Home With The Lord

My father-in-law passed away on June 9, 2015.  He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in February, and choose to do the Whipple surgery to try and eradicate it. He never recovered. We know he would have had more time on earth if he hadn't gone that route....but he was a fighting man and wanted to give it everything he had! And he fought hard. Heartbreaking.
The battle did beat him, but he is with the Lord....so, ultimately, he won the war!!

I have always said that I have the best in-laws ever! We always got along, they never stuck their nose in our business (leaving Catholicism is not very popular, but they never said anything....even with Max's uncle a priest! They also accepted our choice to homeschool...another unpopular move we made.)
Les was extremely generous and kind to me, and I'm really going to miss him! 

During the eight years we lived in Germany and Florida, we didn't get to see them often, but I am very grateful for the the five years we have been back in the southwest and got to spend a lot of time with my father-in-law. He had a great sense of humor and was "always" willing to help anyone. It is a sad time, but we are very grateful his suffering was limited to six weeks. He was extremely healthy for 81 years. (He rode a stationary bike everyday for 10 miles up until a few weeks before his surgery!) 

 Here is one of the last pictures Max took with his dad.

And now his dad's in uniform.  He served 20 years in the Army (two years in Vietnam!) and climbed to the highest enlisted rank, Sergeant Major.

He had Psalm 23 memorized, and said it several times while I was with him in the hospital after his surgery.

For you, grandpa, one last time....

 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Happy 20th Birthday!

It is hard to believe my son has left the teen years behind!
The teen years can be difficult. But they weren't with Landon. He wasn't perfect, but he was a joy to raise.

Now as a young adult, he and I can bump heads. Which is very foreign to me because we have always gotten along. But while homeschooling him, I trained him in critical thinking, logic, debate....and now he uses all those traits.  :)

We started off the day with Payton and I taking him to breakfast.  Max was flying back from Fl., so we continued the celebrate when he arrived at 2:00.

 He only drinks cold coffee.  (Or as I call it, "a sugar and cream drink.")  

My mom shipped him a carrot cake. You are officially an adult when you receive a cake 

in the mail. :) Very sweet.

Love this boy  young man! 

I am blessed.

 You will never escape a celebration, etc. without Landon having fun/joking. 

So Max and I weren't quick enough to get our kisses in.  When the kids were little, we would say, "Let's make a Landon/Payton sandwich." And kiss their cheeks to sandwich them in.  Those days are gone. Only because they say so!  Max and I live in denial that our kids have grown up. Maybe one day we will?!?  :)

We are SO very proud of you, son, and love you forever!!

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. 

I Cor. 16:13

End of My Sophomore (s) School Year

School year 2013-2014 is over. (Actually, Payton does math year round...and this year she will also do geography. Shhhh...she doesn't know that yet.) :)
It dawned on me a few months ago that I have two sophomores! Yikes, that will be two graduation in one week.

It was a good year for them both. Their grades were awesome and their experiences the same. God willing they both grew in their faith and character. 

Here are a few hi-lights of the school year:

 A successful year of speech and debate.  We started a new club on the east side of Tucson; Kairos. We also hosted a tournament in Oct. It was lots of work, but very successful. So well worth it.

Payton and her partner, Matthew, had a very successful year. They qualified for Nationals, but since they were held in SC, we didn't go.  We've had too much going on to travel across the country for six rounds of debate. 

Landon was one of their debate coaches. It was fun to see him on the other side of debate. I was very proud of how he handled the job. He is professional, yet the kids liked him because he made them laugh. He used his knowledge in debate and logical thinking to give some helpful advice.

Payton launching a rocket during a Physics co-op.

Landon's science class this year was the "Science of Cooking," so here he is with his lab partner, Shannon, as they use my kitchen for one of many labs. We got to consume the projects, and I have to say, they are good cooks.
(Yes, I stuck my two cents in a few times. They are colleges students with not a lot of experience in cooking.) :)

Can't have education without life skills. They have become quite good at laying hard wood floors.

