Summer 09 Update

I haven't been blogging lately. It's been a while. I know. Let's see...since the last post, we have sold a house, bought a new house, moved, unpacked (mostly), begun to update said new house, played T-ball (Meredith) and we have lost our family dog. Lots of exciting stuff, one really bummer thing.

This is one of the last pics I took of Max. Sweet Max. Such a blessing to us for nine years. He was the happiest, friendliest dog you would meet, until he got sick this summer. It's funny how much dogs become part of our families. I miss him terribly. He was my constant companion, enjoying walks, errands in the car, picking kids up from school, and the occasional "Puppy Cone" from Sheridans. John always laughed because Max would "guard" me. Wherever I was, he was there...including my morning shower. He would lay in front of the door while I was in there! In the past week, we have realized one other impressive thing about the guy - he kept our floors so clean! I had NO idea how much he ate the little crumbs off our floor...or how many crumbs fell on our floor in the first place! :) So...here's to you, Max. You were a fantastic dog. You were so loyal, so kind spirited. And the next dog will have big paws to fill that you leave behind.

Okay...movin on...Literally! We moved into our new house in the middle of May, and it's been never ending craziness since then. The boxes are gone, but we are FARRR from being 'settled'. We are planning a small 'remodel' this fall...there is a cool area in our home that (had) a wet bar...but the previous owners sheetrocked it in to make it a storage closet. We are reopening the bar, and are going to update it and the area around it...I promise I'll post pics. It's going to be a really fun area when we get it all done. Anyways, it's a fun house, an amazing blessing. We cannot believe the Lord has blessed us with it...it is incredibly more than we imagined we would find...which makes it all the more obvious that it was His hand on it. And we love it!

Our summer 'entertainment' has been Meredith and the Tball team. What a great group of families. We were so blessed! Our friend Doug Dendy, along with John, Craig Bragg, and a host of other guys helped coach our 13 kiddos this year. A few pics....

Mere's first hit of the year.Mere with her #1 fan, Cameron.
Closing ceremony. Everyone got a trophy, and we snapped pics like it was the College World Series. Good stuff. :)

In other news...I'm working very hard at my photography skills. I took both of the kids for 'photo shoots' this week. And both 'sessions' turned out GREAT! Will post pics after I finish editing a bit. I'm learning how to use Adobe Photoshop. It's a fun program, if I can ever figure out how to use all of the tools! :)

Well...signing off now. Oh...before I close - one more thing. Some of you are Facebook peeps and asked me why I am not Fb'ing for a while. It had become more part of my life than it needed to be, and the Lord showed me that. I have a beautiful daughter who starts Kindergarten in less than a month, a home that needs lots of TLC, and a Jesus who really enjoys spending time with me each afternoon during kids' naptimes. None of those things were getting the attention they deserve because my computer was always on, always checking the status of friends, always chatting. So I'm backing up a bit. We'll see how much and for how long. As He leads.

blessings,

kristi

33 Miles

I sat today with my dear friend....even though we were more than 200 miles apart. We have webcams, so sometimes we 'sneak away' to spend a bit catching up with each other. We have known each other for about 18 years, but as we have grown in adulthood, the Ties that bind us have drawn us much closer together. I always treasure that time with her, and ALWAYS have more questions I wish I had asked her after our time together is over.

It brought me to a point today - there's this song, by a group called 33 Miles, called One Life to Love. In the song, it talks about only getting one chance, one time around to 'get it right'. When its all said and done, we only get one life. After my time with my friend, and i'm in there folding laundry (what else do i do?!), I'm thinking about the things i wish i would have asked her. I text messaged one of them to her, but others remained.

My granddad was in World War II, and held the post of ski patrol in Italy. Fascinating. He died before i ever got the opportunity to ask him about it. My mother-in-law lost the battle with cancer when Meredith was 18 months old. She adored that sweet baby girl...She never knew our son Cameron. He's very much like his darling daddy...strong, particular, and likes order (his room is usually cleaner than all of ours!) I wish I had asked her more about John's childhood, and the things that she remembered from those times. I really wish I could ask her how she convinced him to try new foods...

