for them that would love them, help them in their walk with God and that "fit" into our family...and He answered that prayer twice...in much larger ways than either Larry or I could even imagine. Zach's wife Meg and Ashley's husband David are not only an answer to prayers but just go to show us that God had it planned out and set things into motion in His own perfect timing for both Zach and Ashley. We could not be more blessed!

Then came another huge blessing! GRANDKIDS! Well, once again we have been blown away by God and the way He lavishes blessings on this family. We currently have two precious grandsons, Owen and Clay and Meg and Zach have another child in the oven! "Sweet Bun" will join our family later in the year. The little guys have not only stolen our hearts but bring an incredible joy to our day to day life! We are so very blessed to have our "grands" only minutes away from us!

Well, there is a quick (though probably not quickly enough!)glimpse of my life! Now, I can either add blogs of current news or recall sweet memories and get them in print. Both will be recorded here...hopefully it will be a good place for me to write down memories I want to pass down to my family. I have wanted to write a book for a very long time...so maybe this is the first attempt at a chapter! Until later.