let me tell you all the ways i love you

I was sitting in my car during my lunch hour today and was listening to the radio and heard this song for the first time.

Click the link to listen to the song.

Close Your Eyes 

It made me think of my husband. He has been my rock through so much. He loved me back to life when there was almost no life left inside of my soul. I owe him so much more than I ever can give back to him.  

Close your eyes
Let me tell you all the reasons why
Think you’re one of a kind.
Here’s to you
The one that always pulls us through
Always do what you got to do
You’re one of a kind
Thank God you're mine.

You’re an angel dressed in armor
You’re the fair in every fight
You’re my life and my safe harbor
Where the sun sets every night
And if my love is blind
I don’t want to see the light.

It’s your beauty that betrays you
Your smile gives you away.
Cause you’re made of strength and mercy
And my soul is yours to save
I know this much is true
When my world was dark and blue
I know the only one who rescued me was you

Close your eyes
Let me tell you all the reasons why
You’re never going to have to cry
Because you’re one of a kind
Yeah, here’s to you
The one that always pulls us through
You always do what you got to do, baby
Because you’re one of a kind.

When your love pours down on me
I know I’m finally free
So I tell you gratefully
Every single beat in my heart is yours to keep

So close your eyes
Let me tell you all the reasons why, babe
You’re never going to have to cry, baby
Because you’re one of a kind
Yeah, here’s to you
You’re the one that always pulls us through
You always do what you got to do, babe
'Cause you’re one of a kind.

You’re the reason why I’m breathing.
With a little look my way
You’re the reason that I’m feeling
It’s finally safe to stay!

He is the Adam to my Eve, the Romeo to my Juliet, the Clyde to my Bonnie. We aren't perfect, but we are better together than apart.

I love you Mr. Wonderful.

You make me want to go on.

Lue

Amish Country Ninja's For Real!

Awhile back I got a new camera and so I've been out and about randomly shooting pictures in order to familiarize myself with the camera and what it can do. Following you will find a few creatures I met along the way.

These two were like, "Say, would you like our picture? We will be right over."

Their friends were less impressed with me being there. Their breakfast was a bit more important than some lady wielding a camera.

My friends made it over to me. They struck a pose. I was delighted.

The ears.

 Love!

Then the sheep family noticed me. "Hey! You! You takin' pictures or sumptin' over there? You know you are on our turf? Beat it! Scram!"

{Think tough mafia type accent.}

Sigh. "Sorry for Morty and his Ninja's, they think they own everything. I will protect you from Morty if he tries anything funny", says Mrs. Donkey.

Vanilla Ice did Amish recently and he brought the term, "ninja's" along with him. At this point, everyone in Holmes County, OH are Ninja's, even the creatures.

"I really mean it lady, you come closer and I will send my ninja's after you and you WILL be sorry."

I don't care how big and bad "Morty and his Ninja's are, I love this picture. You can see they really cared I was there, they all turned their backside to me and kept right on grazing. I think they were pretty confident I meant them no harm. All except for Morty, that is.

(wink, wink)

Lue

I Don't Wanna be a Puppet on a String

    Lately I've been thinking about conviction. A lot. I observe folks and how they live their lives, what they say, what they talk about, what they do and how they do it. The folks who walk the earth with conviction - you can tell who they are. They aren't consumed with the latest fads, they are content, at peace, and wise. They are settled, secure, and live an unselfish lifestyle. They leave an example that is inspiring and motivating for those of us who are still working on our lives.

Honestly, I probably have more questions than answers on this subject. I figure there are a couple of "laws" we abide by or don't abide by. There is the moral or ethical law and the spiritual law. These two sort of stood out for me. I'm guessing we would all say that we follow these laws to some degree, we don't even think about them, they are like second nature for most of us.

The moral or ethical law: We all have our morals or ethics, correct? We may not have the same ones as our next door neighbor, but if asked, we could name a few morals or ethics we believed in and stood for.

