Birthday Girl

Happy Birthday to my sweet Ellie!

You are absolutely beautiful, inside and out. You are driven. You set goals and nothing gets you distracted. Just like your dad. :)

You are also such a compassionate girl. You are wonderful and patient with little ones and you are always willing to give a helping hand.

And, you keep us laughing. When you are in charge of the camera, you fill our scrapbooks (or more accurately, our computer) with images like this.


And, you are always sweet to pose for your brother when he has camera duty.


I love watching you grow up, even though it is happening too fast!

Getting (Running) Away

While normal people are ticking off items on their long Christmas to-do list, I've run away from home.
Or, I've run away from my to-do list.
Either way, I needed a break.
This is where I am for 2 weeks...

I took the family with me though.  I didn't need a break from them.  Can anyone find Gideon?  (It's like Where's Waldo)

We are loving life right now in Sedona and I refuse to think about what is waiting for me when I get back home.  I left without doing any Christmas cards, I haven't finished my shopping, and I have no idea what I'm wearing to Tony's Christmas party for work.
And, you know what...
I'm okay with that.
Look at this view from my patio.

My husband is so sweet to do this for me.  I was in pretty sad shape and I think he recognized the need to do this before I went off the deep end.  I'm taking this time to pray about my priorities and change some old habits and thinking patterns and hopefully that will help me to handle things better when we get back home.
Tomorrow, we are heading out for a day trip to the Grand Canyon.