Thursday, Dec 25th - Hero: Jesus

Happy Birthday, Jesus!!

So far, so good! We had a great evening at my Grandma's last night. I got to 'wrassle' around with some little boys (something I don't usually get to do), my brother James was there with his bride Natalie (James just got back from Iraq), and we sang carols and ate good food. Awesome night.

Afterwards, our girls made cookies and treats for Santa, made homemade ornaments, and took some goofy pictures in their new PJ's. They all got their big gift wishes fulfilled, so all is Merry and Bright.

Now we will be off to my Mom's for the afternoon. She's making Christmas dinner this year and I CAN'T WAIT. Beef tenderloin, garlic mashed potatoes, and all the trimmings. Should be fantastic. My uncle Dale will be there, which always a special treat. I just think this will be a very special Christmas. Trust me when I say Jesus Christ has made his presence felt in our family in a big way this Season. It's His birthday, but we are the ones who have been given gifts.

So, Merry Christmas everyone!!! Here's some pictures from our celebrations:

Wednesday, Dec 17th - Hero: My Brother

They say the measure of a person comes from how they handle the bad times.

My brother has been handed lemons lately, but he's made some great lemonade!! He's not let his Christmas spirit be diluted, and he's made the women in his family SO happy by taking all his girls to church, and being really and truly PRESENT while he's there.

There's not enough men in this world who are good leaders for their family. Men who wake up each day with the needs of their family foremost in their mind. Men who make their kids feel safe - not because they are perfect, but because they are always, always there. Jason is one of them. God bless you and the others like you out there.

Love ya, little bro...


Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy

Monday, Dec 8th - Hero: My Mom

Ding Dong the Grinch is dead!!!

Yes, my Mom has long worn the Grinch mantle, but no longer!! This year she has the Christmas spirit in spades.

Yesterday afternoon I got a call from her to help her buy a tree. Naturally, I dropped what I was doing and ran to Walmart with her. After all, it's one of my goals in life to help others discover their Christmas Joy.

Well, she got downright excited and even though the Walmart was stuffed tighter that a Christmas goose, she didn't even seem to notice.

When we got home, our husbands were crawling on the roof, stringing lights and wrapping garland around the newell posts. I'm telling you, I could have cried with joy. We went in and not only put up the most beautiful tree, but also decorated the front entryway, the dining room, AND the kitchen. And it looks fabulous. Truly.

Afterwards we ate a fantastic meal that the men fixed and sat around the living room listening to Elvis singing about our Lord. Even the men were wiping away tears.

To top it all off, she is having our family out to her house for an old fashioned Christmas Dinner where we will tell the Christmas story, listen to hymns, and pray together. In other words, we will be wallowing in Christmas magic.

This will be my favorite gift.

Thanks, Mom!

Peace, Love, and GOD, Tracy

Monday, Nov 24th - Hero: My Neice Emma

Emma is my hero for giving me 'genetic' proof that the Curtis' are natural born race car drivers!!!

Just look at the total concentration on her face, the steely glare at whatever obstacle lies in her way, the two-handed control she has on the wheel. This is a girl in complete control of her car AND her destiny...

It's not her fault that her passenger is a complete wussy.

AHHHH, Lou-Lou, your likeness to your Aunt Tracy brings a tear to my eye...

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy

Wednesday, Nov 19th - Zero: People without Table Manners

This is a biggie with me, as some of you know. But, I mean, SERIOUSLY, how could so many people have been raised without knowing how to eat right? People MY age and older, too. Surely I wasn't in the minority when I was taught not to eat with my mouth open, or to smack my food (or gum), or talk with my mouth full, etc, etc...

I was at lunch yesterday with a couple of colleagues and one of them was so disgusting while he ate, I had to sit on my clenched fists to keep from wrapping them around his neck!!

Now, this man is in his 40's, and how he has made it this far in life without someone telling him that he sounds like a half-starved pig rooting in a garbage dump I'll never know.

I did learn something though, it is possible to breathe through your mouth AND nose (audibly) while chewing your food. Although, a dangerous side effect is little pieces of meat landing randomly on the uneaten portion of your food. Apparently, having it fly out of his mouth and land on his food meant he could eat it anyway.

It was a good diet day for me...

