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Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Night Before Christmas

Woohoo!!!! My man is HOME!!!! Hehehehe, this picture says it all :)


I drove to the airport Saturday night to pick up my sweetheart. Captain America's flight was supposed to get into Eugene Oregon at 12:07 AM, but it was delayed until 1:00am. I remember seeing people coming down the escalator, and they would come into view from the feet up. I remember seeing one guy with nice shoes, nice jeans, big muscles, and thinking - OH please, I want that one - hehehe. And guess what? It was Captain America!! Woohoo! I got the cutest guy on the plane :) Not that I'm biased or anything - LOL!

The airline lost his luggage (it went to Chicago - we just can't get away from that place - LMBO!). We had to go to Walmart to buy new Sunday clothes for Captain America. Luckily, most of his stuff was in his carry on bag. We left Wal-mart at about 2:30am, and got back to Florence about 3:30am. We stayed the night at my friend, Angie's house. She and her family went to Portland for a few days, so her house was empty. We got to bed at around 4:00 am, and then had to be us at 7:30 am to get ready for church. Here's a pic of us before church. We may be tired, but don't we look happy :)

Christmas Sunday was nice. The primary kids sang 2 songs (I'm the chorister), and did very well. I just love to hear the little kids sing. My friend, Maren, sang a solo, and was FABULOUS!!!! What a BEAUTIFUL alto voice she had :)

After church, we went to Coos Bay to renue our Temple Recommends, and decided that since we were already down there, we'd stay the night. Angie's house wasn't available anymore, so we didn't have a place to stay anyway. We stayed at Motel 6, and just relaxed as a family. It was kinda fun. And big, for a Motel 6. 2 queens, and lots of floor space. But, by about 11 the next day, we were all ready to come back to Florence. There's only so long that you can keep kids good in a motel room - LOL! We hit Wal-mart while we were in the city (hehehe- can you tell that I like Wal-Mart!), and stopped briefly to see a friend of Captain America's, then headed back to town. We stopped by my parents house to re-fresh our suit cases, and then my parents, my sisters family, and my family went to Abby's Pizza for dinner, then Christmas Carolling. That was a lot of fun. While I didn't get any pics of the group, I did get one of me. We all had these cute Santa hats that we wore.

After the pizza and caroling, we headed out to a different place to stay the night. We had a friend at church who managed some cabins/motel rooms on the lake. I'd seen her earlier in the week at the store, and she was trying to get some Christmas Cards made at the photo department. They were giving her a hard time, so I told her to just give me her media card, and that I'd do up a Christmas Card for her, and send it to the photo lab, and it would be cheaper because it would be developed at a 4x6, not as a Christmas card, and would be cuter, because I could use kits from Scraporchard. She just LOVED the cards, and when she heard that we were having "housing" issues, she offered us a night at the cabins. WOOHOO! See, when you do good things for other people, goodness comes back to you :) Words to live by :)

Here's a pic of Captain America and I at the cabin. I have individual pics of him and all the kids, but didn't really have time to post them all.
And here's all the kids at the cabin. Isn't that a gorgeous view of the lake! I just LOVE Oregon scenery :)
So, I got a call from another friend, Ann, and she said that a different family in the Ward was gonna be out of town for the WHOLE time that Captain America was here, and that she'd called them, and that they said that WE COULD STAY AT THEIR HOUSE!!! So, we're there now. And let me tell you, it feels SO nice. No more "house hopping". That was starting to get very weary. I must say, though, that I'm feeling VERY blessed right about now. There are so many people out there thinking of me, and taking care of my family. Thanks to everyone who sent cards, and well wishes, and have been praying for us.

Just need to share a quick story about the blessings of Tithing. I don't know how many of you "tithe" in your churches, but let me tell you, the blessings from it are real. In our church, we pay 10% of our income. And I know that we've been promised that if we do, that we will be blessed. But some times, I have a hard time remembering to pay it. I write out the check, and it just sits in my purse. And sits, and sits. That's not always good when you live paycheck to paycheck. Anyway, I had Decembers tithing (Captain Americas pay and mine) written out, and in my purse, and finally turned it in on Sunday. Money's a bit tight right now, but I knew that there would be barely enough to cover tithing. Anyway, I turned it in.

Well, on Tuesday, my mom called me from work saying that she found an envelope addressed to "The Hartys" in her car door. Inside was a note saying that "our service was noticed and appreciated", and it had a large amount of money. We don't know who it was from. Let me tell you girls, I believe in the power of tithing. I know that when you give to the Lord, he will give back to you. It was more money in the envelope than I paid in tithing for the month. I know that Heavenly Father works through other people to bless our lives. He does that for me, and he will do that for you, too.

So, THANK YOU to whoever left the gift for my family. We will be forever grateful! We truly appreciate you generosity! And thank you for re-affirming my testimony in the power of tithing :)

OK, on to WordArt :)

I thought that this would be PERFECT for all those night before Christmas photos that I will be taking! We go to my Aunts house for Christmas Eve, and open presents from extended family. Then on Christmas we all get together and eat Tacos. Yes, I know, that's not a typical Christmas dinner. Heheheh, we're not even Hispanic, which would make more sense. We just LOVE tacos. And I was in high school, I think, before I realized that not everyone had tacos on Christmas. hehehe.

So, click on the image below to go to my box.net account to download the PNG file, and leave some love if you like my work.

FONTS:
2 variations of Fontdinerdotcom

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for the wordart. Wishing you and yours a fabulous holiday together!

Andrea said...

I'm so happy your man is back! Enjoy your Christmas!!!

Still Enjoying the Journey said...

Thank you for your wordart ... but more importantly how God has been blessing you and your family ... Tithing ... a nice reminder this time of year. I understand that 'cheque in the purse thang'! Merry CHRISTmas!

Tina said...

Thank you so much.......what perfect wording on a perfect day!

Happy Holidays from my blog page to yours!

Brenda said...

Enjoy your hubby--I cant imagine how excited you mustve been to see him.

Tammy Dunlap said...

Thanks for the freebies! I am so happy for you and your kids that your hubby is home for Christmas with you all! You both looking very very Happy in the photos! Such a gorgeous couple you both make! Merry Christmas and Bless you all!

Sharon-shutterbug said...

What an awesome message of God's Divine Providence in today's message - a house to stay in, money, and even a 24-hour Wal-Mart when you need one! :)
Have a blessed Christmas!

Anonymous said...

I'm so happy to hear that you've found someplace to stay for the entire holiday so that you can focus on spending time with your hubby and not on travelling from place to place. You both look so happy!

Happy holidays!

Unknown said...

What an amazing lesson on tithing!
What an adventure it must be, I've always thought house hopping would be fun :) but you are right with kids probably not :)

TFS!

xashee's corner said...

i am sooooooooooo HAPPY for you!!! And i LOVE the photos and stories you share!! God sure knows our needs always!! Merriest Christmas to you & Brent & the children!!! Thank you so veryy much for ALL you have shared!! :D

Anonymous said...

Love the word art. I am new to digi scrapping and just want to say thank you.

Shanell said...

Enjoy the time with your WHOLE family! YAY that Brent is home. Thanks for all the word art and beautiful way you can capture the phrase. Merry Christmas!

JudyD said...

Thanks so much for the word art, gorgeous as usual!

How wonderful you have found a place to stay the rest of our husband's visit! Have a great holiday.

JudyD said...

PS, heard on the Portland news this morning that there is a TON of unclaimed luggage at PDX. The airlines were recommending that people come pick up their bags at the airport, rather than waiting for the bags to be delivered to them.

Dawn Zorer said...

When i saw a picture of you and your hubby it may me have tears in my eyes, i am so happy you are together as a family this Christmas.
Dawn Z

Vicki said...

Thanks so much, an I hope you & your family have a very Merry Christmas!

Unknown said...

I'm so happy for you that things are working out so nicely for your family. What wonderful Christmas blessings! :) Thanks for the wordart and for the reminder of the importance of tithing.
Merry Christmas!

{krista} said...

I'm so touched by every word of this! The husband, a place to stay, and the blessing of tithing. Have a very merry Christmas Bethany!!!

Jeanann said...

Bethany, thanks so much for your word art. Have a wonderful holiday with your husband and family!

IreneO said...

Have a blessed Christmas, Bethany! Glad your man made it home.

Thanks for the Night Before word art. Our big celebration is Christmas Eve.

Thanks too for the note on tithing. I agree with you. Not always easy to do, but the Lord has promised to bless.

Juli and Brett said...

so glad your husband is back. That is great! Have a merry christmas!

Unknown said...

Thank you for the wordart. Merry CHRISTmas to you and your family. It's so great to see you and your husband back together. Thank him for serving our country. Much love and blessings.

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for this Freebie. I want to let you know that I posted a link to your blog in Creative Busy Hands Digital Freebies Search List, under the C - Word Art - Winter Celebrations - Christmas post on Dec. 24, 2008. Thanks again and Happy Holidays.

LovelyMissKait said...

I am so happy that Brent is back home with you and the kids! Wishing you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
Loved the picts!
And thanks for the wordart.
Kait

Anonymous said...

Thank you! Your blog post will be advertised on the DigiFree Digital Scrapbooking Freebie search engine today (look for timestamp: 24 Dec [LA 09:00pm] - 25 Dec [NY 12:00am, UK 05:00am, OZ 04:00pm] ).

Sue said...

Thank you very much for the lovely word art! :) Merry Christmas!

Anonymous said...

Merci

Breeoxd said...

thank you so glad you are having a blessed xmas

eb2177 said...

Thank you!
My family has tacos for Christmas too!! At least every few years, we have them for either Christmas of Thanksgiving. They are an old family recipe, from about 5 generations back, but the grandma that they came from is the only Mexican in the family. :o) Merry Christmas.

J9 said...

Thanks so much! Glad the windows of Heaven opened for you. Enjoyed reading your blog. I'm a 'fontaholic' and I know I have that font, but I also know I could never make it look like that! Great work, and thanks again!

Anonymous said...

Thank-you for the great wordart

Anonymous said...

Awesome work thanks so much for sharing !! xx

Unknown said...

Thank you for the beautiful wordart.

Merry Christmas