Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough

I came across this stop sign the other day, and it made me laugh way too hard.  Let's get this straight: someone RAN INTO a sign that says, "Stop."  The irony.

Then I thought about how perfectly that describes my life; hurling at lightning fast speeds into 2017, despite any impending hazards.

I'm going to make you a promise.  In the 5-7 minutes it will take you to read this post I will not mention anything remotely political, because I'm certain that you are tired, and I mean TIRED of hearing about these topics.  Yes, today's issues are important, but Kit Kat said it best.

Give me a break.

Can't we go back to the simpler days when the biggest disagreement was Dunkin Donuts vs. Krispy Kreme, or Heinz vs. Hunts?

There are some instances in life that do call for some judgment, honestly.

1)  If your voicemail box is full, then it kind of makes one seem irresponsible.  Do you return any of your calls?  Prioritize?  It just seems kind of shady in my humble opinion.  Unless you're my Dad, who thinks a voicemail box is a body part located right next to one's esophagus.

2) When you're at the back of the line in a store and the people in front of you dart to the next checkout as soon as they announce it's open...  Ever heard of first come, first served???

3) If you leave your grocery cart smack in the middle of a parking lot, there is a special place ... at the DMV for you.  And a glitch with your ticket number.  So take that.

Let's get this straight; you can push the cart all over the store, but it's too much trouble to walk 10 feet to the cart return before you leave?!? #Shame #Inconsiderate

But let's get back to things that don't make my blood boil, like the look on my precious grandfather's face when Clemson won the National Championship with ONE SECOND REMAINING!

...or the first week of January when we got SNOW!

...OR the look of delight on my daughter's face when out of all the stuffed pillows in the store, she chose to cuddle up to this one.  Was I supposed to tell her that it's actually poop?!?

"It's so squishy, Mommy!"  You're telling me...

And do you know what love is? It's assembling a trampoline solo during freezing temperatures with your bare hands and a couple of old tools.  Thank you, Ryan!

Another super highlight of January was Abi's wedding!  It literally came full circle.  Let me explain.  Abi and Austen had planned their dream wedding in Gatlinburg.  Imagine their dismay when the entire wedding venue burned because of the recent fires.  After searching numerous places around the state they found one of the most AMAZING places for a wedding that happened to be minutes from where they live.

Here is a picture of the bridesmaids and honoraries at the rehearsal dinner.  She spoiled us with goods!

And in case you're wondering, that's a life-size cardboard cutout of the couple.  Hilarious!

Behold the glory that is Caughman Farms.  This house was built in the 1800s if I had to guess.  

It used to have an equestrian camp and has stables for DAYS.  They were so huge, and there were so many of them that I could definitely not fit them all in one picture.

I know that our treasures are not to be in earthly things, and I know that this world is not our home, but I couldn't help but be completely fascinated with everything about this house and the history behind it.

Look at that entry way, would you please?  And there was so much character about this place.  Everything from the wallpaper (?!?) to the light fixtures was perfect.  Usually old wallpaper borders on the hideous side, but this was classic.

The moldings in the double formal dining room were RIDICULOUS.  Have you ever seen so much detail?

This walk-in pantry is bigger than any closet in my house, and all I could think of was how many bags of Cheetos and Starbursts I could fit on those shelves....

I want to know every detail about this family and why they DONATED this home and entire land to a Columbia school when they were grown up.  Look at these built-in closets!  Old homes never have closets like these!  And there were more sinks and vanities than there are backstage at a Victoria's Secret fashion show.

I could have totally used these light fixtures at Emerson's Alice in Wonderland party.

The bedrooms were gigantic.

And the views were spectacular.  Pardon me while I meditate on the outdoor lake.

What a playroom this would have been.

Look at this fireplace in the living area, and Abi decorated almost every square inch of the house.

This is the Master sitting room with more moldings and shelves than you could count.

And what's even more incredible is that many of the moldings you see are secret doors with very deep cabinets.  Genius!