Landon was a cashier at Target for over a year. (Max had better pictures, but lost them when he had to reset his phone.) :(
He recently had a job change, so he is much happier not working weekends. And for more money.

He also taught a guitar class, but unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of him with his students. It's not easy to get pictures anymore of my son's life. Sad.

This, led to.....

.....this!  No words needed here. :)

 High School soccer

Payton had a very successful soccer season. This picture was featured on Azprep because of a hat trick (three goals) during the state championship.
She also had a few write-ups and pictures. What fun.

The whole season was such a huge blessing from God!

We lined the streets to wish them luck for their last home State Championship game.
Payton had a great game on this afternoon.
Payton's best friend, Shelby, is holding the sign with me. Her other friends met us at the game. Along with neighbors.
Again, she was blessed!

We ended the school year with tickets to see Tim Hawkins. Oh, my....he is too funny.  I laughed till I cried.
The kids met up with some friends from church.

My prayer for my children every year....

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,      Colossians 3:23

My Birthday

I am NOT the person who dreads or despises birthdays...quite the contrary - I wake up each birthday and thank the Lord for another year. Yes, age changes things...some things for the worse, but some for the better. 

Unfortunately, I know too many adults who didn't get to see 51, so I am very grateful I got to. 

 Payton had a game that night, so we went out to lunch instead of dinner. Max met us at Peiwei. 

Oh, soooo yummy! 

My thoughtful daughter decorated so cute. They spoiled me with gifts, love and my mom mailed her traditional German Chocolate cake. So sweet. (Pun intended.)  :)

Well, my birthday was in January and we are already mid May. I will catch up blogging. One day.  :)

Super Bowl Party 2015

Well, if you can't (won't) pay for Super Bowl tickets when the game is so close to home...the next best thing is to have a party. 

Nacho Bar

Some of the appetizers

 Treats - it's hard to read the signs, but they said, "Timeout treats, Super Bowl rings, and Coin toss." :)

Football brownie bites ( This was only a fraction of the desserts...oh, so many sweets and so few picutres!)

 Friends (I guess I hung out at the dessert table too long and forgot to get pictures of everyone. Oops!) 

The kids in the game room streaming the game, but they eventually made their way into the family room for the commercials. One of the best aspects of the game.

It was a good time with great food, great friends & a great game! 

American Birthday!

Since this is Max's last year in the Air Force, we gave him a patriotic birthday. It's hard to believe he will be retiring in Dec. It's even harder to believe he is 59! He doesn't look it..or act it. I really think he forgets how old he is. I have never seen a man work (or play) harder than my hubby. He's pretty amazing. (Yes, I am bias, but it's my blog, so I can be as honest and candid as I choose.) :)

 "I'm proud to be an American".....

 It was a casual night. (Although, Payton's German soccer t-shirt threw off my theme.) 

 Patyon wrote his birthday card on his gift. Either she is resourceful, creative or cheap? Hmmm...I'm not touching that one?!  :)

I surprised him with a cake and balloons at work for his staff meeting. Yes, they all got a kick out of his "Col. Shnoopers." I figured I couldn't get in much trouble since it was his last birthday there. 

Make a wish, Shnoopers!...(and it doesn't have to be for more tiramisu - I do have a larger one in the fridge, too.) :) 

He is my night and shining armor. He is not perfect, but honestly....pretty close. He loves the kids and I so very much. And, if he can love me on the not-so-lovable days...then that is perfect love to me. :)

Dear Lord...thank you for allowing him 59 years on this earth! May You continue to bless him with good health, a zest for life, a thankful heart...and as always, a deeper love for You! 

Christmas 2014

I love Christmas, I really, really do! Even writing about it in March brings me joy.  :)
Jesus' birth changed history. God leaving His throne to come to this sin infested earth for us is the epitome of love. It's humbling. It's mind blowing. It's grace. 

I love how our Lord birth (in most homes) is honored. I love the carols that praise Him. I love the live nativities that recreate that Holy night. 

