Ricker Ramblings: February 2013

First SNOW in Charlotte

Umm, yes. Feb 16th, 2013. Lorraine's birthday. We were SOOO surprised by giant snowflakes falling from the sky early in the evening. Of course, we had to play in it! So, off we went. We had a snowball fight, ran around, and built the Coolest Snowman EVER. It was legit! Then, I made us some baked potato soup, and rolls (definitely need help in that department), and we watched a movie with the freshly falling snow visible at our side. It was magical in every way. and THEN! ( I know, as if there could be anything Better) Then we got the email. CHURCH CANCELLED due to the weather. Well, I don't know what to tell ya. We're blessed. I mean, I love church, but let's be honest, anytime we can sleep in and basically just chill all day... is a good day. This weekend was awesome.
Proof:

Note: Dax's head was tragically knocked off this morning by two very mean spirited boys running around. Although headless, his spirit remains strong, and he will forever be a part of our little family:)

Heart Day

This Valentine's Day was pretty low key. We are totally committed to our financial goals, and this year, we definitely didn't want to waste any money on goofy Vday stuff, so Alan folded all the loads of laundry for me (my most hated chore), and I made him a DELISH dinner and wrote him a meaningful sincere 'letter' of sorts. As I was writing about my love for him, I kept feeling my love grow and grow. That crazy mushy love coupled with his laundry folding woo-ing technique made this one of the Best Valentine's Days ever! I Love love.... And I especially love that sweet man of mine.

For those of you that were wondering-- I made a mango chicken with rice and beans... :)

New Year's Resolutions...

Yes, we made some resolutions this year... One of mine is to keep up with the blog. Bahahaha.... Not really. I have, however, taken time to make some good resolutions and one of them was to take time to record insights/special occasions and moments/and gained wisdom. I even bought an awesome journal with an owl on it to write things in. I actually really like it. Alan thinks my love for owls is weird. I think not.
Speaking of...
I also resolved to start basing my decisions on Me and my personal needs/goals/desires/interests, instead of basing them on how I want people to think of me. I mean, really, think about it... How much of what you do, say, achieve, and strive for is based on your own personal development and not influenced by how you are perceived by others? Maybe you're really dieting for you, and not to try and fit the mold of the 'perfect' body type. Maybe you run because you love to, or maybe it's because it is cool to be 'a runner.'.... Or maybe you spend Way too much of your time analyzing comments you make or conversations you've had to see how you might have come across to the other person. (Guilty) I don't know. Maybe, if you're anything like me, you see that much of what you do is not based on internal motivators, but externally so.This year, I really want to get to know myself better. I want to do things because they bring me joy. I want to like my body and stop spending so much thought and energy in trying to change what is just fine. I want to find my true strengths and develop them. I want to work on becoming a better me, for Me. Basically, I want to stop caring about what people may THINK of me, and start caring more about what the Lord SEES in me. I'll have to post later in the year what kinds of things I am discovering about myself. For now, I think I'm mostly just discovering how little I really do based on Me.
Ok... Enough with the Deep. My only other resolution this year is to get my hair redone, so I don't have 2 ft of a tangled horse tail hanging off my scalp. And yes, that is for Me:)

Christmas Past...

A few snapshots at our wonderful Christmas season... Things got busy as I got a job about a week before everyone got here. I was diligently getting contracts read and signed, filling out paperwork, getting licensed and credentialed, and anything else possible to get started working, that the time flew by waiting for everyone to get here. When they did, however, the fun never ended. It was so much fun to spend Christmas with the whole fam. I absolutely adore my two nephews and had such a blast playing with them, and watching them with all our festivities. The time really seemed to move soo fast. We all were hugely blessed with thoughtful gifts and memories made, and I am so grateful everyone was here to celebrate the very first Christmas in our home. Here are some pics of our fun:

The boy loves his oranges...

Pooped out. So soon?!

All I want for Christmas... is a stick.

Within minutes of the boys getting to the house, they found Grandpa's cheese balls and had brought them to him. Hilarious! So Papa Lew decided to get them their very own...