This was no doubt over a master bed in an earlier life.

And they not only had his and hers closets, but his and hers bathrooms.   I imagine their wedding vows went something like this, "I do, but I will not share a toilet with you."  That's one way to ensure a happy marriage. And the icing on the cake was this rotating device in the woman's closet, like you'd see at a dry cleaner.  Or in the movie "Clueless." Insane.

Here is the outdoor walkway to the pool house where Abi had her wedding reception.

Very fun fact: JAY, as in my beloved brother, and Abi were elementary and middle school sweethearts.  He still has a stuffed animal that she gave him from back in the day.  Too funny!

I could talk with these girls for hours, and it would never get old.

There are so many happy endings to this story.  #1) Abi was still able to have her dream wedding.  (I actually used to pass this incredible place every time I'd go to my grandparents' house as a kid and never knew it) #2 The house was just sold a couple of weeks ago to Camp Kemo so that many more generations of children can enjoy it.  It will breathe new life back into the home and for such a worthy cause.  

In other news, we've been completely buried in home projects, such as replacing counter tops, re-painting the iron out front, and painting the entire deck.

If I never paint another deck again it will be too soon.  

Fortunately we had an army of people to keep Emerson entertained during all of this.

Every single morning she wants to take some kind of toy for show and tell; the problem is that show and tell is only on Fridays. But since I'm not in the mood to argue she ends up prancing in the classroom with some type of toy on any day that ends in 'y.'

She said Cinderella had stinky feet...Who knows.  Guess there aren't many ways to air out a glass slipper.

In our spare time we've also taken up helicopter flying. 

And hair style experimenting.  (Brittany at daycare deserves the credit)

And learning to ride bikes.

One of the last home improvement projects was the yard.  My Dad accompanied me on a recent trip to Lowe's to buy 20 bags of mulch.  Admittedly, it's not one of our favorite past times.  After deciding on a color of mulch- who knew such a thing mattered?- an employee helped us load the bags onto a huge rolling cart.  Then he walked with us outside to put them in the car.

Within the 45 seconds it took me to find my car in the lot and drive to the front of the store my Dad had already struck up a conversation with the employee and asked if he knew Jesus.  

Non-invasive boldness.  I love it.  How often do we let little opportunities slip by when we could have potentially had a major impact or at least planted a seed?

That Sunday our preacher's sermon was on bringing people to Jesus.  It's amazing how God sometimes smacks us right across the head with reminders of the reason we are here and what we're called to do.

My Dad started the conversation with some very easy questions:

1) Are you from around here?

2) Do you have a local church you attend?

3) Do you know Jesus?

Sharing Jesus can be intimidating, but I hope these questions will help you in your next encounter. When put like that, it can be SO easy to share the gospel.  Just remember that there is absolutely no reason to feel silly or intimidated.

So whether you're buying mulch, stamps, or another batch of My Little Ponies...I'm certain that the Lord put each person you encounter directly in your path.

Merry Everything!

Irony: Yelling at your family to be quiet so that you can practice singing, "All is Well."

This actually happened over Christmas, and I later realized how hilarious it was.

"Let there be peacceeee on earrtthhh---HUSH!!! I MEAN IT!!!"

I hope you have your insulin, because this episode is completely full of treats.  

We ventured out on December 15th for an almost two week vacation, and it was Heavenly.  Emerson's teacher surprised me with one of the CUTEST hair styles before we hit the road.

One thing's for sure: this year mother nature finally got the winter memo.  It was downright COLD...for us, at least.  When you're not sure whether you've opened your front door or freezer to check the mail, it's cold.  That's why weather experts recommend dressing warmly in head to toe pink...and throwing in a little Yoo Hoo for good measure.

On the days when I was working from home Emerson decided she would help with tasks, such as gift wrapping.

"It's the thought that counts, right?"

We spent the next week enjoying all things seasonal; shopping for gifts, watching movies, playing outside (before turning into a Popsicle)...and what's a vacation without lunch dates?

