We wish you a Merry Christmas..........

As we enter into this wonderful week............

To All of My Democrat Friends (all one or 2 of you),

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular

persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2008, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other contry nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical, ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.

TO MY REPUBLICAN FRIENDS:

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Truly, we do wish each of you a very Merry Christmas. For those of you traveling, we wish you safe travels, too. We will be staying home for Christmas, and look forward to welcoming my sister, brother-in-law, nephew, my brother and sister-in-law to Texas for the week.

This sounded like a good idea in September!

Go Me Go!!! On December 9th, I accomplished something I never thought I could do. I walked the 13.1 miles (half-marathon) at the Dallas White Rock Marathon. I finished the walk in 2 hours, 54 min, and 39 sec. It was a cold, wet, windy December day, but once we got going I warmed up quickly. There were many "fans" along the route cheering us on. Many of the on-lookers were holding up signs. My favorite signs were..."This sounded like a good idea in September," and "Toenails are overrated." Rick also took part in the marathon--his sixth. He ran the full 26.2 miles in 3 hours, 34 min, 57 sec. He did awesome!! The marathon benefited Texas Scottish Rite Hospital--which is an amazing place. Rick's already training for another marathon--the Cowtown--which will be in Feb. in Ft. Worth. I think I might be ready to give the White Rock another go next December.

I love my Daddy!!

When I sit down and think about the year 2007...many things come to mind, but one thing in particular stands out.

I will always remember April 5, 2007. It's one of those "Where were you when Kennedy was shot?" moments for me.

I was strolling down the aisles of Wal-Mart when Piper announced she had to go potty. Of course, the bathroom was half a mile away....as is the case when any toddler has to go "REALLY BAD!!" My phone began ringing half way through our trek. I saw it was my mom, ignored the call, and continued burning a path to the bathroom. We got to the bathroom, my phone rang again. Once again, it was my mom. I silenced the ringer, sat Piper on the toilet, and listened to the messages my mom left. "Daddy's fallen....." my heart sank. I dialed her back as quickly as possible. While on the phone with her over the course of maybe 2 minutes....it went from, "I think the ambulance may come and check him out" to "Careflight (the medical helicopter) is landing at the end of the street to get daddy to the hospital before he loses any more blood."
I'm standing in Wal-Mart with 2 restless toddlers , I have a full cart of groceries, I'm 20 minutes away from my parents, and I had no idea what to do....I had no idea that when I woke up that morning that my life could change completely--Forever! My dad had tripped and hit his head on a church pew in the back hallway of their house. He split his head open from just above his eye to the top of his head...an 8 inch long, 1 1/2 wide gash. On his 4 minute helicopter ride, they had to revive him.
I rushed to the hospital. As I walked into the big white room in the ER, there was my daddy...my hero....lying there with blood everywhere, 10 kagillion stitches holding his head together. Watching him laying there was so difficult. Praise the Lord for his speedy recovery. (He was asking for his blackberry only hours after his "ordeal.")
That day changed my life. I've never loved my dad more than I did that day. Every memory, every loving thought, everything came back to me. So this year, more than anything, I'm grateful for my dad. I'm grateful that the Lord saw fit to keep him here for a little bit longer. I'm grateful that my children will get to have their grandpa around. I'm grateful that (Lord-willing) he'll be here for another Christmas. I'm grateful for my dad's full recovery. I'm grateful that my mom will have the love of her life to keep her company this Christmas. I'm grateful that I'll have more time to hug my dad, and tell him I love him. Merry Christmas, Daddy, I truly could've never asked for a better dad.