A Red Thread

An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle but never break.

Ancient Chinese Belief

Yesterday, we received a quilt square with a note from our very dear friend Lois; in her note was the following poem

A Red Thread to China
A red thread to China was cast today

From us to a child so far away

This thread symbolizes an attachment of hearts

That distance alone can’t keep up apart

Her mother & I are caught in a chase

That time alone bring us to face

This loving young child we want so much to greet

With love in our hearts before we did meet

This tiny thin thread may stretch, tangle or fray

But our love for her grows stronger each day

Through the test of time it won’t break or sever

She’ll be part of us forever and ever

With oceans between us the distance is spanned

By a love that is greater than man could have planned

For God in His mercy loved her and loved us

And decided our family would be a great plus

So for now we’ll just love her and pray every day

That God keeps her and loves her for us till we may

Travel to China that land of great past

To the side of our daughter to hold her at last

Please keep praying for us and for Becky who is somewhere in China; we are cautiously optimistic that we will receive a referral the beginning of April and travel late in May - but all in God's timing!

The Perfect Birthday Getaway

We left Thursday morning (Doug's birthday!) for four fabulous days at the One & Only Palmilla in Los Cabos, Mexico - courtesy of our good friends at CCM. This is our second time there, and we never get tired of it! The service is beyond amazing - and we will let the view from our room speak for itself!

This day bed was a great place to read & listen to the waves crashing right below us

A great place for a little morning coffee & whale watching. The hotel provided us with a telescope for looking at the whales; we saw some everytime we were out on the balconey

While the view from the rooms wasn't bad (!!), the view on the beach wasn't anything to overlook either! Doug even made some new friends!



The next picture was taken specifically for Ashlee......

It was an amazing four days that allowed us to relax and reconnect - and get ready for the next phase of our life! We are so grateful to our friends at CCM for the effort they put into making this an amzaing time for us -

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband!

50 years ago today, a very special woman gave birth to a very special baby boy. While I will have to wait until I walk with my Savior to personally thank her, if she were here, these are the things I would tell her:

• The son she brought into this world is a man who loves God, his family and his friends passionately and deeply



• He has a wonderful sense of humor and never fails to make me laugh when things are difficult



• He is the most generous man I know with his possessions, his time and his money



• The not so little baby she gave birth to on February 28, 1958 has grown into a man with an awesome work ethic, integrity unparalleled and who is a wonderful provider for his family



• He is loyal, smart and compassionate



• He loves me in a way that defies logic-in my worst moment, he loves me as Jesus does - unconditionally and with his whole heart

These past fifty years have crafted Doug into the man that God has created him to be - and I am so thankful that he now chooses to share the next fifty years with me!

The beginning of a Milestone

In a few days, my wonderful husband will reach a milestone and celebrate his 50th birthday. We spent time on Friday night celebrating with our friends in San Diego - people who have been with us since our wedding. They are very dear friends and we are so blessed to have them in our life.

Thanks to Don & Stephanie, David & Susan, Jon & CarolAnn and Brenda & Jerry. We love you guys and our lives are richer for having you in them.

Matt's Birthday

It was a racer's delight last Sunday when we celebrated Matt's 14th (yikes!!!) birthday! We took Matt and six of his friends to the local kart racing track. A good time was had by all - and let's just say Matt might want to stick to music as a career option!

My Special Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day! These were my very special surprise from my very lovely husband - whom blesses me every single day!

Super Superbowl!

Matt & Doug had the most awesome opportunity over the weekend to attend the Super Bowl in Phonenix! They were guests of Coors, and their day began at the NFL Official Tailgate Party. Here's Matt, with Willie Nelson & Sarah Evans on the big stage in the background (take our word for it!)

These pictures were taken from their seats - they had a great view down the Patriots sideline; Doug was pretty convienced that Brady was throwing right to him a couple of times

Game On!!

Matt's favorite part of the day - the halftime show with Tom Petty! It was a pretty amazing show; the highlight for Doug was the real life rockets and the tie die light show in the center of the field to "Free Falling".

The best part of the entire day was Doug & Matt getting to spend the day together having a once in a lifetime experience!