Live Full

Taking time to regroup, rest, and enjoy home and family over the holidays was refreshing. Happy New Year everyone!!

We are into the second year of non-0-years (oh). It will be nearly nine decades before there will be another o-year. We'll likely all be in eternity by then. So, here we are in the 20-years, twenty eleven for now.

That's weird, I know. But it helps me look closer at the time I live in, and to think about what I did with the last year of life I was given. What did I do with that flash?

I love to write down goals and look back on what I accomplished. It is really interesting. A few years after I had started doing this I found out that studies show that if you write this stuff down (and apparently only 3% of us actually do this), that you have a really high chance (a percentage I can't remember...) of achieving them. I have found this to be true. So, it's fun you should try it!

This year as I looked back at last year and wrote down a few more things for the coming year many things came to mind.

I thought about the many people I knew who have died this past year. Some lived full lives that impacted many for good, like my Grandma Josephine Carli for example. I cherish the memories and look forward to eternity. Others lives were cut short by tragedy or bad decisions.

The older I get the darker this world gets, I guess just because I'm sadly more aware of the real effects of sin in each of our lives. My shortcomings and others' combined. It's a tangled mess. But not to be discouraged, the light of eternity is getting brighter all the time too - chasing away the night.

Those are sort of heavy thoughts to start out the year, but thankfully it makes me more stubborn to live a life that is less about escape and more about joy and living fully.

Since I probably didn't make you laugh in this blog quite yet, perhaps I should share that on Christmas morning before we all opened our gifts we saw two eagles perched in a tree back along the river. We all looked out the window over the fields of sparkling snow and Dexter said excitedly, "Did Mom open her binoculars yet?!"

No, she didn't.

Photo of Shelley looking up from the spinning planet while climbing a ladder, by trevorleephotography.com

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.