Friday, January 2, 2015

Top 14 from 2014

2014 was a great year and I thought I'd share a few of the highlights.


1.
Anytime I have all my kids together is a great time. 
My nephew came from across the pond to spend the summer. 
This aunt had a blessed heart this summer.


2.
Raeli and I enjoyed an OBU football game in October. 
We were joined by a couple of friends. 
The Bison lost but we don't care.  Woohoo! Go BISON!

3.
I spent a few days in LA where I got to spend time with my good friend Jami and see some art.
Van Gogh anyone? A major accomplishment was making it through LA traffic.  Yes, I drove. 



4.
Oklahoma sunrises and sunsets are the best!
 
5.
Ryan joined me in LA.  I think the beach was his favorite part (besides his new friends that is).
 
6. 
Picking this little man up from the airport!  I was excited to see him after almost 3 years.
 
7.
On our way to LA, we stopped off to see my Uncle Bob and his family. 
He took us to see the Grand Canyon.  There are no words to describe the experience.
 
8.  I spent a week of my vacation with Raeli and other kids at KBA. 
We had a couple of kids get saved.  It was a great week. 
I'm blessed to have a job with a lot of vacation time that I can use for the Lord. 
 
9.  Crochet - what Grandma tried to teach me finally took off.  It has turned into a hobby that has made me some extra money.
 
10. Pets - we have a couple of extra cats now.  Nick "found" one when he was visiting. 
Qia and Coco are as ornery as ever.
 
11.  On the way to LA, Ryan and I also stopped to see my Aunt Tammie and her family. 
It was good to see them as we had not seen them in a while.
 
12. Family reunion - we saw almost the rest of the family at the annual Short Family reunion. 
We changed things up a little this year.  I think this was my favorite year so far.  I know Nick had a blast.  He really enjoyed the hot tub. 
 
13.  Babies - there are babies all around.  Many are not born yet, but hearing the news of all the pending arrivals brought many a smile to my face in 2014. 
 
14. My walk with the Lord - I grew a lot in 2014. I still have a lot of growing to do.  God answered a lot of prayers, and has remained silent on a few.  It's a day by day process.  Every journey is just a little bit at a time, rushing will make you miss all the scenery.  Church is great.  I'm blessed to be part of a great church family.
 
 

Jennings does it again with "A Most Inconvenient Marriage"

I just (I mean JUST) finished A Most Inconvenient Marriage by Regina Jennings. I don't know how she does it, but Mrs. Jennings manages to incorporate just the right mixture of humor, romance, and seriousness in this book to make it a really great read. I found it hard to put down.  Certain sections had me in stitches, while other sections had me near to tears. This was an excellent book and I look forward to reading the books she puts out in the future. 

Abigail thinks she is (was) married to Jeremiah Calhoun, a man she believes died as a result of injuries sustained in the Civil War. When she discovers that he is in fact alive, she doesn't rightly know what to do with herself.  And he doesn't rightly know what to do with her.  What seems inconvenient at the moment is in fact most convenient for all parties involved. What follows is a tale with as many ups and downs as the mountains of Missouri where the story is set.  Mrs. Jennings creates believable characters who go through joyous and sad occasions just as any real person would. They are not "perfect" characters, they have faults just like the rest of us, which makes them "real" characters. 

I really enjoyed reading about the lives of Abigail and Jeremiah and learning about their personalities.  "Watching" as they makes decisions about their lives, and the paths they should take makes me think about my own life.  The mixture of humor, romance, and drama creates the perfect panamora for a great book. When I say humor, I mean the rolling around with tears running down your face humor. This is a good book for anyone who enjoys romance with some adventure and a lot of humor thrown in. 

*I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. My opinions are my own.*