Dan & I savored our time at my home in Missouri - the snow, the fireplace, the coffee, and of course the family and friends. It was truly a time of REST for us, and I think I got on the computer maybe twice - a true break for me as I spend most of my days in front of one of these screens! I did check this blog a time or two - thinking perhaps a new post would somehow magically appear, but for some reason that didn't happen :) So now I wanted to share a few pictures and thoughts with you from our time. One of the first days we were home we got a really nice snow storm and my Dad (being the artist that he is) decided it was the perfect opportunity for a photo shoot. Now, you have to understand that my Dad is very into the details of his paintings, particularly the details of historic authenticity. So Dad & "the boys" (a very new thing in the Carroll house) disappear into the basement for awhile, and after Dad made a couple trips up and down the stairs for extra gear (apparently Dan had a little trouble with the attire and even managed to get his britches on backwards at one point), they emerged in full frontier attire. When then headed out into the blizzard to get a few shots - Kels & I got to go along as "prop girls". The guys had a good time until their hands went numb :-)
Christmas day was wonderful as we enjoyed the morning together - all 6 of us! This was the first time Dan & Brent (Kelsey's fiance) have both spent Christmas at our house, and it was quite fun to have everyone there - our complete family. (Dan especially enjoyed having a brother for the first time and decided he would just call Brent that from now on..."come on, Brother, let's go bring in some wood for the fire..." etc.) After Dad read the Christmas story, we opened gifts together, then enjoyed our traditional Christmas brunch. Here's a picture of our pretty table...and Dad.
Dan thoroughly enjoyed being in the country for awhile - shoveling snow, target pratice with his "brother", and shooting his first live creature...an oppossum. Here is my Dad giving him a few tips:
I'm pretty sure my Dad enjoyed having him around, too :-)
I also enjoyed the peace and quiet of being out of the city for awhile. I may be "grown up," but it's still hard for me to pass up a walk in the snow or a day of sledding with Paige & Torri!
I also enjoyed lots of time in the kitchen with my Mom. She loves to cook more than anyone I know...and she certainly had her fill during this break! There were always some sweet smells coming from kitchen, and it was really fun for me to actually be able to help a little. We had pies and cinnamon rolls and ham and cranberry salad and stromboli....and the list goes on and on. Thanks Mom!
We also had a wonderful time with my grandparents and cousins when my Dad's side of the family got together. Unfortunately I don't have any good pictures from that time, but it was so nice as EVERYONE was able to make it this time - and our numbers just keep growing :-)
All in all, it was a very merry Christmas indeed. It was a little different than previous years as 2 depositions loomed in front of my Dad - one today and another tomorrow. Please pray for him and his attorney as they continue to battle the injustice of his termination back in August. It is certainly an uphill battle - but I know my Dad well enough to know that if they're expecting him to lay down and quit they will soon be sorely disappointed. (If you're reading this and have no idea what I'm talking about, I might post about it soon once we know something - the wheels of justice certainly do turn slowly sometimes.)
It's also been a little hard coming back to Nashville knowing that Dan would have to leave right away for a 6-week rotation out in East Tennessee. I know it's not forever, but it's long enough and I don't especially enjoy him being gone. Oh well - this too shall pass, and come August, rotations will be over and he will be a certified Physician Assistant! I am just praying that the Lord would grant us patience and grace during this time that we have to be apart. I am so thankful for the time he and I had to spend together over this break. What a sweet husband the Lord has blessed me with - I love that boy :-)
That's all for now - but I'm back in action and will be blogging more regularly now that I'm home again. Hope you all had a wonderful, restful, and peaceful Christmas - and may our Lord guide us all as we enter another new year!
4 comments:
Such great pictures, dearie! Sounds like you had a wonderful break... isn't family wonderful? Your pictures of your dad dressing up cracked me up! He sounds like quite the character. Will post pictures soon of our own break! Happy birthday to Dan tomorrow, by the way!
Correct me if I'm wrong, but is that Dan, on the snow covered porch, in shorts and no shoes? I guess the possum wasn't going to wait around for him to get bundled up. :)
tommy thinks Dan looks good in the old school hunting man, tommy says he pulled it off well but the real gys were more manly.
Its so good to hear from you guys, we miss you!
Thanks for the comments guys! It's always fun to see that little number go up at the bottom of the post :-) And yes Amy...Dan is definitely barefoot in shorts & a t-shirt in the snow - duty calls!
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