Food for thought going into Thanksgiving day. Do everyone around you a favor and remember that no matter how sexy you may think you are... NO ONE wants to see what I call 'pre-poo'. Trust me.

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy

Thursday, Nov 13th - Hero: Indians and Pilgrams and St. Nick (oh my)

Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE the holidays. They include two of my favorite things: eating and visiting with family and friends.

There are lots of opportunities to get together with family this time of year, and the communication amongst us goes up. You talk about the get togethers, you talk about gift ideas, you talk about meal planning, etc, etc. It's just really nice, I think.

This year, of course, the gift giving is more on the creative side vs the value side. Everyone is either already struggling or preparing for the struggles. But, I think that it is not necessarily a bad thing to be frugal and get our kids used to less extravagant gifts. The focus is so far off the meaning of the season that it's not even funny.

I know there's a lot of you out there that remember getting 'essentials' on Christmas morning - clothing, underwear, coats. And then there would be that ONE thing that would just light your world up. Maybe a bicycle, or a doll, or a board game. I remember one year me and my brother got skateboards. That was the 'it' gift. The one that you would spend the rest of the day playing with! Nowadays our kids get so many 'it' gifts that they act overwhelmed. It's a shame, really. I think that, because of the excess, so much of the magical feeling has been taken away.

One of my favorite Christmas' of my (so-called) adult life was when Erika was a toddler. We were so very, very poor then, living on Ramen noodles and Hamburger Helper. I had some coloring books with stories from the bible, and lots of catalogues lying around, so Erika and I colored pictures and we cut out pictures from the catalogues of things we would have bought our family if we had money. These we glued to poster board, and wrote a verse from the bible that fit that person. We spent hours doing that, literally, but they were hours that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I'll never forget Erika's little fingers coloring or the concentration on her face as she looked for just the right 'gift' to cut out for her mama's and papa's. Those little posters changed my life, and I think they did for those that recieved them, as well. Years later, when Erika was a little older, we did another project for my mom, aunt, and uncle that was a picture album. We had more money then, and spent more money, but that time I spent hours not only with Erika, but my Grammy as well. Again, hours I wouldn't give back for all the money in the world.

THAT is Christmas magic. People who love each other, spending time together to do something wonderful for other people they love.

What's your poster board project? Where's your Chrismtas magic?

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy

Friday, Nov 7th - Zero: Me

I am a total goober. Really. But a goober with really great friends.

I have gotten lots of messages of encouragement from folks who have gone through much worse than me, and they are concerned for me. You guys are awesome. How some of you can keep from telling me to 'suck it up sally' is really quite beyond me.

My friend Karyn, down in Houston, sent me tons of notes yesterday letting me in on her own struggle with these kinds of issues. She's lost all of her grandparents, and doesn't even live in the same state as either of her parents. I can't imagine that, not having a large support system just down the road. On the plus side for her - she has an amazing husband.

My friend Alan sent just something short and sweet and encouraging. He's dealt with losses, as well as living a state away from his family. I love him dearly.

Karyn's mom, Dickie, also sent a great note over. She's awesome.

And you guys already heard about Darlene. By herself, she's the best thing to happen to me in my adult life. And - she brought Ann into my life. Double bonus.

Anyway, it's an embarrasment of riches, truly. The great thing about it is that I have been reminded of just how awesome things are for me. Maybe that is why I take the bad stuff so hard.

I have a great job that I love. It's tough and I am away from home a lot, but the work is very rewarding. I have a fantastic family. My mom is one of my biggest cheerleaders. She has ALWAYS made sure that I knew that I could do anything I want. She never talks about barriers with me, and is always letting me know she is proud of me. My Dad is strong, and good, and always does the right thing. When lots of Dads were bailing on their kids, he was doing everything he could to be there (more than i wanted when I was a teen..). I love my brother more than I know how to express and his wife is just one of the most decent loving people I have ever met. She makes me look good every Christmas because of her creativity, her passion is contagious, and she is an amazing mother. My dear baby girl, Erika, is an amazingly wonderful woman - a lot like me, but better in so many ways.

So really, what have I got to complain about? I have a few things not perfect, but so does everyone else.

Thank you all for helping me recover. If you ever doubt God is using you remember this - He used you yesterday.

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy