Oh, my, it’s been so long since my last post.  Well, a crazy move will certainly cause things to be off schedule, and I can safely say our move from Florida to Virginia was the worst one we’ve ever had as far as the packing/delivery process goes. We moved in early September, and it was around the end of October before I even began to feel a little settled. We love our new home in Alexandria, Virginia, and if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook then you’ve seen lots of pics from the walks Cooper and I take.  Then, November began with the worst phone call I have ever received.  Our sweet, precious niece, Kaylee, that you have read all about here and on my other pages, passed away at 18 years of age.  I am heartbroken, devastated, and have such sadness in my heart because we were best friends…and, she was like a daughter to me.  There are no words to truly describe this heartache for our family because Kaylee was and still is the most beautiful LIGHT that shines in our lives ~ she has one of the most beautiful hearts I have ever known, and I am so very blessed to be loved by her.  There is a huge void in my life that only she can fill…we have such a connection/bond with each other so not having her here on earth with me to share life with is devastating.  Yes, I know she is with my sweet Granny and other family members in Heaven, I will see her again one day, and that she is free from the excruciating migraines she suffered with for over three years.  But yes, I am also selfish in wanting her to be here with me.  And, you know what…that’s ok.  I know God knows my heart, and I know it’s normal for me to feel this way.  If I didn’t wish for her to be here…well, there would be nothing natural or healing about that. So, right now, I miss her so very much, and I always will…and, I wish she were still here to call me so she could tell me about her day.  Since her passing, I have had beautiful signs of her being with me, and I can feel her so strongly each day.  I will share more from my heart about these special little “hellos” from her and about our relationship in the weeks to come.  I want to thank all of you that have reached out to my family and me…thank you for your continued prayers, your hugs, and your love. We appreciate every moment you have expressed your love to us.  It blesses our hearts so much to see how many lives Kaylee touched with her light and love, and I know she will continue to.

As December begins I want to do something special each day ~ if you follow me on Facebook  and Instagram you will have seen my post for yesterday.  I realize some of you may not be in those spots though so I want to be sure to share a dose of JOY with you here!  🙂  So, let’s get December off to a JOY~filled month! MERRY CHRISTMAS month!  “Choose JOY” has been my phrase of the year for 2015, and I think the month of December is the perfect time to make sure every day is filled with a little JOY ~ the perfect time to remind ourselves that it exists even on the most difficult days. So, I”m going to be sharing doses of JOY with you throughout the month ~ it may be some of my favorite Christmas ornaments, our past Christmas cards, JOY~full messages, snippets of JOY from my walks about Old Town, how I’m finding and creating JOY in my art, and so much more! And, this will be the perfect welcome to the beautiful phrase I will be celebrating for 2016 ~ I’ll reveal this on January 1st! 🙂  Right now, my heart longs for JOY…and, some of my most special moments of JOY come from my memories shared with Kaylee. Kaylee loved Christmas so I know she will be such a part of this with me! As we reflect on the true meaning of Christmas ~ the most beautiful birth of JOY of our Jesus ~ may our hearts reflect on how His love has led us to love. There are so many families experiencing such sadness right now, and my heart breaks right along with them, as I hear of loved ones lost in their families…in your families. Praying that we will feel God’s peace during this special season and be filled with JOY from the love we hold in our hearts for our special loved ones! *This cute photo was our Christmas card from 2010…this is our sweet Tucker {Tuesdays with Tucker }, and we still miss this adorable little guy every day but are so very thankful for the almost 15 years we shared with him! 🙂 Happy Decembert 1st, sweet friends ~ YOU ALL sure add alot of JOY to my days!

I hope December is getting off to a sweet start for you!

Warm Hugs!