on our way home

When you realize your heart is broken...

2010-11-08T16:21:00.000-08:00

I was writing a sermon this past weekend for a preaching engagement I had when I realized that something was very, very wrong.

I realized that my heart is broken. I didn't realize this at first because I was about getting things done and moving forward and helping other people deal (or not deal) with their pain. I was moving onward and upward in the midst of a landmine I did not even realize I was standing in the middle of.

And then it happened, I used a scripture in my sermon that was one of her favorites, and it all came crumbling down. I miss her. I miss the way that we used to pray together and believe for the impossible to happen. I miss sitting across the table from her and hearing about how much she loved the Lord and the things that He had done in her life.

I'm gonna be honest here...she was not always easy to love. There were times when it was next to impossible to be with her because things were not always good...but there was a space between us that was always just understood. She knew my heart, partly because she helped shape it. She taught me what it was to pray and believe that God was able to do what you were asking for. She taught me the beauty and importance in praying for your spouse. She taught me what it is to be a woman of the word, and I am more thankful that I can even begin to say that I learned that from her.

But I can't help but think that she would have loved this part of my life. She would have loved that I am preaching the Word of God. She would have reminded me that this is in my blood and it is part of my heritage. Sharing God with people is part of who I am.

I wanted so much to call her when I preached on Sunday. To tell her everything that was in my heart. But as I looked at my phone, I was reminded of how empty it can be to be the one who is left here and even more than that I am reminded how homesick my heart is.

Mercy Me - Homesick (Live)

2010-05-24T12:16:00.000-07:00

Help me Lord, cause I don't understand your ways. The reason why, I wonder if I'll ever know. Even if you show me, the hurt would be the same, 'cause I'm still here...so far away from home.

3-day Walk For The Cure

2010-03-12T16:01:00.000-08:00

Okey Dokey, here we go. I signed up today for the Susan G. Komen 3-day walk-a-thon in Dallas, which will take place November 5-7. I was a little concerned at first because it is 60 miles, but I am already feeling so much love & support from my closest peeps, that I don't think I have anything to worry about!

My team of supporters first must include my bestie, LaDonna. This chica is awesome. She is going with me to Dallas for the "Get Started" Meeting. This meeting is meant to get you jazzed about the walk and the fundraising. So excited for her to come with me.

Secondly is my walking partner, Lissa. Lissa's first (all-be-it unsolicited) piece of advice came this morning. "Just don't wear flip-flops, Mom." Thanks, babe. Got it.

Future people will be listed as the need arises...

I am super excited about training for the walk. I think it will be great for me and the kids are looking forward to missing a day of school in November to come to Dallas and cheer me on!

I have lots more to say about why I am doing this, but for now I'll leave you with this...

If you'd like to sponsor me, you can go to the following link www.the3day.org and click on the link on the right side of the page that says to donate to a participant and then type in my name SHANNON ECKLEY. Your donation will go straight to my goal of $2500!

Jesus bring the rain.

2010-01-19T16:36:00.000-08:00

1 Kings 18:41-45
And Elijah said to Ahab, Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of abundance of rain. So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down upon the earth and put his face between his knees And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up and looked and said, There is nothing. Elijah said, Go again seven times. And at the seventh time the servant said, A cloud as small as a man's hand is arising out of the sea. And Elijah said, Go up, say to Ahab, Hitch your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you. In a little while, the heavens were black with wind-swept clouds, and there was a great rain.

Over and over again in the past few days I have felt the sense of rain in my spirit. I felt it when I prayed for a friend and when I prayed for my husband and when I was in chaplain class on Monday. Rain. Coming down from the Heavens like a rushing wind. Rain that would saturate the ground and allow new things to grow. Rain that would bring a freshness that would wash away pain and sorrow and make all things new. But like many other things in life, the blessing of the Lord never come the way that you think it will. Once in a while it looks a little more like life being turned upside down. As I pray and believe for others to be blessed, for God's presence to be made plain in their lives...I feel the overwhelming presence of God in my own life and I know that He is working on their behalf~~but when they don't see it right away I feel a little like Elijah, telling others to go and look and believe because I can hear the sound of the abundance of rain. But when they go and look and see nothing, I feel compelled to cry out, "Go and look again because I know it is coming!" All I know is that I know who HE is. I know what He has done for me.
I know that He is more than able to overcome any situation we might be in. I know that He saved the day & my life and if He will do it for me, then He will do it for them, too. and so I say, Jesus bring the rain. Lose your umbrella, it's time to get wet.

A year in Pictures

2009-12-24T07:07:00.000-08:00

So...my blogging has left a little to be desired this year, but to redeem myself I have put together a little gift for you. Pics of our year. Enjoy.

~~we started the year at papa mike's & celebrated grandma cindy's birthday. we even made her a cake!~~

~~sisters playing in the snow~~

~~in march we took a trip to topeka & got to hang out with our cousins~~

~~ADOPTION DAY!!!~~

~~mike worked on my car & did a great job~~

~~all the kids got baptized this year~~

~~also got to see God's awesome beauty at the baptism~~

~~we did a little hiking~~

~~we came to grips with our love of old navy manequins~~

~~we went to an REO Speedwagon concert~~

~~rye is still in love with trees~~

~~our christmas tree this year~~

~~we got bunnies this year~~

~~more bunny pics~~

~~lissa had her birthday party at the bowling alley~~

~~we discovered our deep love for build-a-bear~~

~~morgan is now 65 pounds~~

~~and mike broke his finger~~

~~brent giving his "employee of the year" speech

~~brent's award~~

learning to lead out

2009-11-20T06:16:00.001-08:00

This past week at my CPE class I got to lead our chapel time. As I was putting together what I was going to talk about I realized that I was going to be standing in a place that so many people in my family before me have stood. I was going to get to be the one sharing the love of Jesus. Sharing how I see the cross from my perspective.

As I began to think about what I could share, I was reminded of the way that Christ loves us. How extravagantly he has shown his heart for us, so that is the where I went with it. I talked about the woman who anointed Jesus' feet with oil and tears. How extravagant she was about her love for him and how we can be the same. I thought that I would share a part of that with you...

She was an extravagant worshipper of Jesus.

According to Merriam-Webster the word Extravagant has the following meaning:
1)Exceeding the limits of reason or necessity
2)Lacking in moderation or restraint
3)Extremely or excessively elaborate
4)Spending more than necessary

By all accounts this woman was extravagant. She showed up somewhere she wasn’t invited just to be with Jesus. Extreme, absolutely. Lacking in restraint, for sure. From the moment that she found herself standing behind Jesus she began to weep. Excessive, perhaps. And that alabaster jar, filled with perfume that was worth a year’s wages. Absolutely spending more than necessary.

I am sure that we have all heard that story a number of times. And we can have a tendency to get familiar. That familiarity can lend itself to taking something that was meant to touch our hearts and making it something completely different. When I hear this story I am immediately drawn to verse 44 where Jesus is talking to Simon about the woman; while he is talking to Simon, he turned toward the woman… He was talking to Simon but with every breath he was affirming her act of love. He was affirming her acts of extravagance. He was looking into her eyes when he says, “They didn’t, but you did…” Oh to be that woman--

I believe we can be like her. I believe that we can see the extravagant way that Jesus loved us and we can see the way he taught us, the way he died to forgive us and out of the abundance of our hearts we can love him extravagantly in return. We can show up and we can show people what is to love Jesus. We can show people the love of Jesus~ even when that love may not make sense or it may seem foolish or it may be extreme and make us feel embarrassed. We can love Jesus and like that woman we can say, I know. I know what is to live without you and I know I don’t ever want to go back there again. This morning, however, we have a choice. We can choose to have enough of Jesus to just make it to heaven, or we can choose to be like this woman. We can lay everything that we have at the feet of Jesus to have the opportunity to look in his eyes and hear him say YES! That’s how I meant for you to live. Passionately abandoned and not the opinions of anyone else.

What I love.

2009-05-27T19:00:00.001-07:00

I have been thinking long and hard about what I love the last week or so. I think that it is soooo important to consciously think about what it is that we love and take stock once in a while.

So, I thought I'd take a minute to write down a few of the things that I love.

