"What is Christmas With No Snow?"

Another Christmas has come and gone......new memories were made, a few pounds of body fat were added, new photos were added to my growing collection, and good times were had by all.

We began the day with a reading of the account of Jesus' birth, from the Gospel of Luke, and then we opened up our gifts. It is such fun to watch the grand kids as they tear into their gifts. I love to see the smiles and hear the joyful sound of their laughter.

For breakfast we feasted on French Breakfast Puffs, a family tradition, that is served ONLY at Thanksgiving and Christmas.......It would be a sacrilege to serve them at any other time. My mom used to serve these for holidays too, so the taste of them bring back many memories of my childhood.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing and playing with the grand kids' new toys and games.

Steph and her honey, Dave, made a delicious Christmas dinner, with the best Prime Rib I have ever eaten, and served it with all the trimmings.

The only thing that was missing was.......SNOW!! Yes, I really did miss the snow on Christmas Day. I always think of Jesus when I look at snow........it puts me in remembrance of what the Christmas season is all about.........Jesus coming to earth as a Little Baby, Who grew to be a Man, Who gave His life for us..........to wash us in His precious blood, so that we might be made, white as snow.

The Ancient City of Corinth and Mars Hill

After a restful day and night on board our cruise ship, we reached our next port of call, Athens (Piraeus) Greece. We were met at the docks by our tour bus and our tour guide, and then we were off to our first stop, the ruins of Corinth.

On the way to Corinth, we stopped at an ancient canal that was built to move ships from the harbor to a palace (I think it was a palace??) I don't remember the whole story, but I did take a photo! We stopped at a little roadside "touristy" stop and enjoyed a little shopping and a snack, and then hiked down to a walkway, that spanned the canal. I have included a picture of the sign for the women's restroom also, I thought it was too cute!

I loved Corinth!! There is still a little village there.........the homes were just like I had imagined.....stuccoed and with red tile roofs, and each home had its own little walled garden, and an orchard.

When we drove up to the site of the ancient city of Corinth, I was in awe of the great columns that I saw in the distance. I am still amazed at what has survived over thousands of years. After a short tour-guide speech, we were able to walk all around the site and even allowed to walk in and through areas that had been homes, and bath houses, and market stalls. We stopped to have a Bible study at the site of the Behma Seat, and then we walked around the museum.

The museum had some fascinating displays, and I really enjoyed it. My favorite item in the museum was a mirror, made from polished bronze, dating to the Apostle Paul's day. It put me in mind of the verses in Paul's first epistle to the Corinthian church, about seeing in a mirror dimly, but some day we will see face to face. By looking at it's polished, but not so clear surface, I can better understand what he meant! (See 1 Cor. 13) We weren't allowed to take pictures of any of the displays, so I don't have one to show you.

We left Corinth and headed to downtown, modern day, Athens, where we stopped to have lunch (authentic Greek foods, very yummy!), and then we hiked up to the site of Mars Hill, and the Acropolis.

Mars Hill was one of my favorite places. The stairs up to the top of the hill, are the same ones that have been used for thousands of years, and that means that I walked where the Apostle Paul had walked. I have included a picture of the marble cobblestone roads that are still in use, since the days of Paul.

The Acropolis was awe inspiring too. It is very well preserved and as you can see from the photos, restoration work is still going on. I loved all of the marble and stone carvings, so detailed and beautiful.

From the Acropolis you could see the ancient temple of Zeus and an ancient amphitheater.

After our tour in Athens, we were given a bus tour of the modern day city of Athens, and then we headed back to the ship.

Its Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas.......

30 and Counting.......

Thanksgiving 2009 In January, Mitch and I will have been together for 30 years and in March, we will celebrate 29 years of marriage.

Some of you know that I love my husband's scent. He has his own special smell and I especially love the smell of his breath! Okay, not in the morning, but I do love it!!

The other day as I was making the bed, I could smell his scent on his pillow, and it got me thinking of him and of our life together.

We have shared 30 Thanksgivings, 30 Christmases, 30 birthdays, and 30 anniversaries. We have watched our girls grow into women, and then we have watched them become wives and mothers themselves. We have moved to new homes more times than I can count, I think it was at 27 the last time we tried to. We have lived in 3 states, and we have been blessed by the many friendships that we have made together.

We have lived and loved, laughed and cried, and yes even fought our way through, all that God has brought to us. And I hope that through it all, we have brought glory to His name.

As Thanksgiving becomes a memory and as Christmas approaches, I want to give ALL the praise to Jesus for the life that He has given to me, but mostly I want to THANK Him for my husband. I pray that God will help me to always be a wife worthy of my honey's love.

I love you Honey and I am so very thankful for you. You are the best and I can't imagine my life without you in it. And if the Lord tarries, I look forward to 30 more years of making memories with you, and if I do say so myself, you are the BEST husband, father, and grandpa on the planet!

"Let me see your face,

Let me hear your voice;

For your voice is sweet,

And your face is lovely."

Song of Solomon 2:14

Giving Thanks With A Grateful Heart

Thanksgiving was great this year and I am thanking Jesus for my family. Our daughter, Stephenie, and her honey Dave, hosted all of us for dinner this year.
We had a yummy roasted turkey, with all of the usual trimmings and desserts.

There was alot of laughter and talk by the adults, and happy noise from all of the little ones.

The best part of the evening (besides being with my family) was Steph and Dave's pastor playing his guitar and leading us in worship.

If I do say so myself, worship will always be the best part of any gathering! I have learned that a song in my heart makes any occasion more joyful, and praising Jesus for all of His many blessings helps me keep a right perspective about my life.

(Steph, I know that this isn't a great picture of you, but at least I put one of you in my post :) lol)

Food, Glorious Food

The second day of our Italian/Grecian vacation was spent at sea. After spending the day at Messina (Sciliy) Italy, we set sail for our next port of call, Athens (Pireus) Greece.

There isn't much to do, while stuck on a huge ship the size of a small city........we ate, we walked the decks, I did a little shopping in the on-board shops, and then we ate. It was a very windy day so spending time in the pool was out, so I lounged on a deck chair in the sun and read a good book (with some of the girls), and Mitch took a nap......oh, and we ate!

If I do say so myself, the food on board our ship was fantastic! We could eat anytime of the day or night. There was always coffee and hot beverages available with yummy sweets to go with your "cuppa"........My sweet tooth loved this most of all! And the dinners were to die for......steak and shrimp, salmon and chicken, prime rib and pork chops. The salads were awesome and the desserts, the best I have ever eaten......and the best part, you could have as much as you wanted!

Okay, enough about food, I am getting hungry just thinking about it........I better go for now, the Chocolate Covered Cherries that I bought yesterday are calling out to me.....