Christmas 2011

For Christmas this year I was able to spend a whole week with my parents. We arrived at their house on the 22nd and didn't come home until the 29th. It was great to get away and spend the time with family.

As always, we had dinner with Dad's family on Christmas Eve (Saturday) and this year I fixed broccoli casserole and the cake.  

When we got home everyone, more specifically Bella, was so excited about gifts that we decided to go ahead and open our presents.

One of the gifts that Bella asked for was a Pink bag from Victoria Secret. I really struggled with getting her this gift due to my personal disgust with the store in general, but decided that it was not the worst thing in the world. So anyway, we decided to have some fun with the gift. I took the bag from the store, which is pink and says Victoria secret, that her bag came in and wrapped it up. I taped a note to the box telling her what the gift was and that she should be careful in what she asked for that she may just get it ;) then I wrapped the box with packing tape.

It was so much fun to watch her try to open the gift and then squeal with excitement when she read the note. It was even better when she actually saw the bag.  I know, it was mean - but it was so much fun! We did allow her to open her real bag right after and she was really excited then.

Warren and I tried to give her a good Christmas. We were able to budget and get her most of the items off her wish list. At first I didn't really want to go overboard because Warren and I feel that gifts are completely overrated and would rather not exchange gifts at all in exchange for quality time with family, but my memories of when I was a teen and then thinking of her past won over. We do, however, plan to do things differently with our own family.

So anyway, Bella had a ton of gifts to open and we all, my parents included, enjoyed watching her enjoy the gifts.

For Christmas I received a book and new journal from Warren. Mom and Dad got me a new scarf and a metal detector for both Warren and I.

On Christmas we had a leisurely morning as Mom and I were cooking for dinner with her family. We went over to my Nanny's for lunch and enjoyed spending time with more family.

By late afternoon all the family and holiday festivities were starting to take a toll on Bella. The holidays are hard for her just as they are for any foster child who is spending them away from their families. So, my Dad, Warren, Bella, and I went home where the four of us played games and spent time together. Mom came home later as she wanted to spend more time with her family and a brother who does not live close.

I would have to say that the best part of my Christmas came on the following Monday. My parents agreed to keep Bella overnight for us and Warren and I took a quick trip to Gatlinburg. I know that we have only had her for 3.5 months, but it was so weird to go somewhere without her. However, we had a GREAT time with just the two of us again. We did random crazy touristy stuff while we were there and enjoyed a quiet dinner. The trip was the best gift I received this Christmas.

Phew, that was a lot! I really need to get better at blogging as things happen so I don't have to fit so much into one post. New Year's blog will be shorter :)

Parent's Rights

So I received a brochure from the school yesterday called "Parent's Rights: A Brief Summary of Procedural Safeguards" Call me crazy, but am I not the one who pays taxes for them to educate my child - so shouldn't I be the one to tell them what their rights with my child are and what I want done to ensure their safety?

One statement stood out: "You must be given the opportunity to participate in all meetings during which  decisions will be made about your child's educational services." At first glance this seems rational but the real question is what makes you think you are the one who gets to control everything about my child? It basically said that they are going to have the meeting and make the decision whether we are there or not, and we only have to be informed about what is going on.

Please don't get me wrong, I am not opposed to the whole education system. I was trained in education for a reason - I have a passion to work with children and to help them learn and grow. But I think that we need to remember that all of our good intentions will never replace the rights and responsibilities parents have for their own children. Schools can not take the place of parents, even if the parents are really bad. We need to help parents learn to be parents and to train and discipline their children. Teachers and administrators should only need to be concerned with teaching our children, not raising them.

Thanksgiving

Last year was my first Thanksgiving married and I was privileged to host dinner for my parents in my tiny apartment. It was something that we had discussed making a new tradition and I was ecstatic. However, things were a little different my my family this year.

This year my Mom really wanted us to come down and celebrate Thanksgiving with her family as it's been a difficult year for some.

Another difference this year was that our foster child was able to go with us to celebrate the day.

My aunt hosted dinner at her house and almost everyone from my extended family on my Mom's side was there! It turned out to be a great day and it was nice to visit with everyone. I also think that despite being nervous, our foster child really enjoyed it too.

We spent several days at my parents house enjoying the farm and just visiting my parents. Warren and I had a blast riding the four-wheeler and taking a trip to Knoxville to visit friends (my parents watched the kid for us), while our foster child enjoyed riding horses and playing with the rabbits and dogs.....not to mention she was loving having cable AND being allowed to watch it!

All in all it was a great holiday!

Now, if I could just get excited about Christmas that would be better!

Warren's B-Day

On Oct. 2, 2011 my wonderful husband turned 30! We had originally wanted to have two celebrations, one for our friends and family living near us and one for those who live in NC. However; due to scheduling conflicts and the like the first did not happen :(  But, the good news is that we were still able to celebrate with some of his other friends. 

So, this past weekend, we drove down to Asheville, NC. We arrived Friday night and had the opportunity to visit one of his college friends over dinner. 

The next morning we meet up with some more friends for a fun day at Biltmore. Although the house was really cool, I did feel like we were being herded through like cattle. But the great company made it all worth it! After visiting the house we roamed through the gardens and eventually made our way down to their winery.

At the end of the day we enjoyed dinner at O'Charley's, which was delicious (you can rarely go wrong with their potato soup)

I would like to thank the Burchett's, Ben and Steven for  making making the trip down and being part of  this celebration for Warren!!!

Myers Family Update

Lots has happened over the last few days in the Myers home!
As some of you may know, Warren and I just completed training to become therapeutic foster parents about a month ago. Since then we have been praying that God would reveal His purpose in bringing us to this place and for the children that would be placed in our home. On Sept. 30 (last Friday), a child was placed in our home and we have been on this fast paced ride trying to catch up with what's going on. I went to bed on Thursday night and woke up, suddenly responsible for another person....as if that's not crazy enough she's 16! I vividly remember 16, not a great chapter in my life, and I came from a stable, loving, and Christian home so it's difficult at times to relate to her. But, just to be clear, she is amazing, fun, and very likable. So I guess to make a long story short, we all could really use some prayers and a BIG thank you in advance!!
Another event that occurred over the weekend was Warren's 30th birthday!!! Our foster child participates in a horseback riding program at the horse park on some weekends so Saturday was a perfect day to go out and celebrate the big event while she was away.
Lately, we have been reading the novelization of the new movie Courageous....so we went to see the noon matinee. I don't want to ruin it for anyone but it is a must see!!! Plus, I think that one of the main messages in the film could not have come at a better time...it gave us even more motivation to provide the best home environment and solid Christian parental figures for the time she is with us. And of course, like most special occasions, we celebrated with dinner at the Melting Pot. Earlier in the summer we found a great LivingSocial deal for the Melting Pot so our dinner was half off, cha ching!!  Yeah, I'd say couponing is still working our well for us :p
I'm sure that the next few days, weeks, and months are going to be a major adjustment and learning period in our lives...we'll try to keep you all updated as much as possible!

Why didn't anyone tell me??

Truly Sad

When I was in college I was unfortunate enough to visit one of these "churches". It made me really appreciate the solid teaching from my home church. I am more open to varying styles of worship and preaching than I use to be, but it MUST come from God! It you are doing it or saying it just to draw larger crowds without receiving specific instruction from Him, then your work will be in vain and you will have a negative impact on the people. Our God is radical and will make Himself known through magnificent means, he doesn't need our "help" to make the message exciting or popular!
Actually, He even told us it would be unpopular! So why are we trying so hard to conform His message into what the world wants, trying to make it entertaining?

Here's the video............