I love moonlit hottubbing with my husband.
I love making big breakfasts for my family and anyone else who might be coming by.
I love walking my dog in the morning when not a lot of other people are around.
I love the smell of Texas Pecan coffee brewing in my kitchen.
I love the smell of fabric softener.
I love fall in Texas.
I love walks on the beach and going to the lake.
I love going to Galveston Island and looking out over the water and knowing that God knew how I would feel about that place, and He had me in mind when He made it.
I love that my kids love to bless me...and that even when they have been especially selfish they always manage to pull something out that shows me that I AM a good mother.
I love going to sleep every night knowing that the person I love most in the world is lying next to me~ and I love the way that every night I know his feet will find mine under the covers.
I love the friends that I have and the place that each one fills in my life.
I love the smell of a book store and the crisp feel of pages in a brand new book.
I love pens and paper and the vast possibilities that they hold when put together.
I love my dad. I love that he is a good man and that I can be proud to be his daughter.
I love REO speedwagon, and I love that my dad and I and my kids and I share that.
I love IHOP at 11:00 at night.
I love that I am married to someone who has incredible vision for the future and that everything he has vision for has me written all over it.
I love rainbows and everything that God meant for them to stand for.
I love that prayer is so powerful and that God longs to answer every prayer that I throw his way.
I love that I am not who I was.
I love that my husband leaves his socks laying around, and that my daughter takes my shoes and that my other daughter always takes my favorite pen and that my son cannot ever remember to put his bowl in the dishwasher and that my bonus daughter calls me whenever she needs someone to gripe to, and that my dog takes my shoes and that my other dog will not stay out of my bed because all of these things, that might on the surface appear to be frustrations, are the very things that remind me that I am blessed with a house full of people/dogs that love me~ and people/dogs that want to be loved by me.

It is true that I may not be able to find my shoes or my pen and I may be caught morning after morning picking up things that I did not leave out of place...but more than that I am incredibly aware of God's heart for me because of the people that He has put in my life. I am aware that I am needed and loved and trusted, and that is very good!

Dreaming.

2009-05-25T16:18:00.000-07:00

So. When Brent and I got married we lived in a house that was ours. Well, actually it belonged to the bank...but you know what I mean. In 2003 we sold the house that we loved due to a set of circumstances that just put us in a hard place.

It ended up being a good thing because it brought us to Texas, but after 5 years of being renters it has really reminded us of how much we loved owning our own home. We have done so much talking and looking at houses, with no real fruit coming from it. I had no idea how far this dreaming was going to take us~

One night we were at dinner and I took a piece of paper out of my purse and a pen and we started brain storming all of the things that we want in a house. Our lists differ a little, but by and large they are the same. We want to be in a certain part of town, we want to keep the kids in their school district. I want a library for my books, and he wants a circle driveway. I want 2 fireplaces, and a window seat where I can sit and read my books. I want an amazing view out my office window where I can look when I need inspiration for something to write about. Brent wants vaulted ceilings, hardwood floors and a 3 car garage~ with lots of space for him to work on projects. He also wants a place to build a tree house for the kids.

The more that we thought, the more our ideas started to shift. Instead of looking at houses we started looking at pieces of land and house plans. In the natural I cannot see how any of this works out, but that is the awesome part. I believe in a super-natural God...so maybe I don't have to understand how it all works. So far we have found a piece of land next to a quaint little lake that is smack in the middle of town...right where we want to live. It has the coolest street name (which was one of the things that I wanted on my list). AND to top it all off, the other day when Brent was online looking at houses and I was sitting at the desk going through a floor plan book~ he showed me a house that he wanted...and it just so happened to be the exact same house I had marked in the book I was looking at! Now we know what we want... I can't wait to see what God has to say about it!!

What I Want..

2009-05-17T16:26:00.000-07:00

A little while back I was asked to speak at a breakfast. I was nervous about what I would say, and my best friend was going to be there, so that old "fear of man" issue set in. But as I prayed through what it was I wanted to say, this scripture came to mind~

John 1:37~ “When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around Jesus saw them following & asked them ‘What do you want’?”

All sorts of thoughts went running through my head when I meditated on this verse. First of all it is extraordinarily clear to me that Jesus did not have to turn around to know that they were there. He also did not have to ask them what they wanted to know exactly what they wanted.

It got me to thinking, when we come to Him, Jesus doesn’t have to turn around to know that we showed up. We each come to Him for a very different reason, for our own purposes, for our own needs. Each of us got our own invitations from the Lord, and we choose to respond. Just like he asked them that day, I think that he is asking us that same question: What do you want? Why are you following me? He knows, he has always known. But he so badly wants us to have that conversation with him.

As I was reading over this scripture I started mulling over what it is that I want from Jesus and my relationship with Him. This is the short list I came up with.

I want to have patience~ abundant, overflowing patience. For every one in my life, for every situation.

I want to be able to love others well, the way that Jesus does. The way He loves me. Seeing beyond faults and mistakes. Seeing beyond people’s idiosyncrasies that I don’t understand. I want to just be able to love their soul and their spirit from the start.

I want to be able to forgive people without needing an apology. I want to be able to say I forgive well because I am acquainted with what I am forgiven of. I may be far removed from that situation but I am intimately acquainted with every mistake that I have ever made and I am forgiven of every single one, but I remember, and because I remember the forgiveness I am able to give it.

And lastly, I want to be able to see the people in my life….with an eternal perspective. The way that Jesus sees them. Not just to hear they are hurting, and respond out of this is what is best for NOW, or this will fix it right now. But to be able to see them with an eternal perspective so that I can approach them on that level. That I can see them the way that Jesus sees them. That I am not just concerned with their right now, but I am concerned about their forever. I want that . I want that for myself and I want that for those around me.

So, if Jesus were to be standing in front of you right now, asking what you want from Him, what would you say??

It's all in how you remember

2009-05-05T18:16:00.000-07:00

If you know or if you don't...we are knee deep in the process of hubby adopting my (our) son. There are so many parts of this that are hard, and the whole thing has just reopened wounds that have long since been covered with band aids that were not the right size.

Tonight as my son and I were laying on my bed talking, I brought up the subject of the adoption. He has gone up for prayer twice in the last month at church, and so I figured that it was time for him and I to talk about it. As I thought, there was a lot of things riding under the surface. At the beginning of the process he appeared to be taking it all really well...but now there are thoughts~ so many thoughts that he has. And I have many of my own.

But tonight we were able to go to a place that was really raw with each other. He told me that he missed his biological father. (OUCH) I thought for a moment before speaking and told him that I figured it was "the idea" of said biological father that he misses~ not the actual person because they have not seen each other in 14 years. Mike has no memory of him...for that I am thankful. As we spoke longer he agreed that he does not remember...that what he thinks about is what I told him~and that got me to thinking.

So I told Mike that it is hard for me because I do remember~ I remember that day when it happened. I remember holding him in my arms when he died, and looking through the emergency room window as they were working on him...wondering if they would be able to save him. I remember him being in a coma for 6 days and the nurse telling me that if he did not open his eyes that day, that the next day I would have to make decisions about signing papers to have his life support turned off. I remember those things...he does not. His memory of this is that of a story that he heard, like it happened to someone else. And that is how he thinks about it...in the distance.

But it is not distant to me. When I think about it too long, I can see him that day when I walked in the house. I can feel the weight of him in my arms as I drove him to the hospital. I feel almost haunted by the sounds of the death rattle. More than anything I want to forgive my ex-husband. More than that I want to forgive myself for leaving him at the house that day. I want my mom to forgive me for asking her to babysit him while I went to the Dr's office.

I just want to be forgiven. I want to forgive because I know that Christ forgave me first. But every June 1st it comes back. A reminder of how the door to my childhood and innocence was slammed shut behind me like the iron doors of a prison. The saddest part of that is that I know the door is open...but I just can't seem to find my way out...

But my son...my son is not angry, he does not feel like his insides have been ripped out. He just knows that he is loved, by his Dad, the dad who held him when he was sick. The dad who taught him how to ride a bike and tie his shoes, and climb trees and fish and hunt and drive the car into the driveway! The dad who has been there every day, day in and day out. Loving him the best way that he knows how.

It really is all in how you remember... and as I write this tonight, I am doing my best to remember that The same God that saved my son and breathed life back into his body that day in the hospital is the same God who wants to give me back everything I've lost.

For Mariah

2009-03-31T06:41:00.000-07:00

To my sweet princess

I know that sometimes when you look at yourself you see faults.
You see things that you have done wrong.
You see the places where you have failed.
The times that you got off on to a bumpy road.

But I want you to know what I see when I look at you.
I see the beauty of the King.
I see the handiwork of the creator of the universe .
I see unlimited possibilities
With unrivaled passion for life and all that it holds.
I see a zeal for nature
And all that is naturally good and pure.
I see a light that began as a small flicker
But has grown into a flame of unimaginable power and worth.

You see, my dear, when I look at you I see not only
The young woman that I love so dearly,
I see the daughter of the King.
I see one who holds the secrets of the universe inside of her.
I see one who has been called from the ancient of days
To do things that she has only yet to imagine.

My sweet, when you look in the mirror
I pray that you will see who I see,
Who God sees…

A sweet princess just beginning to come into her own.

You are joy unspeakable in my life.
You are treasure that my heart cannot contain.
You are a gift for which there could be no adequate price tag.

I know that you hear the Father calling to you.
You hear Him in the trees of the field and the
Animals of the earth.

Open your ears, my princess.
Hear all that He has to say.
And then run.
Run with wild abandon
And be all that He created you to be.

Friends!

2009-03-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

I love it when people come to visit! It is so fun!! And I am usually in massive need of a nap when they go home! This week we had some friends and their kids come to stay with us. They also have 6 people in their family~ so doing the math that would tell you that we had 12 people in the house all week...and amazingly enough no one died, there were no major arguements...and much fun was had by all.

There was some hot-tubbing, smores, trips to the zoo and the Dr. Pepper museum. Even a trip out to the location of the Branch Davidian compound!

Now they've gone home and time has come to do some laundry and get the house back to normal!! :)

For my husband

2009-03-15T19:13:00.001-07:00

So, every once in a while something strikes me and I am reminded of how much I really do love my husband.

Today as I was doing the dishes, I threw in a cd laying on the counter. It was a Garth Brooks cd. On that cd is the song Lonesome Dove. This song always reminds me of Brent, and the way he stepped in in my life during a time when things were not so good~ and some how seemed to be the weight that brought my life into balance. He used to tell me that he did not want to be my hero. He did not want to be the white knight who came riding in to make everything better. Well~ truth be told there was no way that any person could have made my life better. It was totally going to take Jesus. But the awesome thing about Jesus is that HE uses people~ average, everyday people~ to do extra-ordinary things in the lives of others.

So the lyrics go like this~

She was a girl on a wagon train
Headed west across the plains
The train got lost in a summer storm
They couldn't move west and they couldn't go home
Then she saw him ridin' through the rain
He took charge of the wagons and he saved the train
And she looked down and her heart was gone
The train went west but she stayed on
In Lonesome Dove

So, obviously I was never part of a wagon train...but you get the idea. And every now and then, when things are as they should be...and my mind is cleared of all the garbage of the world, I think about the day that I met my husband. I think of the way that he came in to my life. I think of how it felt like even though my world was still spinning around in circles, once I took his hand...we could stand in the middle of all of that and it seemed to somehow start to slow down. Things were starting to make sense. Like being with the man who God had intended for me to be with might just make life make a little more sense.

Like maybe God had made a man just for me, and maybe HE had made me just for someone specific~ and when we came together as one~ maybe all of my dreams really could come true.

So, Brent...today I want to tell you that I love you. That I am for you. Not just today, but every day. That your presence in my life blesses me, always. That you still make me make sense. I want you to know that I still grateful for the day when I saw you riding through the rain, even more grateful for the moment that I realized you had my heart, I don't ever want it back. I love you. I love you for all of your quirks, and for all of mine that you seem to adore. You are my knight~even though you didn't have to be.

What do you do when...

2009-03-11T16:43:00.000-07:00

Your daughter's best friend starts complaining the minute she gets to your house to spend the night and does not stop???

Your son says an inappropriate word at an inconvenient moment~ but the context in which he uses it makes you giggle???

It rains so much that your fave poochers make you sneeze???

You are so tired that all you want to do is sleep all day???

Your husband tries to convince you that getting in the hot tub in a rain storm is a good idea???

The house needs to be cleaned but you would rather do almost anything but clean it???

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My only answer for any of this...

get out my favorite book, crawl into bed...snuggle up into the covers and arrange all of the pillows for maximum comfort and read said favorite book until all of the rest of these things cease to be a concern!

Sodom and Gomorrah

2009-03-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

SO...Melissa has decided to read through the whole Bible. She is fascinated by the fact that I have read the whole thing and so she is on a mission to get through it herself. She is to chapter 19 in Genesis so far. As she was reading this morning, I heard her say "Oh that's just nasty!" I could not wait to hear what it was that she thought was nasty...and I did not have to wait long.

She came scurrying across the room and flopped her Bible down on my desk. Serious as can be she read me the following verse~

Gen. 19:5 {They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them."} When she finished reading that she turned to me with a disgusted look on her face and she said, "I had no idea that the Bible was so nasty!"

After a little giggle on my part I explained to her that there are lots of nasty things that happened in Bible times...we talked about it for a while and as she walked back to the chair to read some more she said, "Well, I can't even imagine what else I am going to find in here!!"

I can't wait for her to discover what I have known all along...no matter how many books you read in your lifetime, the Bible is the very best one EVER!!

Lovin' Lazy Saturday Mornings.

2009-02-28T10:54:00.000-08:00

OK~ maybe lazy is not the word to use for what I am about to describe. I love to make breakfast. "Big Breakfast" as I lovingly refer to it. This may include a number of misc. items, but the usual suspects are ~ eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy, hash browns w/cheese, & french toast. Sometimes we throw in something else, or modify a little bit...but typically speaking when ever you hear me refer to a "big" breakfast...that is what I am speaking about.

So, two weeks ago we had a couple over with their two kids and I made this breakfast, and in doing so, I realized just how much I really do love to share this particular meal with people. Not just because I love to make it all, but because it is such a fun time to spend with people. Breakfast is all about being relaxed. You don't have to get dressed up to have breakfast with someone. You don't have to put on make-up or have your hair done just right because let's face it...it's breakfast!

To keep this theme of breakfast loving going on, we had another couple over this morning. It was so much fun. I spent an hour or so in the kitchen preparing the meal before they got here, and once they arrived we all ate and the kids played. It was fun! I love breaking bread with people. Sharing my passion for the 1st meal of the day, and getting to spend some time with the most important people in our lives!

With that, I must decide who to invite next!! :)

100 Random Things

2009-02-24T11:24:00.000-08:00

I got These 100 random things from Christine's blog. The items in BOLD are things I have done. Just cut and paste to play. Just random...

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris. (The hotel in Vegas!! lol )
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked. (Tried to when I was about 5...but got scared at the end of my block and ran home crying!!)
23. Taken a sick day when you're not sick.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice. (No~ but I did ride in a gondola at the Venetian hotel in Vegas.)
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagra Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language.
37. Had enough money to truly be satisfied.
38. Seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo's David.
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served in a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book. (working on it!!)
81. Been to the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem. (working on this, too!)
84. Had your picture in the paper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had Chicken pox.
89. Saved someone's life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a lawsuit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day.

New Beginnings in Perfect Places

2009-02-18T15:18:00.000-08:00

Today began a new chapter in our lives~ I (Shannon) started working at the hospital as a volunteer in the chaplain services department. My official title is associate chaplain. I have to say that never in my life have I felt so perfectly suited for what I am doing. As I walked up and down the halls "shadowing" one of the other chaplains today I was clearly aware that in life there are so many times that you miss out on things because of fear or just plain old dis-obedience, yet after a life time of stumbles and mis-steps, some how I was still able to find this place. This perfect place for me. One so uniquely fit to the person that I am. Perhaps uniquely fit to the person that I was created to be. To be able to devote my life praying for people and just showing up for people...it does not get any better than that. Not for me anyway.