I love how people go out of their way to be kind. I love buying gifts. I love recieving Christmas cards. I love baking for neighbors. I love decorations and lights.
I love Christ-mas!!  

This year we spent Christmas with Max's family in California. It's always wonderful to be with family for the holidays. 

 We had our very "comfortable" Christmas the night before we left to California.
 Love these (not so little!) elves.  :)

 Hot Cheetos are their very favorite junk food.
Attached was a coupon letting them know they were proud owners of new iPhones. (They are probably the last 16 & 19 year old on this earth to get smart phones!)
Payton was thrilled. Landon was shocked. 

One of Payton's favorite gifts. She loved her Soccer Olympic scarf!

I live for buying Max gag gifts. And this one was worth the money! He took it to California and had the courage to wear it on Christmas Eve. He made everyone laugh until they cried. 

This man's a hoot! :)

The Maxwell family. Love this bunch. 

My cuties. 

Here is our other California family. My brother-in-law's family have adopted us. They are sooooo good to us and include us in everything. Here we are at Ann's house for another delicious Christmas dinner. This was our second big meal of the day. Oh, my, we ate too much!

 The Maxwell gals

And here are the guys with silly uncle Randy. The night before we played a board game (or as Max says, "bored" game) :) and on one of the questions Randy claimed to be timid. So here he is portraying that personality trait. Oh, is he far from being timid! He's too funny.  :)

I thank God for His precious gift and for allowing us to make wonderful memories. 

24th Anniversary

Our anniversary is also in December.  (I would LOVE to only have to think about Christmas in December.  Instead, I have Payton's birthday, our anniversary....and then after the holidays, both Max and my birthday are in January.  Phew...it's a busy time!) 

Anyhow, we went out to a nice dinner to celebrate us!  And he always spoils me with too many gifts. But that's just who he is.  

I could not have asked for a better husband or father to our children.  He is the most unselfish man I know!  I am so blessed to have met him.  The chance we met was only by God's divine intervention.  He was born and raised in Zalbach, Germany and I came from Seboyeta, NM (both very small towns).  Twenty-four years later, I appreciate and love him him more than the day we married! 

Unfortunately, my hubby is addicted to sugar.  I try to help him have some self discipline.  (I'm sure he calls it nagging!) :) So because of this constant encouraging (nagging!),  I decided to give him all the sugar he could possibly want by making him a "candy" card. It was such fun to make! :)

The funny thing is, he loved the card so much...he hasn't eaten the candy.  :)

What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

Mark 10:9

"Sweet 16"

I know I sound like a broken record as many times as I say, "I can't believe how old my kids are!"  But I really can't believe how old my kids are. :)  My baby is 16!  Crazy.  

Her main gift was back in June when we took her to Hawaii.  But of course, I had to acknowledge her actual birthday.  

 Max took the day off work, and were getting ready to go meet Landon for lunch (apparently she wasn't ready yet - I just noticed she is holding her belt?  Glad her pants stayed on. ) ;) 

 Her theme this year...(in other words, me having fun decorating).  :)

 She had a soccer game the night of her birthday, so I got a few family shots before we left to the game.

Here she is with her brother after her game. 

I held this sign from the bleachers, so the world would know we had a special birthday girl on the field.  I also took cupcakes for her team, and they sang and wished her a happy birthday.  (They won their game that night....every game actually.  They are now in playoffs.)

 Ah, 16! 

Here she is at "another" birthday celebration with a group of friends.  They had lunch and yogurt at one of Tucson (nice) outdoor mall.  (I really love my kids' friends!)
Her best friend, Shelby, (in the green blouse) was born on the same day. They are so much a like. Two peas in a pod.  :)

Here my baby girl was a year old.  This is why my heart aches...she was the cutest baby girl in this whole world. :) She did...and still, lights up a room.

Happy Birthday to my precious girl.

I love you forever!

mama

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”’ 

Numbers 6:24-26