The spiritual law: Almost everyone I know would say they are Christian. In recent years we all seem to define that in various ways. In my neck of the woods and the folks I rub shoulders with would say they are Christ followers and try to do what is right. Others would tell you if they follow the rules of their church they have hope they will get to heaven. It is their spiritual law.

But is that enough? Do we know what we believe? Do we know what we stand for? Spiritually? Politically? Morally? What about our health? What is over the edge for us? What is OK? What is confusing? So many questions when you really start to ponder on these things.

There were several news stories out there recently that got me thinking more about some of these questions. I will link to a couple such articles and give you my thoughts.

 http://themetzfamilyadventures.blogspot.com/2013/10/why-my-kids-are-not-center-of-my-world.html

This mother came out and said what was on her heart and did a pretty good job "saying it". She doesn't believe in the modern day parenting methods and she articulates it so well. It is refreshing to read a younger person's post who is wise and knows what she believes in. She has convictions and she is living them out. Awesome!  (Anyone parenting? Hop over there and read her thoughts, it will make you think.)

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/highschool-prep-rally/kentucky-cross-country-runner-pulls-regional-championships-rather-111318529.html

In this story, the young lady drew the bib with the number 666 to run in a race. Her convictions wouldn't allow her to be associated with that number. She voluntarily dropped out of the race. I wonder how much it hurt her to do so, obviously she has a love for competition and running. I am sure it cost her a lot to withdraw from the competition. Made me think about what I stand for. Do I know? Would it have mattered to me. I could think..it is "just a number" who cares if it is also associated with Satan. I'm not making an observation on the young lady, if she should or should not have, I'm saying, she had a conviction that made her stand out and she likely knew she faced ridicule from some of her peers and others around her that day - as the story broke and made headlines. This made me really think about what I believe in and stand for. Do I know? For sure?

The third story, I won't link to, because there is so much goop out there, I'm not sure what is true and what is not. Most of us have heard about the little Amish girl who has/had cancer and she was being forced by the hospital and courts to have some chemo treatment. People were appalled from all sides and the family suffered intensely from reports I read. The father was reported to have had a nervous breakdown because of the whole ordeal. Reportedly the family has now escaped to Canada and refuse to comply with the court and doctor's orders. I don't know what is right or wrong in this case, that is not my point, my point is that these parents are standing up for what they believe in. Their little girl doesn't want treatment and the family is trying to honor her wishes best I can tell. They've uprooted their lives, their family, and have fled because they felt there was no other way. Can I even fathom that kind of conviction?

At the end of the day, I want to know what I stand for, what I believe in and what those convictions are for sure. My intentions aren't to get all preachy and act like I have all the answers. But I want to say that I want Jesus' law written in my heart  and on my mind. I want to glean from other's very brave lives and brand that kind of example to my person. With our country becoming so politically correct about EVERYTHING, I don't want to be a sheep, and just follow the most vocal and intimidating, but I want to say it and do it like these folks I linked to or wrote about. I also don't want to slide into heaven by doing everything right by what the church said. I want to take that responsibility to know why I believe what I believe in, there seems to be more peace in doing life that way.

Long ago I learned from your statutes that you established them to last forever. Psalm 119:152 (NIV)       

Thinking about this post today an old country song came to my mind and I pulled it up and at some level it speaks to what I'm trying say here. The person who wrote this song understood knowing what they stood for.

You've Got to Stand for Something or You Will Fall For Anything

Now Daddy didn't like trouble, but if it came along
Everyone that knew him knew which side that he'd be on
He never was a hero, or this county's shinin' light
But you could always find him standing up
For what he thought was right

He'd say you've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything
You've got to be your own man not a puppet on a string
Never compromise what's right and uphold your family name
You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything

Now we might have been better off or owned a bigger house
If Daddy had done more givin' in or a little more backing down
But we always had plenty just living his advice
Whatever you do today you'll have to sleep with tonight

He'd say you've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything
You've got to be your own man not a puppet on a string
Never compromise what's right and uphold your family name
You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything

Now I know that things are different than they were in Daddy's days
But I still believe what makes a man really hasn't changed

You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything
You've got to be your own man not a puppet on a string
Never compromise what's right and uphold your family name
You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything

You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything

copied from www.cowboylyrics.com  

Just my thoughts!

Lue

Amish Wedding Pictures

In September, actually on Bert and my 29th wedding anniversary, we attended the wedding of one of Bert's nieces. I asked my sister in law if she was ok if I took some pictures, of course, I wasn't allowed to shoot any photos of the folks, but I did try to get the gist of what an Amish wedding looks like.

 (Tip...if you double-click on one of the pictures in my posts, they will all come up together and you can click through them and see more detail.)

When we first arrived we saw this sign. I just loved this humble little sign. There were no signs for cars, we just parked along the roadside.

My husband's truck beside the buggies. When I looked back to take the photo, it hit me this was a perfect picture for us, the before and after mode of transportation if you will. I like the contrast.

A little creek flowing through my sister in law's property.  The duck family was busy paddling around when I paused to take this shot. You will see more of this creek in a few pictures.

The horses were tied up to trees as their owners were participating in the wedding celebration.

Typically Amish bridal tables are made around a corner with the bride in one side of the corner and the groom on the other side. Sometimes they change it up and they place a board in the table to make it possible for the bride and groom to sit side by side as you see in this picture.

The tables we dined at follow, they can serve at least 200 folks at a time.

The bridal couple tablewaiters were discussing something before dinner.

Wilma, the bride, marked the wall with their wedding date. It is also our anniversary date, so, I took a picture of it. 

My husband. I asked him to "pose" so I could get a good shot of that tent in the background. He made a joke about me taking pictures where I'm not supposed to just before I took the picture. Look at that grin! Love him! And his humor!

Why I took this picture has nothing to do with the wedding but to show you the solar panel. The Amish are using solar panels for so many things. They can even wire their homes now so they can use electric kitchen appliances and sewing machines and lights.

Electricity is still considered to be too worldly. I can't explain the way they process their rules and regulations, I can only tell you how it is and sometimes show you what it looks like.

(On this subject...I have to watch that sarcasm doesn't rear its big, ugly head.)

Wedding presents. Under another tent.

This scene is at every Amish wedding. The ladies are trying to get kitchen towels dry so they can reuse them. Lots of dishes to wash on wedding day.



More gifts under the tent.

More horses waiting.

So here is what made my night. There were all these little guys playing on the bridge in my sister in law's driveway. I believe they were throwing gravel at the ducks you saw a few pictures back.

Another view of my sister in law's property. I like the driveway, very inviting.

I wish I could've taken more pictures, more with people in the pictures, but I took as many as I could without becoming a nuisance to the Amish folks who were there. Some Amish are very sensitive to having pictures taken, while others are a little bit more relaxed about pictures, this was a situation where I had probably done enough.

I hope you enjoyed them.

Lue

The Wheels on the Buggy go Round and Round and...Kerplunk!

Once upon a time in a far away time, I lived another life. I was Amish. But I was never a good Amish person. I wasn't made for that lifestyle. You know, horses and buggies, confining shawls and bonnets, and outhouses.

Well, to be honest, I never did grow up with an outhouse as a bathroom, however, I had the fun opportunity to use the outhouse at my neighbor's and there was not much more "fun" then to "go" with a slight breeze flowing over my arse. The aroma in that outhouse? There are no words, but as a kid, it didn't really matter what things smelled like. What mattered was the breeze...on the arse.

Shawls and bonnets? There is no blessing in something you have to do. Today when I see Amish ladies and young girls walking around with their big black bonnet and shawl I often pause for a moment and remember how it felt, boxy and confining and scratchy. It just wasn't for me.

Conversely, a horse and buggy were never "fun" for me. I was always tense and frightened around the horses. They were big, one or two had stepped on my dad's toe and he lost toenails because of it, they were skittish out on the big road. For me they were monstrosities, probably next in line to a dinosaur and I wanted no part of them. I remember riding in the buggy with my family as a kid and my foot would be shaking because I was so terrified of the beast pulling our buggy.