There are many 'I wish' statements I could make...more than 'I wish' I had. But coming back to my earlier mention of that song by 33 Miles - it talks about only getting one chance to find 'the one thing that you don't want to miss'. What is the one thing you don't want to miss? Your kids growing up? Faith? A marriage that weathers the seasons? (Which...in the pic above, i'm pretty sure was a FUN season...a sweet time of getting away last summer - thanks babe - what a fun memory! ps. sorry my big ole floppy hat is covering up that darlin' grin of yours)

Anyways, as i listened to that song this evening, it really brought it home to me...I'm attaching the words to the song i've been referencing...and I'm reflecting on any areas of my life that might play out as verses in this song.

May I come to a place someday that has no regrets - that has no unspoken "I Wish" phrases...

..alas...i close with the aforementioned words......

One Life to Love

by 33 Miles

He never thought he cared so much about the minute hand

Until he started praying for, a second chance

If he could only do it all again

He'd trade the long nights that he spent behind his desk

For all he missed

He tells his wife, "I wish that this moment in this room was not me dying, but just spending a little time with you."

You only get just one time around

You only get one shot at this

One chance, to find out

The one thing that you don't wanna miss

One day when it's all said and done

I hope you see that it was enough, this

One ride, one try, one life...

To love....

She never thought she cared so much about those little hands

That held on tight the day she left

Til she was scared to death

Sitting all alone on a hotel bed, the end of the road

The sun had set on her big plans

To feel young again

She picks up the phone, dials the number, hears that little voice

That's haunted every single mile, since she made that choice

You only get just one time around

You only get one shot at this

One chance, to find out

The one thing that you don't wanna miss

One day when it's all said and done

I hope you see that it was enough, this

One ride, one try, one life...

To love............

You only get just one time around

Only get one shot at this

One chance, to find out

The one thing that you don't wanna miss

One day when it's all said and done

I hope you see that it was enough, this

One ride, one try, one life........ One ride, one try, one life........ To love.... To love....

I sit tonight to blog. Mostly because I haven't blogged in a month. Secondly, because so much has happened in the last month, I feel I should!

Here's the scoop around the Lowe house these days...Meredith has turned 5 and lost her first tooth!

I took this the morning after she lost it. It was quite traumatic...bless her sweet heart...she is very sentimental...She kept telling me how special this tooth was...how it had been with her, her whole life! I love it...Because she was not yet ready to part forever with her baby tooth, she asked the Toothfairy if she could keep the tooth. She wrote her a note, promising to take care of it. Amazingly, the Toothfairy complied with her request, and still left her $1! (What a nice Toothfairy, in my opinion!)

I also added a pic of Cameron I took that morning. He is getting so big. Currently, his vocabulary is gaining momentum...Right now, he keeps telling us there are sharks everywhere...under his bed, out in the back yard...it's pretty funny. And on another front, he's entered a new stage of eating. Cheeseits. But because he's two, he can't quite say the whole word. So he calls 'em Chee-Chees. Nice.

During the Christmas holidays we went as a family to a Texas Tech Men's Basketball game. Here are a few pics of that outing.

Meredith and Kristi

John and Cameron

John, Cameron and Meredith (with a yellow balloon she was very attached to that day)

Interestingly, we didn't sit the entire game in the seats we originally had. John works for UMC, and gets pretty good seats through that...This was the view of the game when we got there......

But it's funny how Meredith brings such a different perspective to our life. What one would view as good, she saw no 'value' in. Before long, she asked to move seats...namely to the upper deck. So up to the top we went. She told us she liked being able to see the whole game. Oh if we just listen to our kids...they have such wisdom in very simplistic ways. Why be so close to something that you can't see the whole thing? Better to have a view of the big picture. Huh...I think I could stand to learn a little from that idea sometimes!

As for the rest of the 'stuff' going on in the wild lives of the Lowes...it's the normal, day-to-day stuff. We were blessed to get to see some precious family and friends during the Christmas break. We have a webcam now, so it's been fun 'seeing' friends and drinking coffee while we pretended we were in the same town. I love how technology has brought us a little closer. :)

Well, I've been blogging since Grease started on the ABCfamily channel. We're to the part at the dance competition and I think Danny's fixing to dump Sandy to dance with the vixen in the blue/black dress. I love this movie. It reminds me of sleep overs at Ashleigh (Krieger's) house when we were in high school........

Before I close...Happy New Year! Blessings to you and your family in 2009~

kris