It is like all that time that I spent wondering is coming to a close, and an incredible new arena has just been opened up for me to play in! Somehow, I feel like there is no way to fail~ if I just love Jesus and love others the best way that I know how...keep taking the next step in what my Father has laid out before me...this time it just might turn out right!

Trip to see my Daddy!!

2009-01-05T08:32:00.001-08:00

We just had the most fabulous time in New Mexico visiting my dad! Hope you enjoy the pics..

rye and her sock monkeys!

me & my dad

papa's breakfast of champions!! COOKIES!

papa and the grandkids

SISTERS! Madison and Mariah

Brent and Dad

Brent and Mikey

Building Forts

Dad giving some pointers...

Rye~ breaking off a chunk of her fort trying to get a huge snowball to throw at Mikey.

Papa & Lissa in a serious game of darts.
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Hunting and a new poocher

2008-12-08T06:24:00.000-08:00

Well, we have had an exciting few weeks in the Eckley household!! From a trip to Topeka, Kansas over thanksgiving and coming home to get a new pooch and the boys taking off to go hunting for their first time together...and the arrival of the annual Christmas tree...it has been a whirlwind of excitement here these last few days!

First, let me begin with telling you about the new puppy in our lives. His name is Morgan. As it turned out, Brent has been wanting a lab for a long time, but it just never seemed like a good time to get one and frankly, I was not sure that I wanted to have another pooch in the house. BUT, that being said~ I finally broke down and decided that we would get one. After sometime trying to locate one I ran across an ad on craigslist that a lady had put on there saying that she had found 3 abandoned lab puppies and she could not keep them...but did not want them to go to the humane society either. (I don't blame her!!) So, off to Gholson the girls and I went. For those who do not know~ Gholson is a three horse town in the middle of no-where about 25 or 30 minutes from here. We finally found the house, and there they were...the puppies. As is my habit, I prayed about it and asked God to lead me to dog. And did He. Morgan is the cutest, naughtiest little sweet lab I have ever seen. He wants so badly to play with Max~ but Max is not having any of that. So, Morgan fills his days with confescating people's things like...shoes, pants, socks, lissa's bra...does not matter. He will take whatever he can get his little teeth on and he drags it all to his bed. He;s like a little pirate collecting his treasures! LOL And when he is not doing that, he gets himself into trouble pulling lights off the Christmas tree!! (Hence the naughty reference.)

This year being so full of everything else that is going on, I ended up having to go and pick out a tree by myself!! Far gone are the days when the boys would trek up into the Colorado mountains to search out the perfect family Christmas tree. We have now been reduced to a trip to home depot to check out the trees that have been trucked in from who-knows-where... But~ I met the most awesome man at home depot~ his name was Shawn~ and he helped me get the perfect tree. And for a 4 minute drive and $24.00, I found us this beauty...

To round out the story telling for the day~ we have a hunting trip! This was the first time that Brent and Mike have gone hunting together. Mike got his first gun just a couple of weeks ago. My 13 year old is now the proud owner of a Remington 770 .243. Not sure what all that means, other than I know it meant 400 bucks at the cash register! :) After weeks of trips back and forth to the store to find the right gun, and blind and camo gear and all the odds and ends that you could possibly need, my men were off and running Saturday morning for the most fun weekend ever... Or that is what I am calling it. They were all dressed out in their camo gear, walked about 10 miles a day and slept in 25 degree weather!! Made me real glad that I was at home asleep in my own bed with the heat on!! They did not get a deer this time~ but they did have one heck of a father-son weekend...and that is what is most important!

Thanksgiving in Topeka!

2008-12-01T15:37:00.000-08:00

We just got back from an awesome trip to see one set of Brent's parents for Thanksgiving! We drove up to Topeka on Wednesday afternoon/ evening. Thursday was so much fun!! The girls and I helped Grandma prepare the turkey and get all the food together so we could have a fabulous meal with our family.

One would think that things were going on all smooth until 2am Friday morning when a fire broke out in a space heater!! But then again we had quite a time when Andrea and I went out shopping at 4am!! She got woke up to me telling her that there had been a fire~ but that everyone was OK. We were so lucky~ neither the carpet or the wall caught on fire...just the heater!

When we were out and about we got to see people acting not so joyful. Andrea thought that she was going to get beat down by some people in line for a tv and I got rammed in the bum by a lady who was trying to get to a portable dvd player! That is right...rammed over a 50 dollar dvd player...not hardly worth it if you ask me.

We did get some great stuff and had an awesome time running around together. After a little breakfast we went back to the house to open presents with Lissa for her birthday. MY BABY is now in double digits! That's right...the little one is 10 years old. Happy Birthday to you~ Lissi Loo!!

(We also celebrated another birthday this week~ our poocher Max turned 6!)

The girls and I had a most incredible experience with their grandma while we were in Topeka also. We had a tea party with her. All of us got dressed up and drank out of fine china. Grandma had purchased several teas we could try and some yummy special cookies. It was really incredible, and to top it off we read the first chapter of the book Hinds Feet on High Places. It is a shaping up to be an amazing book, and the girls and I are going to finish it at home.

Other than that, the kids got a special treat because it snowed Saturday before we left! How awesome is that?? The kids really wanted to see some snow, and they got to go out and play in it before we left.

We took lots of great pics while we were there~ although I noticed when we got back that there weren't any of Mike...How do these things happen??? Sorry dude!

A near miss with the car slash mailbox!

Notice all the backed up traffic on the other side of the street...we were so glad to be going the other way!

The girls looking dazed and confused in the truck~ only 2 hours into a 10 hour drive!

Even Maxie got to go to Topeka!

My bro-in-law Al in his stylin' work uniform.

Daddy and Daughter.

So many tea cups

How can I possibly choose?

Pretty Ladies!

One of my Gram's cups.

A little light reading...

Early Christmas presents.

Lights!

Good Friends

2008-11-18T20:17:00.000-08:00

Since we moved here to the great state of Texas we are now 9 hours from our closest relatives and 14-18 hours from the rest of them. But as I sat at a Thanksgiving dinner tonight with my bible study group, I realized once again how much I appreciate my "family" that I have here. Since moving here, Brent and I have both met certain people that we would consider to be our best friends. We have been surrounded by people that love us and care for us, that love our kids and walk beside us through all of lifes ups and downs. It has been amazing to see God fill in the gaps for us. Even as far as to give us lots of friends with little kids. I have felt such a deep loss with not being able to be there for my nieces and nephews~ but I have become rather close with some of my friend's children...and they just warm my heart. God is just really good to us. Even when we do not see what He is doing!!

Folding for Justice...

2008-11-11T08:14:00.000-08:00

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart...

In the last 9 months or so I have had the indescribably privilege of walking through my friend's journey of seeing her dream realized. This past January at world mandate, my friend started feeling something stirring in her heart~ and what that turned out to be was a desire to adopt a child. As she sat in my driveway one February evening telling me about what she was thinking and hearing from the Lord, I just knew that she was on the mark. She was right on. And I have been believing with her ever since. Several of us have had distinct feelings about who this little person is and have been able to share with our friend and pray with her.

But now comes a whole nother level~ God is providing a way for my friend to earn some of the money that they are going to need to go and get their daughter from half way across the world... and I am getting to be a small part of helping in her endeavors..

we are taking lots and lots of these...

and tearing out the pages and folding them into these...

so she can make and sell these...

so she can go here...

and bring home one of these...
The more and more that we look at the pictures of the babies from Uganda and the more that we work on this project and the more that I pray for them, the more real it all becomes. My friend has a daughter out there, somewhere. And she is waiting for her new mommy to come and get her and bring her home. And her name is Justice.

The Women's Conference, Grandma Appel, Aunt Renee' & a Little Visit to Texas

2008-10-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

We have had a jam packed weekend! Lots of time last week was spent getting ready for the Women's Conference at our church. It was an amazing conference. I was the lead person for the bookstore~ so I got to coordinate workers, copy 85 cd sets during the conference and make sure that everything that had to do with books came off without a hitch. It went great thanks to my incredible friend Lee Anne! She is the perfect person to have in your corner when you need to get a big job done in a hurry!

