Lee Family Christmas Card 2010

2010 Mat Madness Book is out

The 2010 edition of Mat Madness is hot off the press! I published it with Lulu.com, a print-on-demand website. So, anyone can order a copy from Lulu. For people who want to buy one from me directly I have those too, you can save on shipping that way. Don't you love the new cover with the crazy picture of Wes putting in the banana split?! And yes, that's Trevor and Dave coaching. I was pretty happy with how well this photo fit the title. :)

For those of you who have not seen the previous edition, this is a book I self-published after a friend asked me to write down the answers to the basic questions people have about wrestling. I include several wrestling family stories as well, most of them humorous. This edition is updated to follow the revisions in the 2010-11 National Wrestling Federation Rule Book, and also includes a new chapter that made me cry again when I wrote it (that's usually a good sign).

The website is: www.lulu.com Search Mat Madness and it pops up.

As always, if you read this I'd love to hear your thoughts! Thanks!

Fresh Cup of Coffee on a Frosty Morning

Frosty grass and frosty air surrounded me as I stepped outside preceded by two bounding puppies who needed to go potty. Holding my hot, fresh cup of coffee while I watched the puppies play was a good start for the day.

Then Mama Zoey came quickly outside sniffing wildly, as if needing to go to the bathroom right away. Then she promptly threw up (kind of a lot).

As if that weren't bad enough, the puppies could think of only one thing, "hot breakfast!" They were very excited that their mother provided this for them. I was not as thrilled.

Holding my cup of coffee I could pick up only one puppy at a time. I swooped up one and deposited him in the garage, along with my cup of coffee on a higher step inside the garage by the door, then ran back out to get the other happy, hungry, cuter-than-anything little guy.

With the um...hot breakfast still on their taste buds I was just about to head toward the dog food to calm the ravaged fur balls now jumping and playing around my feet by the door. That's when one of them climbed up the steps and took a drink from my coffee cup. He quickly recoiled from the heat and taste combined I'm sure. I quickly winced at the thought of what was on his tongue just a minute ago.

And that's when I decided that sometimes it's okay to have two fresh coffee starts in one morning.

I'm thankful for having seen the beauty in this morning...and for the laughter that quickly came along with a bit of inconvenience.

I hope you see the beauty in your moments today too, no matter what the condition of your Christmas preparations and everything else the day brings.

Photo of Westley with one of the puppies. One puppy is still available by the way!

If I Could Carry Beautiful in a Basket

If I could carry beautiful in a basket it might look like a puppy.

You probably read about Zoey's ten puppies in my last blog. They are nearly eight weeks old now and three of them, the ones we've referred to as 'the triplets' are still here at the house.

One is going to a woman who had a great Christmas-present-for-her-girls story but can't pick it up until December 1. I'm a such a sucker for this!

Another is Wes and Trevor's puppy, Charley (right, photo at 5 weeks).

I was adamant that we not get another dog. I don't think I need more to care for, honestly, I don't. But Wes' puppy eyes were much harder to resist than the actual puppy eyes. He was smitten by this four legged ball of energy and he has met the demands I insisted on if he were to keep him...well, mostly (Wes, answer those early morning texts and let the puppy out, he is loud!).

That leaves one puppy still up for adoption, and he is so fun!

Even though these boundless loving little friends require a lot of clean up and complete loss of sleeping in, ever...I find myself thankful today.

Thankful for much more than puppies, but more about what they show me. That God is infinitely creative and loving, that He always has something to show us to help us grow should we choose it. Best of all, He loves to bring us joy in the midst of wherever we are.

My boys bring me so much joy, when they're telling stories and laughing with me (sometimes at me...). My husband brings me joy, the way he loves me no matter what. My friends bring me joy, always caring for me and walking through life's challenges with me. Thankful to be able to use what God has given me and make something good out of the mixture of stuff life throws my way.

I am thankful. I guess if I could carry beautiful in a basket it would look mostly like God and my family. I probably should get more pictures of them...

Happy Thanksgiving.

News Snippet

I wanted to share that a new little book I wrote and compiled came out last week! You're Sweet is the title, Barbour Publishing produced it.

I have thought of dozens of funny blog stories, like Dave as a jail bird at the costume party....

or Zoey letting her first born puppy fall out on the floor and look at it like it was a moving poop...But I am working on stories for Heavenly Humor for the Teacher's Soul. I am excited to have actual writing projects! So, the blog has more photos than writing this time.

There are so many stories to tell!

Beautiful Chaos

I am so behind on blogging! Lots of work, 10 puppies and travel have kept me overly occupied.

But last weekend Dave, Trevor, and I went to New York City to visit our friend Tony, and also got to meet up with my cousin Matt. I've been there a handful of times now and it doesn't get old. I LOVE NYC!

OK, well, I do get frustrated when I can't find my way and get on the wrong train. But even when that happens the marvel of the endless different kinds of people mesmerizes me again.

On this trip, so many funny people scenes entertained once again, all amidst beautiful fall weather. There was the tough looking rapper looking guy in the subway who Tony accidentally nailed in the...upper thigh area...with my suitcase, then almost fell on him and the guy was cool with it. There were the talented street musicians ranging from full bands to single trash cans. There were the homeless guys fighting over food in the busy square and another guy asking them to take their fight elsewhere, so they kindly moved and continued fighting.

There was the block party with live music that Dave, and Matt, and I stumbled on where chatty New Yorkers welcomed us to the free burgers and beer. It was amazing.

Then, the rooftop of Matt's building with an awesome view of the Manhattan Bridge and some one's transformer car (that's a huge transformer emblem on a car in the dark photo). So funny.

So many different people and experiences. I couldn't stop the awe. The awe in God to make so many unique people and love each one so much.

Top photo taken from the High Line with a view of New Jersey across the Hudson.

Wide Load and the Messy Mix

Life is usually a messy mix of really great things from grin to glee, and not so great things, ranging from just annoying all the way to disheartening rounding up on hopeless.

Today, yesterday, no different.

So, rather than unload the wide load, oversize dump truck right here I would like to site a funny scene from Malcolm in the Middle (Yes boys, I know, the show I wouldn't let you watch when you were little, you didn't need any more ideas...).

This is probably my favorite scene. It's Season 2, Episode 3 where Lois gives the boys money to buy something for her and they end up buying things for themselves. Then Hal forgets Lois' birthday altogether. She runs away from home. In her time of escape she goes to a batting cage to smack some anger out with bats in a legal way. Makes total sense to me.

Meanwhile Hal and the boys realize they need to get her back and they are trying to pull together a "this is all we've got but we love you" birthday celebration. Once the crazy crew locates her, she and Hal have a word at the batting cage. He says (with a high pitch intermittent squeak) something like, "we're at the top of our game here, Lois!"

She looks at him in disbelief and there are more comments I don't remember. Then, an onlooking motley clown says to her, "Listen Wide Load, the guy's just tryin to do something nice."

Hal looks intently at the clown accompanied by several other clowns. "Did you call my wife WIDE LOAD?"

A huge, hilarious brawl breaks out, shown in slow motion to the tune of a Kenny Rogers song. There is ankle biting and cake splattering with all the boys in full swing clown tackling comedy action.

Lois looks on in shock and finally, glassy-eyed admiration, for her crew who would do all this to defend her honor. Moments ago she had had it with them all, then suddenly, redemption.

Thank God life can be that way too. Redemption is always just around the corner.

Photo: a few of my crew...probably just before wrestling broke out in the living room.