Seriously. Every day was a party or special event.  On the 18th we enjoyed a wonderful church service, followed by our annual Communion service that evening AND family party on my Mom's side.

I also found out about an incredible light display nearby, and both sets of grandparents all piled in the van for a super fun time.  They even gave us hot chocolate and cookies!

There were more lights than you could imagine with a million different themes.

"Look, Mommy!  A ghost!"  Well not quite, sweetie, but I won't tell the angel you said that.

And this bird cracked me up.  If my brother were a Christmas decoration this would be it.

Please tell me you see it, too.

I told Ryan there was even one that reminded me of him.  Hahaha.  

And I guess this Peacock was just for me, because we all know I adore all things peacock.

One of the highlights of the season is always the Jordan party.  Last month while hosting a shower I was introduced to these.

"...And on the 8th day God created bacon wrapped, brown sugar cocktail weenies.  Not everyone at once, please.  We all know God can multiply things!"

They are seriously THAT good, so I decided I would make them for the Jordan party.  My Dad helped me prepare over 160.  They were nicely spaced apart and looked picture perfect.  Can you tell what we did wrong?

About 20 minutes into cooking them I smelled smoke, and my suspicions were confirmed when I opened the oven...but what was causing it??

I placed half of them on cookie sheets, which had no sides in order to drain the grease.  My mother was none too happy and gave me one of those looks.  

BUT...the happy ending is that they turned out incredibly delicious, and when I came to the table about 30 minutes after putting them out, they were gone.  I'm glad everyone else liked them, too, for the sake of my waistline.  I didn't need any leftovers.

The party was wonderful, as always!

And what's a holiday without a letter to Santa?

This year I decided to center it around Ryan's hunting.  

Deer- I mean DEAR- Santa,

     I've been keeping a secret, and I must confess. I found Rudolph…his head is stuck through our living room wall. Daddy started telling me how he got there, but Mommy quickly interrupted and said he was speeding while pulling your sleigh. By the way, do you know why Daddy hid all of his camouflage clothes?

     My name is Emerson Moody, and I’m three years old. This year I’ve been a good girl about 90% of the time. Remember that in college, a 90 is still an A.  For Christmas I would really love a trampoline, bicycle, and toys, and Mommy would like you to keep your reindeer fenced in the North Pole so that no more of them decorate our walls. 

I hope last year’s cookies don’t get you stuck in the chimney!

Merrily,

Emerson

This was absolutely one of the most wonderful Christmases ever.  One of my favorite gifts could not be bought in a store, wrapped under a tree, or found on Amazon's most wanted list.

It was the arrival of my beloved brother, Jay, and his FIANCE', Laura.  We adore her and are so happy to welcome her into our ward family.

I was already practicing at church by the time they arrived on Christmas Eve, so the first time I got to officially see them as a couple was when I sat beside them in the pew during the message.  I couldn't exactly yell, "HOLY COW, I'M SO EXCITED TO SEE YOU!!!! WOW, HOW WAS YOUR TRIP?  WE'VE MISSED YOU! LET ME SEE THE RING!!!!"  I saved that for later.

After a brief visit we dashed to the annual Christmas Eve dinner at the Johnsons, where we feasted on almost everything you can imagine.  And gave and received lots of hugs.

After that, we were all Jay and Laura's!  I could hardly wait to visit with them.  A couple of months prior to them coming, the following conversation took place via phone.

My Dad: "We can hardly wait to meet Paca."  (That's Laura's wire fox terrier that will soon be Jay's, too)

Jay:  "I'm so glad you said that, Dad.  We're going to bring him home with us for Christmas, so you can meet him then!"

My mother's initial reaction:

She thinks every dog does this:

We moved every china tea cup, decorative pillow, and article of clothing within reach.  But what we could not have imagined was how much joy this dog would bring us.  He is one of the most beloved dogs I've ever met.  Not only did my mother ADORE him, but at one point Emerson AND Paca were taking a nap on either side of her on the couch.  I'd pay for that picture; we weren't home then!