THEN~ Saturday afternoon while I was at the conference, Brent was on his way up to Dallas to pick up his mom and sister who were coming in for a little visit. Renee' had not been to the great state of Texas before, and it had been 3 years since Pam had been here. We had such a good time with them. We hung out, did a little sight seeing, a little shopping, and a whole lot of catching up! It was a perfect weekend with some of our favorite people!

Renee', Pam and the kiddos

Rye taking Max on an adventure

The Twin Bridges

Rye, Mike & Lissa

Renee', Brent and their mom admiring a boat on the lake

Mike and Lis

Maxie making a friend at the park...

Brent and his sis.

Cowboys Game Time

2008-10-06T09:13:00.000-07:00

Brad, Jim, Mikey & Brent at the Cowboys game!
(Mikey's first time to a pro football game!)

The Fabulous Love Dare

2008-09-28T18:08:00.001-07:00

OK! So, we are three days into The Love Dare, and today's dare is to buy your spouse something that will let them know that you were thinking of them. Well, I was not sure what Brent was going to do with that...but he went to my fav. store in the whole world, BOOKS-A-MILLION and got me a book! Seeing as how my love of reading runs right up there with movies this was so awesome. More than that though~ he went when I had fallen asleep this afternoon and then put the book right next to me on the bed, so when I woke up it would be the first thing that I would see! He is so sweet!

Kudos to my hubby!! He makes taking on a LOVE DARE really easy. Thanks Brent for being so easy to love~ and for being the best husband in the whole world. I love you.

~~totally guaranteed for life...

Fireproof~The Love Dare & Urban Night at the Church

2008-09-27T18:39:00.000-07:00

There is just a lot of good stuff going on right now! Yea! First of all, Brent and I and the kids went to see Fireproof last night. Superb movie~ if you have not seen it yet then you need to get off the computer and go see it...right now... (if you are still reading and have not seen it...GO!) LOL... sorry. Just loved the movie that much.

In the movie the main character, Caleb, gets a book from his dad called the Love Dare. It is a 40 day journey through learning how to really love your spouse. And even though I feel pretty competent when it comes to that, I got the book anyway. Though I fully intended to make this 40 day journey by myself, Brent told me that he wants to do it with me!!! What a guy! I am so excited about what this is going to mean for us. I am so looking forward to learning more about him and making our marriage even that much stronger.

Other than that, at our church we had an Urban Night Carnival. Our family along with another family worked the football toss~ it was so fun! They had free food, games and a rap group that performed. It was a really great time, and I caught some pics of the kiddos so I thought I would share them. Enjoy~

GO LONG...

HE IS REALLY TURNING INTO A TEENAGER!

RYE GETTING READY TO TRY HER ARM OUT...

LISSA GETTIN' FIVERS AFTER THROWING A BALL AT THE DUNKING BOOTH!

One Life

2008-09-22T07:32:00.000-07:00

This morning I bought probably the best cd that I currently own~ One Life by 33 Miles. Oh my gosh~ whether you like Christian music or not, you should go get this cd. You need a copy of it. The song "One Life to Love" is incredible. If you click on the name of the song, it will take you to their website and you will be able to listen to the song. Simply amazing.

Yesterday Brent and I went to a marriage seminar. Although we really feel like we have a great marriage, and probably could have taught some of the break-out sessions... I really loved it. I know you must be thinking that I have a really big ego problem saying that we have that great of a marriage, but let's just be honest~ I have been blessed to have such a great husband. That is not to say though that even when you have a finely-tuned machine that you do not want to pop the hood once in a while and make sure that everything is in it's proper place and that nothing is getting clogged up...maybe check the oil...

So, we checked the oil, and even though I am pretty good at singing Brent's praises, I picked up the best idea when we were there last night, and I want to encourage all of the ladies that are reading this to take a little time to do this one~ write down 100 things that you love about your husband. I am working on this today! I can't wait to show it to him...I think that it will not only be a great thing for him to have, but how great for me to get to spend the time that it will take putting it all together. To really take some quality time thinking about the man I love. Makes me really thankful that our church would take the time to put something like this together for all of us! ACC Rocks~and so does my hubby~ and my new cd!!

When a little girl loves her big brother...

2008-09-06T15:53:00.000-07:00

Finally...Something good

2008-09-03T09:54:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard the song by Anne Murray, A little good news? It talks about new and how all we hear is the bad stuff. "one more sad story's one more than I can stand," she sings. And then she goes on to say "just once I'd like to see the headlines say Not much to print today, can't find nothing bad to say." Isn't that the truth?

Well~ let me say that I have found something in politics that is good!!! And let me also say that I am a registered REPUBLICAN, and will vote that way come election day...but KUDOS to Barack Obama for stepping up to the plate on this one and displaying some integrity~

When asked about Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin's 17 daughter who is pregnant, he had the following comments... "Let me be as clear as possible," Obama said. "I think people's families are off-limits, and people's children are especially off-limits. This shouldn't be part of our politics. It has no relevance to Gov. Palin's performance as governor or her potential performance as a vice president."

So, Thank you, Mr. Obama. Thanks for taking the high road. We need more of that!

Anne Murray Song

What do glue sticks, crayons, highlighters and notebooks have in common?

2008-08-20T12:28:00.000-07:00

That's right, school!!! With the school year less than a week away, we (almost) finished our school supply shopping today! All we have left is to track down some specific binders and to take Mariah to get her backpack when she returns from Minnesota. Exhausting. This one needs plastic folders with pockets and brads, this one needs folders without brads...two of them need 5 ~ 1/2 inch view thru binders a piece... and we won't even go into the time it takes one little lady and her cute as can be big brother to pick out lunchbags! But after much consideration and a little gentle persuasion from momma we did get the lunchbags, we got backpacks, and pencils~mechanical and regular, and pens~ red and blue and all of the other things that make a school year successful (or so they tell me).

And I, got a little something for me too...see that miniature globe in the picture? Yup, that is mine. Has to be the cutest pencil sharpener that I have ever seen!!! Funny part of that is that I do not write with pencils, ever, for any reason...but that is ok. It is ok because it was $1.29, and as I see it sitting on my desk, it makes me think of all the places I would love to go!

Vegas Baby!

2008-08-04T05:23:00.000-07:00

Thanks to several great friends of ours, Brent and I had the most amazing vacation for our 10 year anniversary. We went to Las Vegas and stayed at the best hotel in the world (my opinion, of course). We stayed at the Signature at the MGM Grand. It is an incredible hotel and if you ever have the chance to go there, you need to!

We got to take a ride on the gondola at the Venitian, eat at Tin Torettos, take a tour of the wax museum, see Fremont street~ where they do an amazing light show over the street every night. We saw the pirate show at Treasure Island, a car show, went to M&M world and got to do a bunch of other stuff. We were extremely exhausted when we got home, but we had a wonderful time together.

A Post for the Movie Lover in me

2008-07-22T06:53:00.000-07:00

So, anyone who knows me even a little bit knows that right under the surface there resides a first class lover of all things cinematic... buttery popcorn, milk duds, theatre seats, the dimming of the lights...ok, so maybe i don't love previews...but ahhhh...give me a good movie and for 2 hours (give or take) life is fabulous. I am sure that this love of movies was bred while I worked behind the concession counter at a movie theatre~ and it probably grew bigger than life when I learned how to run a projection machine. For the time that it lasted, there was nothing better in this world to me than those moments right before the movie began when I would dim the lights and turn the machine on and see the movie hit the screen! I loved every second of it.

For no real reason this morning, I was thinking of all the great movies I have seen. You know the kind that I am talking about, those movies that you could watch again and again because they spoke to some part of your life, or they are just that great that you have to see them again. Maybe get one more chance to relive that moment... So, I have compiled a list. A list of must see movies. You don't have to see them , and if you see them you don't have to like them...but These are my must see movies. The ones that I have loved time and again.

