Small Town Blessings

Today we went to the Prescott Christmas Parade. About 15 minutes before we were getting in the car to leave, Jordan says..."Yeah... we're gonna be IN the parade!". We hadn't planned on being in it but just going to it. Long story short...I ended up pulling Jordan and Savannah in a wagon, walking with their preschool. I was more than willing to do it and the thrill of watching the two of them was so much fun. We literally waved and said "Merry Christmas" a thousand times. The best part was all the "Prescottonians" waved and said "Merry Christmas" back! I found myself wondering..."Does this happen in other cities?" I am so blessed to live in a small town where I can walk in a parade with my child and exchange this beautiful greeting with the people I share life with. I waved and saw many people I knew that I could call out by name, smile, and shout..."Merry Christmas!" Simple pleasures....God is so good to allow us to raise a family in this precious city! Prescott....Arizona's Christmas City.....I LOVE IT!

Like Father...Like Daughter!

This is why I love my Dad.....see....he takes pictures of his food too! This is my sweet Dad REALLY enjoying a Chili Cheese burger and he just had to share that moment with me! We spend many moments laughing about our cravings and how particular we are about our food. I know this blog seems to always be about food but this was just the perfect way to show you I come by this naturally! I love my Dad!

I love these moments!

Don't you just love the times when your kids are laughing and playing together? They bring me so much joy!!!!

Austin's Staples

Well, we just experienced our first trip to the Emergency Room and thank the Lord it wasn't a life or death situation! Austin went out on a canoe Sunday with his best friend Jacob and his Dad Jay. They had a great time in the canoe and climbing on the rocks. After a picnic lunch they went to load the boat on the truck. It was super windy outside and as they were loading the boat, the canoe blew off and hit Austin's head. Poor Jay ran to Austin and found him with a pretty good cut on his head. Jay is a Doctor so he couldn't have been in better hands. Long story short....Austin ended up with 7 staples but no concussion (?). I was so proud of Austin...he really was brave and handled the situation really well. I sat in that hospital with a little smile on my face because although it was scary/expensive/unknown/etc. I knew God was at work and was gonna turn this situation into a faith building experience that would help Austin fight his battle with fear. I just love watching God move and rescue us from something that could have been so much worse! Now I just have to convince Jay and family that this incident was just a part of life and that beating himself up over it is silly! We love the Goswick family! They have been a huge blessing to our family....especially to our Austin! What a cool scar he will have someday when he looses his hair....which probably will never happen! This picture was taken yesterday.....you can't really see all the staples but you get the idea!

I found another one!

This delicious breakfast was at St. Louis Bread Company. A fancy quiche thing and a Cinnamon Crunch bagel with Hazelnut cream cheese. My absolute favorite. The last time I was in St. Louis I ate this bagel every morning! Had to share..... I promise to stop posting about food....

Pictures of Food?

David said I should blog about how much I love food and how that is evident by the fact that I take pictures of my food. Do you? Here are some of my favorite meals....

This was my very first "mango" experience! Jim Smith prepared this wonderful meal in Kauai when we (Michelle, Jim, David and I) went a couple years ago. Ahhh the delicious eggs, bacon, sweet Hawaiian bread - soaked in butter, and that juicy delicious Mango! We were so impressed with his Mango presentation! That meal started a life long love affair I have with Mangos! At this very moment I have 2 Mangos sitting on my counter ready to be eaten! The obsession doesn't stop there though...I have Mango lemonade, Mango body butter, Mango soap, Mango tea, Mango Sauce (like apple sauce), Mango spread, Mango candles, and so on and so on. All for the love of the Mango!



I once heard that a donut is the worst thing you could possibly eat. Well that has not stopped me from enjoying the most delicious dessert known to man! Now let me clarify something....I will not eat just any donut. I do care about what I put into my body that eventually will land right on my thighs! If I'm gonna eat a donut....it is gonna be fresh, not deep fried tasting, and when I am craving it the most! This beautiful artwork on the wall was at a donut shop in PHX while Erica and I were at Mommy Camp! We drove miles and miles to find this delicious donut place because we heard they were so fantastic! That they were! Gotta love a friend who loves donuts as much as you do! That's "my Erica!"

This is the famous "Steak Finger Meal". The talented Patsy Coyne (David's Mom) is the creator of this fabulous experience. The first time I had this meal was in 1990, and I have made a point to eat it every time I get the chance since then. I have made it myself a couple times...well actually with the help of others since it is so hard to serve it all at once and still be hot. Let me describe it to you so you can experience the watering of the mouth that I am experiencing right now.....mashed potatoes with a pool of butter in the middle, creamed peas (a bag of frozen peas in a white sauce), Steak fingers (Round steak rolled in flour, egg, flour again, deep fried in a ton of Crisco...cooked to perfection!) and last but not least....gravy (the consistancy of pudding, steak drippings, flour and milk) Add a couple sticks of carrots to make you feel better about eating all that grease and bamm.....there you have it....pure heaven!

So there you have it....do you take pictures of your food?

My Blog World

Ok fellow bloggers.....here I go......I am stepping into the blog world! I'm a little hesitant because I wonder if I will ever take the time to sit down and write. I would much rather talk to you in person about every thing that happened to me and every feeling I have but I realize that is just too much for the world to handle. This form of communication is much better because I know you are reading only because you want to! I always hated writing papers in college so this feels like that but I'm sure eventually it will come easier and how cool will it be to have months and months of thoughts/happenings/pictures/hilarious moments!?



I have loved reading all your blogs! Ashley Zwalen's is amazing! I still can't figure out when she has time to do it? Chris Holohan's makes me cry in laughter and so does Amy Mengarelli's. I love finding out how Caitlin & Jay Greer, Nicole Temm, Steve and Allegra Carne, are doing who are in ministry around the world. My first exposure to a Blog was a High School friend Treigh who battled cancer and beat it! What an experience that was to read her thoughts and fears as a mother of 2 facing a deadly disease. The whole blog thing is like scrapbooking and journaling for the world to see! I have slacked off on the journaling thing in my scrapbooks so maybe this will help document some memories I never get to in the ol' scrapbook. My friend Teri Shepherd who scrapbooks lives in Missouri and she also blogs.....I can do it too!!!! So thank you my fellow bloggers....I look forward to this challenge and can't wait to read your next blog!