As I grew older, got married and having no money (at all) I sat home alone weeks on end, only seeing and interacting with my kids and my books. If I didn't have a new book to read I was pretty much sunk. That is another story for another day. There were times when I had to put my fright of horse on the shelf and actually use the horse and buggy for a mode of transportation because we didn't have money to pay a taxi driver to take me to where ever it was I wanted needed to go.

This day our children were staying with my parent's and I had the morning to myself, it was Fall and there was a need for new winter coats and pants for my husband and son and a winter coat for my daughter, so I braved the horse situation, hitched him up to the buggy, hopped on the buggy...(there is NO graceful way to get on a buggy...trust me.)...and I drove to a nearby town, to my friend, Katie's little fabric store and made a few purchases of wool and denim and quilted lining and snaps and thread and whatever else was on my list.

On the way to the fabric store my drive was pretty uneventful, there were a couple pretty steep hills to maneuver up and down on the way to the fabric store, but to assess the drive in to town, it went well and I was feeling fairly confident about my situation.

After making my selection of fabrics and paying for my purchases I walked back to my horse and buggy, dodging horse poop on the pavement, placing my purchases on the buggy seat, I walked to the neck of my horse, untied the tie rope and backed the horse and buggy up and away from the hitching rail, assuring a cleared distance. Ungracefully, I hopped on the buggy, grabbed the reins, clicked to the horse and away we trotted, through the town and up the first hill. It was a very steep hill, my heart raced a bit, I was always afraid the horse would slip going up the hill and we would tumble down the side of the hill or be tossed from the buggy. Imaginations run deep when you are anxious. (That might be a proverb or a wise saying somewhere, I'm sure I didn't come up with that on my own just now.)

At the top of the very steep hill there was a flat and then there was the down hill that I had to worry about next, the horse had picked up speed, I gathered the reins in a little tighter to stay in control of this animal that I was afraid of and we started to run down the side of the hill. It might have been fun except the next thing I know, there is this noise and there is a kerplunk! and I see sparks and my left front buggy wheel rolling away from my buggy and sparks were flying on the pavement from part of the buggy scraping the pavement. I was terrified and I started to yell and pull on the reins. Next thing I see an Amish lady come running through her yard and the business man beside her house saw what was happening and he also ran to my rescue. It ended as quickly as it began, but now, my foot was shaking and I was frightened beyond measure. The nice Amish businessman found my buggy wheel, did some assessing and told me that there should have been a pin in place to keep the wheel from falling off. He fixed it with a nail in place of a pin, then he helped me gather up my horse and buggy and assured me that I would be able to make it home.

I did make it home that day, but not without a ton of panic and anxiety. That night when my husband came home from work I told him of all that had happened during the day and as I was telling him about the wheel he became very quiet. After I was finished he told me that he had greased the buggy wheels and wasn't sure where the pin went so he pitched it not thinking he might actually need it!

This story has been told to a lot of folks over the years and everyone is completely entertained with the idea of how hilarious it "probably" was to see me flying down the road with my buggy wheel flying off. It actually makes me chuckle to think of it these days, but back then, not so funny.

If ever we did a movie of my life, or a fictional movie that I was a part of directing, this incident would be in the movie. It was a crazy experience, funny, a little bit sobering, left me more anxious about horses and buggies, and I lost a little bit of confidence in my husband, not always sure he knew what he was doing. I've tried not to hold it against him too long and too often, but it does come up on occasion. Wink, wink...we wives know when to use these things when it best suits. Can I get an amen?

See you soon!

Lue

Cat Fight

Not many captions needed for these photos. I had a lot of fun photographing the cat fight and all that ensued during and after their squabble.

A-C is the black and white cat

Alley Cat is the gray and white cat

Calico aka Callie or Grumpy - she is the dark cat...she is a loner and a complainer. 'nough said about her.