Shannon's Must See Movie List

1~American Flyers
2~Beauty and the Beast
3~Braveheart
4~The Breakfast Club
5~A Bug's Life
6~Coach Carter
7~Chronicles of Narnia~The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
8~ Dead Poets Society
9~Eight Below
10~End of the Spear
11~Facing the Giants
12~Finding Forrester
13~Hoosiers
14~Invincible
15~Kate & Leopold
16~The Last Samurai
17~Lean on Me
18~Notting Hill
19~Rocky Balboa
20~The Ron Clark Story
21~Scent of a Woman
22~Titanic

A fun filled July

2008-07-19T12:31:00.000-07:00

This last month has been a whirl-wind of fun! We have seen a bunch of movies {and yes, you should go see Walle, Indiana Jones, and if you are an adult you should see The Dark Knight}, gone bowling, been to Tonkawa Falls, had a huge family water balloon fight and read some great books...and the month is not even over yet. Mikey and Lissi are leaving tomorrow to go spend the week with Brent's parents~ and I am sending them with cameras! So, when they get back we will be putting up some of the pics that they take. AND, Brent and I are leaving on Wednesday to go to Las Vegas...Vegas, Baby!! Woo Hoo..

Some of our friends decided that we needed a trip for our 10 year anniversary~ and they are sending us to the place that we most wanted to go. I cannot wait to leave. We are tremendously blessed. And it is going to be a blast.

And with that, I am going to let the pics tell the rest of the story:

Brent trying to decide if he should continue to lift weights at the YMCA~ or if he should switch to curling the kids instead... lol

Mikey getting a little love from his friend Jen.

Madison and Tate.

Mikey and Maddy at Tonkawa Falls.

We spent three hours at the bowling alley letting Brent beat us all!!!

Giving a few pointers...

Lissi-loo rolling a strike.

4th of July on top of the Wells Fargo parking garage.

Ducks & Stuff...

2008-06-23T14:28:00.000-07:00

In the midst of the ungodly heat in Texas, we decided that we should venture down to the river and check out the ducks. It has been almost a year since we have been down there just to see the ducks...so it felt like it was time. And let me just say that I have the best kids! (as I am sure you do also)

We had such a good time that I thought I would share...maybe inspire you to brave the heat to go play down by the river, too!

A tribute to Rye, cause we miss her a lot...
Feeding some ducks...

And a turtle or two...

Doing a little dreaming about something we would like to have...

More duck feeding...

A little skateboarding...

Fun picture taking...

And the teens, doing what they do best...

For some things there are no words...

2008-06-12T14:22:00.000-07:00

The Best Weekend...

2008-06-08T16:52:00.000-07:00

I am in love my husband. Yup, I said it...I don't just love him. I am in love with him. And this weekend I got to spend three days alone with this wonderful man. Mike, Rye and Lis went to camp Friday morning, and Brent and I left for Dallas right after we dropped them off at the church. We spent the weekend there, being tourists; riding the train, seeing a movie, doing a little shopping and just being with each other.

Seeing as how we are within 20 days of our 10 year anniversary, it was amazing to me that not that much has changed between us...he still treats me like I am his princess. He is always more concerned about my needs than his own, he goes out of his way to make me happy. He makes me laugh, and the way that I feel when he intertwines his fingers with mine tells me that no matter what life may bring, it all comes down to this~ this feeling that I get when I see him. And that my friends is Love. This truly was one of the best weekends that I have ever had, and I got to spend it with the man of my dreams...my husband.

Just for you...a little peak into our weekend. Starting with the train. Brent had the great idea to travel around the city on these trains. They went almost everywhere we needed to go, so we went for it. I have to say that at first I was a little nervous, but it was so fun!

my man...

We went to the book depository, from which JFK was shot. We did take the tour, it was so sad and fascinating to be in the place where history was made in our country.

This is where we had dinner Friday night. They have the most amazing bread.

And yes, we did go to the zoo without the children. It was so much fun. This was one of my favorite characters housed at the Dallas Zoo~ Mr. Penguin, who was more than happy to walk up to the glass and check us out.

The waterfall we went under when riding the monorail.

The monorail.

And here it is. A thing of beauty. For any one who knows me at all, you have to know that this was one of the highlights of the trip. As I am a lover of all things cinematic~ going to a three-story movie theatre has to be one of the best things I have done. It was wonderful...from the smell of the popcorn when we walked in the front door, to the sight of the larger than life wall murals promoting the movies.

The New Bass Office

2008-06-08T16:44:00.000-07:00

Update on Bass Construction and Soccer Swim Party

2008-05-30T20:12:00.000-07:00

You ever realize just how much gets stuffed into one little life when that life is attached to that of a husband and 4 children? Gone are the days of lazy day reading, present are the days of driving people here and there, lunches, getting up earlier than you meant to because someone needs to take snacks to school today and they forgot to tell you last night when you could have done something about that at a reasonable hour... all that being said, you know what I have found in the last few days? That the more I am needed, the more exhausted I am at the end of the day, the more I love my life.

We are so close to the new office being done. Can I tell you how happy I am about that, or are you already assuming that? I have seen precious little of my husband during this last week. But I do have pictures of the work that they have got done at the office.

Sharon, rockin' out a fantastic vacuum job with the shop vac. Notice the tower has walls and paint! The main room~ in blue...

I show you this wall and Ken's backside for one reason...I, yes I, painted that wall. And yes, I do know how far away from the ceiling and door frames I was. There is good reason for that. The only way to ensure that it will not be blue is to stay far, far away from it! LOL

And now on to the soccer swim party.

Our soccer season ended two weeks ago, but the swim party was just this evening. The kids had a blast, and I have to say that it was a nice touch having it the night that school got out for the year. It ended up being a super way to kick start the summer. And boy do they have a lot going on this summer. Just in the next two weeks the kids will be going to camp, Madison will be flying in, my friend Melanie, and her family from New Mexico will be coming to stay for a week...Mikey will attend a soccer training camp and Rye will leave to spend the summer in Minnesota. Stay tuned for more tired momma stories.

A fun fact for ya...when the kids leave for camp, I am kidnapping my husband and taking him to Dallas to spend two nights in a hotel...all by ourselves. I could not be more excited about this little endeavor. I can't wait to get him away from here, hide his cell phone from him and just spend some time alone! He does not know that I asked his boss if he could have Friday off, this is going to be so fun.

Memorial Weekend

2008-05-26T12:20:00.000-07:00

I did not realize how much we needed a little break until we got one this weekend! Did we ever need a break! We were thinking about going camping this weekend, but when they started talking about how it might rain, we changed our plans.

It ended up not raining, but that was okay, we had an awesome weekend anyway. We went to Hurricane Harbor in Arlington on Sunday. We had such a good time. The boys spent most of their time riding the thrill rides, while the girls spent their time in the wave pool and the lazy river. The best part of the trip though came on the way to Dallas. We had had to make a stop on the way out of town to get ice and drinks, and when we were putting the stuff in the cooler, Brent set his wallet down on the bumper of the truck. And there it sat. As we loaded the ice, as we put in the drinks, as we got back into the truck, as we left the gas station parking lot, as we drove over the bridge and out of town. We obviously had no idea it had been left there, until about 45 miles out of town when some guys pulled up next to us and motioned for Brent to roll down his window.
Phew.

As we got back into the car we quickly thanked God for how awesome he is! When you really think about it, what are the chances that the wallet would have stayed on the bumper that whole time? Probably not all that good. But, when God has your back, what are the chances that it would have slid off the bumper.....

I love it so much when God just does something so awesome like holding Brent's wallet on the bumper for 45 miles, and the kids get to see how present God is in our lives. How they get to see how much he wants to do for them. What an incredible experience to have!

Update on the new Bass Office

2008-05-23T14:18:00.001-07:00

Wow, there have been a lot of things happening over at the new office since i posted earlier this week. There have been walls going up and electrical wires being run. Paint being put onto the walls of the production office and the breakroom. The "tower" is beginning to take shape. It is so awesome to watch all of this taking place.

Brent has been running back and forth to the new office all week making sure that things are coming along and working out the details of any problems. He is tired, but it is going to be so worth it to see the new office come together.

They did two inspections today. Lots more work to be done to make it workable, but it can be done...
the framing of the tower~ taken wednesday night

the tower taking shape

another angle of the tower

walls (woo hoo)

conference room pre-wall

conference room starting to take some shape

painted walls in the breakroom

the production office painted!!!

