Eleven

Stayed up late.
Early morning.
My favorite kind of overcast day.
Orange juice, bagels, and lots of pampering with my girls.
Stopped at DQ on the way to the church for a lime star.
Makeup.
The dress...my dress.
Mom helping with the veil.
The walk down the aisle, alone with my groom.
Pictures with him, pictures with friends, pictures with family...lots of pictures.
And lots of wind.
The wait.  The moments before the two became one.
The humorous trip to the bathroom.
Trena made sure I looked good.
Daddy seemed nervous. 
Shout to the Lord in the sanctuary while we waited in the back.
The beautiful pipe organ said it was time.
The second walk, again in slow motion, this time surrounded by witnesses.
The charge.  The vows.  The rings.
Willing the unity candle to stay lit.  It did.
The song, and the sun broke through.
Great Is Your Faithfulness.
The celebration.
Greeting our guests.
Bubbles and rose petals.
More pictures, just us.  Just us.
The reception, the cake, the groom's cake, the friends.  The really good food.
The second leaving, this time to sparklers.
The Little Brown Truck.  Again.
My tired feet.
Shut the door.

That is how it went, just eleven short years ago.

I love you, Jeffrey.  Then, now, and always.  Happy anniversary.

iPhone Views from Vacation

 Enjoying some Ghirardelli Soda Fountain ice cream at Downtown Disney

 Packing our most precious cargo for the next leg of the drive!

A view from inside the Playland at the World's Largest Entertainment McDonald's.  Not sure what that means, but when we lived here, it was the World's Largest McDonald's--period.  Kind of funny.

Me and my girl at the Daytona 500 racetrack....it was a cold and windy day!  We're having a great time, but all too soon, it will be over, and we will be back to reality.  Two more days to enjoy it to the fullest!

iPhone Views from the Road to Florida

Kara and me in front of Andrea's place that she shared with our interns when we lived in Louisville.  Her apartment was just a long stone's throw from ours, and Kara had never seen it.  Such fun to show off our old 'hood.  We really miss Park du Valle.  It was a wonderful place for us to live! 

Next, we stopped to see Mrs. Whitlock.  She said that it was a blessing for her that we stopped.  We felt the same way.  Jeff lived with the Whitlocks during our first summer in Louisville, so they were around him when he was wrestling with the idea of proposing to me.  :)  She has cancer now but is doing very well.  She is my new hero right now...told us that when she got the call from the doctor, she went into her room, cried, asked God why, gave it to the Lord, and was done with it.  After that, she has claimed healing (whatever form that takes) and is trying to lean into Jesus as she marches through this trial.  Praying for her and visiting with her was one of the best parts of our trip so far.  We love you, Mama Whitlock!

 Big Red...an old friend.  :)  I used to love this drink when I was growing up, but now?  Well, it's not really that good.  But for nostalgia purposes, I love it!  Had to get some while we were driving through Kentucky!

A view from the back seat from somewhere in southeastern Tennessee!

Feb. 5 - A Test from the Road

We're currently approaching Tifton, Georgia, our destination for the night. It's been a great trip so far, filled with Chick-fil-A and some quick stops to see family and friends.

I'm trying to test and see if I can post from my phone. We'll see...

Feb. 3 - Leaving in a Buick

On Jeff's birthday, we were given a great gift--a new car!!! Well, new to us, anyway. It's a '98 Buick Park Avenue, and we've lovingly dubbed it The Buicci...as The Hub says, it kind of gives it a sporty, Italian feel. :)

So in about 8 hours, Jeff, Neil, Beth, Kara, and I will be jetting out of town...in the Buicci. We will drive to my parents', spend the night, then be on our way to Florida where we will spend the next 2 weeks, first at a conference and then on a much-needed family vacation. Rex will stay behind for the first week and then will join us for the second. I miss him already, but we had some sweet mother-son snuggle time tonight, and I'm really grateful for that.

During our talk, we shared something that we like about each other. You know what he said? My voice. He likes my voice. Not my singing voice, mind you, but my plain, old, mama speaking voice.

Wait. You mean the one that gets raised when she is frustrated and the one that reminds everybody of the no-whine zone?

What a good reminder. Even the occasional (and sometimes more-than-occasional) harshness to the tone of the voice doesn't stop the truth from being true: There is nothing quite like the look, the feel, the sound, the smell, and the touch...of a mom and a dad.

Kind of sweet that he chose my voice, you know? It must bring him comfort. (And why not? Talking to my mom still does the same for me.)

Of course it was my turn next, and I couldn't possibly name just one thing. I think I said something about being glad that we were so close and that we can have good conversations about things. It's true. I love that--and so many more things--about him.  What a gift I was given when I became a mom.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from January...

Lunch with my friends, Tiffany and Jessica.  It was great seeing both of you ladies on New Years' Day!

I have enjoyed tons of precious time with my dear friend, Andrea.  She and her husband, Tim, have opened up their home to us so generously and graciously.  It's not easy to have 5 people invade your space for 2 months!  But that part of this ordeal has been great!  Much laughter, good conversations, and many opportunities for us each to see our need for Jesus.

Noel and Neil, cheering the Packers on to their NFC Championship win!  Next up?  The SUPERBOWL!

Feb. 2 - One of the Best Christmas Presents

It has taken me a year to upload it, but in 2009, we were given one of the best Christmas presents ever.  Our dear friend and housemate, Kara, made a video to help us remember life as a family in 2009.  I will be forever grateful.  I came across the CD tonight and decided to waste no time in uploading and sharing it.  Kara, thank you a million times.

Untitled from Sarah Hoffman on Vimeo.

Feb. 1 - In the Wee Hours of the Next Day

Stream of Consciousness...

This whole thing is a much bigger process than we ever dreamt it would be.  And by "thing", I mean the process of getting a new boiler in our house.  Today was nerve-wracking, then not good, then frustrating, then better, then really not good, then a whole lot better, then wonderful, then exciting, then terrible.  I think I might be developing a stomach ulcer.  Either that, or a lot more gray hair.

It is really windy.  Makes me think of our house, where the wind knocks hard against the windows and they rattle and shake like crazy!  At first it was annoying, but now it's just part of the character of the house.  Wish we were there.

Our kids really, really, really like the Wii.  Well, the boys do anyway.  A lot.  Really.  Did I say they like it a lot--really?  They do.  Mario Bros. is a fav, probably the favorite right now.  Note that Rex actually calls it Mario Bros.  Like, he doesn't say the words "Brothers".  Just says "Bros".  Now that's funny.  Sometimes he has no idea just how cute he is being.

This blanket is nice and warm.  And my hot chocolate, made lovingly by our gracious hostess, Andrea, was delicious!

The Superbowl is in 5 days......GO, PACK, GO!

Heart palpatations.  Breathe.  In 5 days, we have to have a snow day, see the rest of our radiators delivered (We got 7 of 11 delivered today.), sell our old radiators to the mysterious buyer that our salvage guy knows of, pack in the c-o-l-d house (It was 32 degrees inside today.), and drive to Florida.  In 5 days.  Oh--and get everything ready for Rex, who is staying here for our first week gone.  Oh my.

Oh.  And read a book.  I'm supposed to be reading a book for the conference.

I'm tired just thinking of it all...I'd better go to bed.