You can imagine our surprise on Christmas Eve when I got a text from my Mom saying that Paca escaped when my Dad opened the door.  He ran across the road and jumped in the LAKE!

I imagine that it went something like this...

Fortunately, all was copacetic by the time we got back.  Why do I sometimes miss the best happenings?!

You're probably wondering where Paca's name originated.  When Laura went to the animal shelter she immediately fell in love with him, because his haircut made him look like an alpaca.

And there you have it. Paca was SUCH a special treat to have around.  He barked maybe a handful of times, and only when he was too excited.  Most times you didn't even know he was there until you would see him around the corner or feel fur on your leg.  He doesn't even shed!  He's like the miracle dog.  Emerson and Paca were the cutest pair ever, and he even got special privileges!

Mama told them that Paca is absolutely welcome ANYTIME.  That's quite the 180 from her original feelings.  She shouldn't have watched Beethoven in the 90s.

Then came...Christmas morning!!!  We were surprisingly all awake around 7:30, and Ryan looked at me, puzzled, after seeing the tree and presents.

"Where are Emerson's toys from Santa?"

"What are you talking about, Ryan? They're right here!" as I moved my arms like Vanna White.

"You mean...they're wrapped???"

And thus, a debate was born.  Ryan grew up with almost all of his toys from Santa on display.  In my family we wrapped everything except bicycles.  The way I see it, having all of your Christmas presents unwrapped is like squeezing all the joy into only a few seconds.  When you order a pizza or steak, do you eat the whole thing in one bite, or do you savor it?  Of COURSE you savor it!  Laura told us that her parents even wrapped the items in her stocking. I love her more all the time.  And what do you know?  Emerson's favorite thing to do on Christmas morning was OPEN things.  Debate settled.

I adored my handmade wreath from Laura.  It took her about five hours to do this!

It was so special to go to church on Christmas morning with our whole family.  It made me so happy to see so many people we love as we gathered to celebrate the true reason for the season.

Next up was a delicious steak lunch with the Moodys, complete with gift time, part two.  

Emerson's big gifts included a bicycle and a trampoline!

We had a feast with my family that evening (of course we would with Jay the Chef in town).

After our meal we played an absolutely HILARIOUS game, and Emerson discussed wedding decor with Laura aka "Aunt WaWa."

On the 27th we celebrated with my grandparents and Uncle David.  I told you every day was a party!

And I can't end without mentioning SANTA.  The weekend of our church anniversary (when I was deathly ill) I scheduled an outdoor Santa session with Emerson...in Conway.  It was going to be so cute and memorable...the operative word here is "was."  We were late to our session because of a flooding detour, and when we got there Emerson had just awoken from a nap. 

Here's a post-nap attitude from a Disney movie.

And here's what it's like in actual life.  No joke.

We started off on the wrong stocking foot, and it just went downhill (or shall I say, South Pole) from there.  She wanted absolutely nothing to do with Santa, even after Poppy hugged and shook Santa's hand to prove that he wasn't Michael Myers.  Didn't work.  In hindsight, I should have mailed out one of those golden moments to 200+ people.  

I had a limited amount of time to order the cards and of course was emailed about a sale that was taking place "ONLY" that day, and no sooner than I started to design the card I literally had a ticking clock until the sale was over.  Why do card places do that?!  It's super annoying.  But in their defense, it worked.  What could I make out of these pictures?  And then a story came to mind.

Front:

Back:

May we always remember the price that was paid so that we can celebrate everything- not just December 25th.

In summary, make sure your Christmas has these three key ingredients.

1) Love.  Tons of it.  And quality family time.

2) The desire to be young at heart.

3)  And always- ALWAYS- taking the opportunity to shake the hand of Jesus's earthly father, Joseph, whenever you see him.  It's just common etiquette.