Teenager #2

2008-05-23T09:21:00.000-07:00

Today is Madison's 13th birthday. We are now the proud parents of two...count them two teenagers. In honor of this wonderful occasion I am going to share my most cherished memory of my life with my incredible daughter.

Madison is my bonus baby...she is the child that I got through marrying Brent. When he and I got together Madison and Mikey were 2 years and 4/5months old respectively. Our family blended nicely together, but my deepest desire was to let my relationship with Maddy chart its own course. I did not want to push my presence as a mother figure on to her. So, to that end, I was Shannon or Mommy Shannon for a long time.

Until one wondrous winter night when our whole famliy was in Loveland, Colorado visiting one of the sets of grandparents. We had all decided to take the kids to see the movie Rugrats in Paris. By this time Madison was 5. In this movie one of the characters, Chucky, gets a new mom. His mom had died and his dad remarried. It was a cute movie, but up until the ride home it was just that...a movie.

But then, we went home. On the ride home, out of the clear blue, Madison says to me, "I think that I am going to start calling you mom now." I must tell you that my eyes welled up (as they are right now even thinking about that moment), and I turned around and looked at her big beautiful eyes and she said, "Well, Chucky got a new mom and he called her mom. So I figured it would be okay for me to call you mom too." It was just a simple moment for her. Something that made sense in her little girl mind because at that age Rugrats make everything make sense. But for me, that moment, that will forever be my moment with her. My most special moment. And as we celebrate her life today, I like to remember the moment when she changed mine forever. Happy Birthday, Madison Alise.

Bass is Moving!!

2008-05-20T11:49:00.000-07:00

I am so excited!! Brent's office is moving from downtown. The new office will be 2 miles from our house. I can't wait. Due to my heightened sense of excitement about this awesome change, I have decided to blog about it, so that you can join in my excitement. To that end, here are the pics from Tuesday.

framing for the managers' offices went up today!
how many cups from McDonald's does it take???

hmmm....

Some fresh paint starting to hit the walls in the production office...

Future conference room...

Monday...at the new office.

2008-05-20T11:29:00.000-07:00

in the beginning...

future home of cubicles...
back wall will house two managers offices... framing for the conference room...
Jimmy's new office, filled with insulation...

Farewell to Soccer

2008-05-17T13:16:00.000-07:00

Well, today was the last game of the season. It ended in a loss 0-1. But the kids played their little hearts out. I was so proud of them and the effort they put into their last game. Congrats to the kids for an outstanding season of soccer.

In the pic are Melissa, Mariah, Nate, Coach Mala (Nate's Dad), Mikey, Alyssa, Alexia, & Andre.

Thanks Coach Mala for an amazing season and a wonderful environment in which our kids could learn. You're the Best!

Prince Caspian

2008-05-16T19:48:00.000-07:00

We just got back from seeing Prince Caspian. And all I can say is that you need to see this movie!!! Just go see it...it will be worth whatever you have to pay to see it. And get some popcorn...maybe a coke...all movies are better with popcorn!

Random Things

2008-05-14T11:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I was checking out my friends blogs this morning and thinking about the fact that I have not posted anything in a little bit here... and that is a situation that must be rectified. So, to that end I have compiled the following (not so important) info for ya...

We have had game 6 and 7 since I last blogged, game 6 was a time and 7 was a loss. Funny how people are quick to tell about the wins, but not so quick to tell about the losses. Well, sorry. Our last game of the season is this Saturday. I have mixed feelings about that. I am sad to see the season go, because it will probably be the only time that the 3 kids will all play together on the same team, but on the other hand I am happy to see it over because they were on the same team. lol Anyone with kids that do not see eye to eye all the time will totally understand my sentiments on that.

In other news, we got the results of Brent's last x-ray on his lungs...dun ta da~ it is all good! I was so happy about that. I am glad to know that he is coming back together. Speaking of coming back together...his belly button is almost back to where it used to be. :) I did not know how much it would make him upset that post surgery his belly button was off-center. But I can tell you that it did, but this morning it was noticeably closer to where it belongs!! Woo Hoo

As I was floating through some of those previously mentioned blogs this morning I came across something I did think was blogworthy and I am going to share it below, it is a quote from Nate Saint.

"And people who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives... and when the bubble has burst they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted."

As I have thought long and hard about that today it has led me to feel even more certain that the choices that we make in this life are not to be taken lightly. How the battles that we face with our children are not just about tv and bad attitudes, but so much more about who they will become in Christ. I pray so much that when my bubble bursts and this time is all over and people look at what is left of the life that I had here, they will see 4 of the most amazing people that I will have ever had the privilege to know~ living their lives abandoned to Jesus...and in that I will have accomplished one of the most important things in life. To know that my children walk in the truth. For that is what I want above all else.

Falling From Grace & A Pic of Brent

2008-04-27T21:24:00.000-07:00

Well, it finally happened. Our previously undefeated soccer team lost a game. We played hard, but came up short with a final score of 4-3. (Game 5)

In other news~ I have now done something that Brent will not be pleased with...but I am willing to accept any consequences that may come down the pike... you see, Brent was really tired this afternoon...and in an attempt to get a little rest, he decided to try to sneak in a little power nap. However, once Max saw him lying on the bed, he took this as an invitation for some quality time. And I ask you, what is a wife to do when she sees her hubby snuggling with the dog??? That is right, she takes a picture to post on her blog!!! :)

Winning Game 4

2008-04-19T11:04:00.000-07:00

For all of those following our soccer season this year, we won our 4th game!!! 7-0

The best part of winning this game is that Brent and I had to coach it!! Our coach could not be at the game and he asked me to do it...which is when I recruited my best guy to help me out! So, good news is...we are not losers!! yea! Our kids played so hard today...several of our players did not show up which left us with only five players there today! That means that all 5 of those kids had to play the whole game. I was exhausted watching them!!

2nd best part of winning this game, probably better than the previously listed reason~ MIKEY scored his first and second goals of the season...he actually scored the first point of the game. It was awesome!! KUDOS to my 2nd best guy! Way to go Mike!

Joyce Meyer Conference/ Matt Redman

2008-04-19T07:01:00.000-07:00

Wow is all that I can say. Or perhaps, in the words of one of the songs that we sang at the conference this weekend, "How great is our God". I had been to one of Joyce Meyer's conferences last fall, and had an incredible life~changing experience with Jesus there. SO, when I found out that she was going to be in Dallas, I just had to go...and I decided that this time I wanted to go with my girls. Hours of prayer went into this decision and the trip. I wanted nothing more than for my girls to get to experience Jesus like that, and more than that to be able to come away from the conference knowing that God loves them, and that it mattered that they wanted to be there to worship Him and to learn about Him.

I had no idea how God was going to show up to answer our prayers. Even though I am navigationally-challenged and got lost 4 times (twice getting so lost I had to call Brent and have him find me on mapquest and redirect me), Lissa and Rye had been praying that God would do something to really make this trip special. Well, for those of you who have been or know about these conferences, they have big name people to come in and do the worship...this time it was Matt Redman We watched him and his worship band lead worship at the first and second sessions. But it was at the third session that we got blown away. We got there early...and while we were sitting in our seats over an hour before it was to start, a random lady came up to me and asked me if I wanted to meet the band, she had an extra "Meet the Band" pass. I said "YES!!!" And with that Melissa got to do what she wanted to do more than anything...meet Matt Redman. It was incredible and awesome and more than we could have ever imagined...which is just so like our God...

As we were challenged at the conference to live a lifestlye that follows after Jesus example, I am encouraged also in this...that God will meet me in those places where I take yet another step towards Him. What a gift we have to be able to seek after a living God.

parents of a t-e-e-n-a-g-e-r-

2008-04-15T08:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, that is right...as of yesterday brent and i are officially the parents of a teenage boy... there are so many words to describe how i feel about this moment...the first one would be older. as i got off to a earlier start than most of my friends in having children, i get to experience all of the definitive moments of life first~ wishing they would walk and talk...which is quickly followed by wishing that they would sit and be quiet...potty training..taking a bath without you in the room...kindergarten... intermediate school...the day when you go to pick up your son from school and realize that yes, that is your son sitting on the steps with several girls sitting there with him!!! and ah yes, this moment. the one that tells you that you really are more than half way to them being an adult. and how did that happen? how did your little man go from being totally dependant on you to wishing that you would give him a little space and a later bedtime? well, to all of those of you who are following a few years behind on this path of parenthood, all i can say is that there are no real answers. no specific way to do this thing right. all we can do is hope that our kids grow up to love Jesus, continue to love their momma's ...and pray that those girls my super cute young man is talking to love Jesus, too. of all of the sons that there are in the world, i am so glad that this one is mine...

