There's No Place Like Home

Jim and I pulled into the driveway around nine last night. We had spent four days in Pocahontas with his mom and dad. After celebrating Christmas with them, Paul and the kids, we drove south to see my dad. We only had a night to spend there, but I have plans to go back with Meagan in a few weeks.

We are still adjusting to our new home. It feels a little weird turning left when we've been turning right for seven years. But as soon as we opened the car doors and were greeted by our fur babies, we knew we were home. And, boy, did our bed ever feel good!

We still have some work to do. Driveways. Car ports. Stonework. Barn. Landscaping. But it already feels like home.


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Texas Bowl, Baby!

On Monday evening we headed into the city for a football game. The kids had gifted Jim and I with tickets to the Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium where our beloved Arkansas Razorbacks would face off against the Texas Longhorns.

Take a good, long look at that picture. When Derrick first came into the family he was a wearer of the burnt orange. He now prefers the cardinal and white. WPS! And Josh, who still insisted on wearing his Texas A&M cap, made the exception to sport the colors since it was against the 'Horns. Hey, it's a start!


My Hero is not a big fan of crowds. His last bowl game was a few years back when the whole family went to the Liberty Bowl to watch Arkansas versus East Carolina. It was a night game and the temperature was 29 when we were walking in to the stadium.

So the girls called him up and said, "this game is in a stadium with a retractable roof, so we will not freeze; and we are getting club level seats so you don't have to fight the crowds to get in or out". He relented...and hired us a car so we wouldn't have to deal with traffic. We had a great time.


Our Hogs were victorious, beating the Longhorns 31-7.

I'm glad for the win, especially since our tickets were on the Texas side! For the most part, we were surrounded by great people...and there were several other Hog fans around. Of course as the game went on, the burnt orange became more and more scarce.

But, after the game, as Meagan and I waited for the rest of the crew to make their way to the concourse, a grown man walked past and told us to go back to Arkansas.

I have attended three Razorback games within the borders of Texas. The Southwest Classic in Dallas before Texas A&M joined the SEC, a regular season game at Kyle Field and this Texas Bowl. In the first and last games the Hogs were the victors...and after both games I was told to 'go back to Arkansas'. As I said in my Facebook post, I could sort of understand it coming from the A&M frat boy...but a grown man at Reliant (NRG) Stadium? I mean, Houston is a great multi-cultural city...and that extends to college football. All you have to do is read the bumper stickers during your daily commute to see that not everyone who lives here is a Texas or A&M fan. We can live in Texas and root for non-Texas teams.

Oh well, sore losers. And I did enlighten him to the fact that I lived in Texas, loved Texas but was still a Razorback fan. He just looked at me strange and walked away. I guess he learned something new on Monday night.


Woo Pig, Soiee!

I can hardly wait until next season!

And thanks again for the tickets, kids. We had a most excellent time.

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2014: A Year of Wholehearted Living

Happy New Year!



Jim and I are enjoying a few days visiting with his parents here in Pocahontus, Arkansas. The weather is a bit cooler than back home, but it is not too bad. We have spent most of today watching college football. Though a quick trip to Walmart was needed earlier this morning. Tomorrow we will finish our Christmas shopping and then open gifts with Paul, Sharon and family in the evening. We have two new nieces who are in desperate need of some spoiling. Saturday will be a kickback day and then we will leave Sunday morning to visit Daddy and Donna.



I have been thinking a lot about my One Word these past few weeks.



If you recall, back in January I chose the word 'wholehearted' to be my touchstone for 2014. As I have considered its effect on my life, I have come to realize that 'wholehearted' living is a process that will probably continue for the rest of my life. Yeah, yeah...I know I said that in my post on January 6, 2014, but now I am really beginning to understand.



It's been a year since I began considering what a wholehearted life looked like. First God showed me what it does not look like. It is not hollow but hallowed. Then He sent me to attend Beth Moore's last Tuesday night Bible study series at Houston's First Baptist, Breath. I was reminded anew that He wanted me to walk by and be filled with His Spirit. (The study should be out soon -- I highly recommend it!). The second thing He showed me was how selfish I had become of my time. Then He gave me the opportunity to begin regularly serving the women of our church through leading a midweek Women's Bible Study. We had eight ladies show up for dinner and to study Kelly Minter's Nehemiah. Finally, He began showing how little I ask Him for. When the reality of Daddy's health issues hit me, The Lord gently whispered 'what do you want?' It was then (in a deer stand of all the holy places in the world) that I realized how I had been guarding my heart...not living wholehearted. I poured out the desires of my heart to Him. I asked for big numbers and great details. Then, a still small voice asked, 'do you trust me?' The next day, when we received news from the oncologist that there was to be no new treatments because they wouldn't bring more time or remission...there was peace. Sadness too, but I knew that I could trust the God who had written all of my Daddy's days in a book when as yet there was not one of them. I had shared my whole heart with Him and accepted that His ways are not my ways....but they are good. He is good.



And so, I share with you a quote from my devotional reading yesterday that summarizes my year of Wholehearted Living from Come Let Us Adore Him by Jean Wise:



God heals the shattered pieces of our hopes and dreams. He fashions peace from the ruins of our battles. He repairs our individual fractures, thus healing the entire world...After all, He is the expert in moving pieces to peace and holes to wholeness.



Yes, I will always have pieces and holes on this side of eternity. May they grow fewer though as He replaces them with peace and wholeness....my One Words for 2013 & 2014. Coincidence? I think not.

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