Merry Christmas! Today has been full of magical moments. Here are my family's favorite moments so far: My mother's magical moment, was opening her gift from her daughters. A set of hand-painted Ne' Qwa Art Nativity ornaments.  My father's magical moment, was sitting at the beautifully set Holiday dinner table, looking around at all his family. Eddie's magical moment, was when little Trace saw him, and immediately reached out to him. Trace never reached for another person the whole night. My older sister's magical moment, was watching her boys being unconditionally showered with love by their Aunt and Uncle. My little sister's magical moment, was after Christmas Eve dinner. She was hand-washing the china and I stood behind her, french braiding her long, black, beautiful hair. Mine, was Christmas morning, when little Zach brought me a book to read and sat on my lap. Only a few seconds later, Ethan came over and sat on my other knee. We read the stor...

Eddie and I are on the second half of our Christmas trip. After a week with Eddie's family in Texas, we drove 10 hours straight north to Lincoln, NE where I'm from. Only two hours into our trip, we crossed the Oklahoma border. Upon first site of an Oklahoma oil pump, an old memory was triggered and I told Eddie this story. My mother lived in Oklahoma when she was younger and to this day dreams of going back. On a family vacation when I was 16, we drove to Florida passing through Oklahoma on the way. This was the first time my mom had been back for years. Sitting in the front seat of the car, she suddenly squealed with such excitement, randomness, and intensity, that everyone in the car jumped a mile in the air. I was terrified that maybe we hit an animal in the road or something horrible. When my mother calmed down, she explained that she had seen an oil pump, and it simply reminded her of a happy childhood memory that she hadn't thought of for years. I told Eddie this st...

I learned the song, "Wiegala" a few years ago when I was asked to choose and play 2 songs for a Holocaust Remembrance Observance in the Army. I was drawn to this song because of its simple, haunting beauty. It's a lullaby meaning "cradle song" and was heard in work camps as mothers tried to sooth their frightened children. With my great interest in World War II, this song has come to mean a great deal to me. This video is from the Play Me, I'm Yours project and was taken at Central Park's Merchant Gate. To see photos from the Play Me I'm Yours project, click here . To see more videos, click here .

I put great thought and care into the Christmas presents I got for my loved ones this year. Gifts are one way I can to say to someone, "I appreciate you, care for you, think about you." Although they may not be expensive or extravagant, I hope that when they are opened, the receiver will feel special and know that I care for and value them. And the reason I think this has been heavy on my mind this year, is because I've been quite fortunate in the gifts I've received...from my husband. Not just at Christmas, not just on our anniversary, not just for my birthday. But the flowers I receive when he comes home from the grocery store on a Tuesday. Or the fuzzy socks he saw at Wal-mart and thought of me when he stopped to get anti-freeze for the car. Or the Chewy Sweetarts he grabbed at a gas station because he knows those are my favorite. These gifts have been a reflection of Eddie's feelings for me, his love, his thoughts, his heart. It comes out in his gifts. Wh...

We took our niece and nephew to the zoo in Gainesville, TX today. I held 2-year old Evie in my arms and pointed to a goat in the distance. "Look Evie, that goat only has one horn!" (The other horn had broken off). "It's a unicorn." she said. I suppose she's right. Precious little Evie At the flamingo cage, I asked 4 (almost 5) year old Jack, "What are those birds?"  He said, "Flamingos! They take a drink of water and stand on one leg." As you can see, he demonstrated quite nicely with his sippy cup. 

I took an astronomy course my freshman year of college because I heard it was an easy "A." Though I haven't retained much from the class, I do know this. The universe is far more complex than I could ever imagine. I thought the earth was complicated enough - the animals, the different species, the plants, the humans, and the way they all work together - but throw in an entire universe on top of that, and my brain is smoking. Tonight, in case you haven't heard, will be the  first total lunar eclipse to occur on the day of the Northern  Winter Solstice  since  1638. And the next one will be in 2094. How's that for mind boggling? Now here's something that has never happened before, and may not happen again for many years to come. A man and his wife got to visit both of their homes for the Christmas Holiday. And one day, four generations were in the same room at the same time. When I ponder how all this came to be, how everyone met, married, and moved just to ...

This morning, I woke up to the smell of biscuits and sausage sizzling in the kitchen. After I ate breakfast, I attended a small Baptist church in the middle of nowhere along a country road. After the service, we ate dinner together at a church potluck - a scrumptious combination of country ham, red beans, and cornbread. Later, I fed and watered the chickens and collected the hen's eggs - a dozen and seven (which I know to be fewer than normal lately). Then, I snuggled up in a handmade quilt (made by Great-grandma Grimes), and watched the Dallas Cowboys on TV. Outside, the fish are swimming in the pond, the chickens are clucking in the pen, and the tractors are collecting dust. I said my first "ya'll" a few minutes ago. I've been Texified. They do have some beautiful sunsets though The newest rooster, a Banty Merry Christmas, ya'll