I've moved and you can find me at www.onemomsheart.blogspot.com

To read previous posts you can check the "you might like" suggestions below.

Where I've been and why I'm back,sort of.

Several months ago I walked away from this blog due to a heavy heart. Things were changing in our family dynamics as we realized Jenna would be moving to Texas leaving us without any of our children living close by. I also struggled with a lurker who found a way to take the joy and fun out of writing.

I've finally come to a point where I've decided that my life is my life and the things that I've written have been a huge part of my life for the last three years. I've taken much ribbing from my family for my love of blogging, but I truly believe that writing has brought healing to my life during a period where I struggled to stay afloat and find contentment in my life.

I've been asked by a handful of people to be allowed to view this blog. New friends have come along who have inquired about the things I written and wanting to learn more about me. I even had a dear and precious woman from the UK email me after finding me on google. She had visited my blog over the years and only made herself known through an occasional comment. I thought of her when I made this blog private because I had no way to let her know why I was leaving the blogging world. She was an encouragement and I always smiled when she would surface with a comment. She wrote to me to tell me she missed me and to share great words of wisdom as I faced the days ahead anticipating Jenna's move to Texas. I was amazed to find that she really knew my family and quite a bit about me. Yes, that's blogging for you! I knew nothing about her, but we have since emailed and she has been gracious enough to send photos and fill me on details about her life. She's been a sweet gift from the Lord.

I say all of this to explain my departure from Just A Thought and to invite anyone reading this to visit my new blog at http://www.onemomsheart.blogspot.com/. I began a new blog and kept it private for awhile. I edited all of the early posts as not to reveal things that needed to remain private. When I knew my heart was ready to begin blogging again I started fresh. Now, thanks to time and healing, I reopen this blog and invite all of my friends from the past to come join me as I find my way back to the world of blogging at One Mom's Heart.

It's time for some fun!

Just for fun I thought I'd share a short video made by my husband. Because my birthday in Mexico was one I will never forget I wanted to add a few photos of the silly fun we had on the beach after going out to dinner that night. I'm trying not to bore you with tons of scenery and beach shots. These are just us being nuts. As you know, that's nothing new :)

Here are just a few highlights of playtime on the beach.

Okay, so there was another shot of me looking pretty scary, but I opted for the more gentle shot. I love having fun with my family. One last shot just to show how adorable these two are. They made every minute of our trip fantastic!

In case you are looking for me

I have recently decided to cut back on my internet time. I have closed my Facebook account and will be cutting back on blogging and commenting on blogs.

One of the best things in my life

Celebrating

30 years today

with the man

I love!

Our last day in paradise

As most anyone knows part of the joy of a wonderful vacation is the reliving of it all when you get home. The memories are sweet and you just want to reach out and touch just one more time the peace and serenity of the moment. As I write this post it is more for myself than anyone. I cannot begin to number the times I stopped and thanked the Lord for the opportunity to to take this trip. I felt so blessed to be in a such a paradise with the ones I love most in this world. Our time with Beto and Lindsey was beyond amazing. We laughed and had tons fun. I enjoyed every single minute we were together. Having them with us was an added blessing beyond words.



I was in awe every time I stopped to think that the reason for this vacation was to celebrate my life with Dave. The love in my heart for him was overflowing as was the thankfulness for our thirty years of sharing our lives together. We commented to one another about how it's hard to even remember our life separate from each other.






The morning we left our resort was slow paced and peaceful. I enjoyed my last moments of relaxation with a cup of coffee and sunshine while we waited to go to breakfast with the kids.

Of course we had to take umpteen photos from our balcony before we left the room. It really was a spectacular site with the palms, colors, and textures all around us.

Around 11:00am we loaded the van for the hour plus ride back to Cancun. We all had a good laugh at this little sign posted by our driver.

Once we arrived at the airport we were convinced that every single spring-breaker on earth must have been at the Cancun airport that morning. We waited in line to get our tickets for about an hour and a half. We breezed through customs only to find out our flight was delayed for a few hours due to the high volume of flights trying to enter and leave the airport that day.

Our flight to Dallas was uneventful. Dave always seems to get the window seat and his head is stuck in front of the window the entire trip. Once on the ground we found ourselves greeted by some cold 40 degree weather as we walked off the plane in our sandals and shorts.

We spent the night at our kids house and flew home on Sunday. We were thrilled to find unseasonably high temps back in Michigan which made coming back to reality just a tiny bit easier.

Tomorrow we celebrate our anniversary. What a blessing to have a week of wonderful memories to store away as we thank the Lord for the marriage we share and the family we love.

What a great birthday!

One week ago today was my 49th birthday. The day began with a ginormous breakfast as did every single day we were gone. We headed directly down to the beach expecting to enjoy the sun and surf. This turned out to be the only day we had some rain. The sprinkles started and we were determined to stick it out. The sprinkles turned to rain and everyone ran from the beach...everyone except us. We decided playing in the huge ocean waves sure beat heading to our rooms to hide out. The water was beautiful as always and we were having a blast even if we were the only ones swimming. We finally rinsed off and decided the empty pool looked ever so inviting. Once again we made our own fun having the entire pool all to ourselves. When Lindsey and Beto are around the laughs never stop.

By afternoon the rain cleared out and Dave and I headed out to take photos around the resort. There were so many beautiful colors and textures making it fun to use our new little camera.

Later that night we had reservations at the resort steakhouse for my birthday dinner. The meal was fantastic! Who can turn down filet mignon?While Dave, Linds, and myself were off getting our salads at the salad bar my precious Beto was conspiring with the waitstaff to surprise me with a special dessert. I was totally taken off guard when the waiters showed up singing to me.



Believe me, it was interesting hearing all those Mexican guys singing Happy Birthday a bit off key, LOL. They brought me my own special tierra missu complete with my name and happy birthday written in chocolate. Yummy! Beto said the waiter was confused on how to spell my name. How funny! I was confused at the simplest spanish words I heard spoken all week long.

What a great way to celebrate and make a fun memory. I did get a peek at my facebook page to find all the wonderful wishes sent my way. My mom also handed me a card on the way to the airport for me to open the morning of my birthday. She included some cash to spend and spend I did.


Thanks David, Lindsey, and Beto for making my birthday one I will never forget!

Wordless Wednesday