Our Next Game and an appearance by Maddy

2008-04-06T10:35:00.001-07:00

We won our second game!! 5-4 The kids played excellent. Mikey and Mariah both got scored on when they took a turn as goalie~ but they all played hard!! Maddy makes an excellent cheerleader for her siblings, and got to see two games while she was here with us. :)

Another use for laundry

2008-04-02T22:04:00.000-07:00

This is why I love my doggy~ he is so simple... all he really wants is a nice comfy place to sleep! A dog after my own heart.

9:24 Run the Race

2008-03-29T19:50:00.000-07:00

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." 1 Corinthians 9:24~ this was the key verse for the discipleship weekend that Mariah and Mikey went to this weekend. I got them to pose for a quick pic when they got home... they were exhausted but full of awesome stories of what they got to see God do!!

Soccer Season is upon us

2008-03-29T11:19:00.001-07:00

Soccer is here! All three of the kids are on the same team this year. How cool is that? Sadly, I did not get pics during the game today, i forgot the camera ~ but I did make Lis pose after we got home.

Mike and Rye missed the first game today because they had an overnight discipleship weekend at the church this they were attending, but they will be there next weekend! So, you'll have to come back for more pics. :)

On a hugely positive note~ WE WON OUR FIRST GAME. 3-0. Yeah "254 All~Stars". You Rock! Lis did not score, but she did make some awesome passes!!

Something that I love

2008-03-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

Yup, that is our baby. So gorgeous. Pre-hair cut. But this is not really a post about her, it is more about the moment that I had with the kids the day that I took this picture. I had them out about town scouting the perfect place to take some pics...a little something that I like to force upon them every now and then...and we found this place.

The sunlight and shadows made for an awesome picture. But you know what pictures never tell you, what they hold secret from everyone else? The life that goes with that picture. This picture will never tell you that she tried on 8 outfits before she and I were able to agree on this one. This picture will never tell you that we had a "should I or shouldn't I wear my glasses in this picture moment" before deciding that it really is okay to not wear them if that is what she wants to do. This picture will never tell you that we had planned this oh-so fun day for a month, and then when that day came...it was so windy that we had to strategically wait out the wind and snap this one pic super fast, before abandoning the picture taking all together. It won't tell you how hard we laughed running back to the car, trying to not get blown across the parking lot.

What I love more than a good picture is all of the hidden secrets that it will never tell to others. Memories that go so much deeper than the colors on the paper, the ones that you get to hold onto forever~ the memories that get branded onto your heart.

Moms and Movies

2008-03-13T21:21:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things in the whole wide world is a good movie. After spending 6 years working in a movie theatre, I have developed quite the affinity for a quality flick. The smell of popcorn popping calls out to me like an old friend...throw in some junior mints and life could not get much better than that.

But do you know what a popcorn loving, junior mint eating, connoisseur of all things cinematic does? They raise little movie buffs. It is like a disease, we watch movies all the time. Junkies...there should be a program we could join to rid ourselves of this obsession...if it was not such an awesome time to bond with the kiddos. Tonight as we sat down to watch "Unaccompanied Minors" together, I was reminded of a few things.

~ I love the sound of my son's laughter. It is intoxicating. Every time I hear him laughing, one of those deep down belly laughs...it makes my heart smile.

~ That what my kids really want is my time. They want me to hang with them, to take the time to get into their world for a little bit. And if that means watching a movie I was not meaning to watch, then that is what that means. Seems to me that every time I have given up what I wanted to do to invest my time in them, the rewards I reap are worth more than anything I could have imagined.

~ And something new I learned from this particular movie viewing experience...life is all about taking the things that are less than what we want them to be and turning them into something better.

All that being said, my dishes did not get done tonight and there is laundry calling my name, but as I get ready to lay my head down tonight...I will have much satisfaction in knowing that I did exactly what I needed to do...took the time to be who God meant me to be...their mom.

Things I never meant to say...

2008-03-01T17:20:00.000-08:00

Have you ever said something that you never meant to have to follow through on? Well, I have. My wonderful daughter (Mariah) is in love with WWE wrestling. UGH! I am not a fan. Not even a little bit. Not even a itsy, bitsy, teeny, weeny little bit. But she does. She salivates every Monday when it comes on. She begs and pleads to stay up late to watch it.

Well, sometime ago she asked me if they ever came to anywhere around here, if I would take her. In a moment of not so much clarity~ I said that I would. You moms know what I am talking about...that "sure I will," that you throw out there when what you really mean is, "ain't gonna happen, sister..."

I have found this to be another one of those moments where God is using my children to teach me. Not so long ago I felt God speaking to me about this scripture that says "Let your no be no and your yes be yes." And so, now that I want ever so badly to tell my lovely daughter that I do not really want to take her to watch men slamming eachother into the ground, I am submitting to my current lesson, and purchasing tickets to watch wrestling.

And...in honor of the little one, I am including a picture of her favorite wrestler...John Cena. lol

A Sick Husband

2008-02-19T18:14:00.000-08:00

You know, you learn a lot about what you can go through when you have something rough to go through. As you most likely know, Brent had been in the hospital since 2/15 (Friday) with pneumonia. A very bad case of it, too. He has had to have 2 surgeries in the last few days. But I know that I know that God is AWESOME. He is Good and He is always there. We have seen prayers answered, and not just our own. Brent has had such a huge chance to minister to people that he never would have met before this little stay in the hospital. We have seen people really coming through for us in prayer and in love like we could not have imagined.

I came home last night to 26 emails about Brent. We are loved more than I realized, beyond all that I could have ever even desired. Today as my husband finished his second surgery in such a short period of time all that I can say is that I am blessed~ beyond measure~ beyond words~ immensely blessed. And grateful that I still have the man that I love so much~

And if you are reading this~ you just got drafted into the praying to keep Brent out of the hospital team!! We do not want to go back there again!!

hugs and kisses~ shan

A little something funny

2008-02-04T11:56:00.000-08:00

Ok~ Y'all know that I am not a football fan, but I have to say that if you did not see the e*trade commercials during the superbowl, you missed out!! So, for any of you that did not see them, I am going to include the link to the website so that you can check them out...
http://www.myspace.com/superbowlads

once you go there, there is one under the 3rd quarter and one under the 4th quarter. I know...I know...this is ridiculous and serves no real purpose, but it will make you laugh. And we all need to laugh. that baby is hilarious.

After the Rain...

2008-01-23T14:33:00.000-08:00

Ok~ yes, I actually do know that song, but more than that I thought it would make for a catchy title. :)

So, if you read the post right below this one, you will realize that I had to fly to New Mexico, and was gone for 5 days. Well after I got home from that, I was home for one day before we were in the throws of our churches world missions conference~ which took all my time from Thursday to Sunday afternoon. So, I did not get anytime with my kids for quite a while. Needless to say, I missed them and they missed me. Well, Monday there was no school! WOO HOO. And what do Eckley's do when there is no school? Lots of crazy, fun stuff. We spent the day hangin' with eachother, we went to lunch with Daddy...and then went to a movie and a museum. We had a blast, and were a little silly.

Deep in the Fog

2008-01-23T10:32:00.000-08:00

To say the least, the last two weeks have been a test of faith for our family. Monday the 7th my dad called me and told me that he had been to an ear, nose and throat doctor. That he had a lump in his throat and where that lump is, 99% of the time it is cancer. He was supposed to go for a stress test, a biopsy and a CT scan with in a week from then. Extremely long story put into a compact version~ all of those things happened the next day. It is cancer. He has a large tumor on his voice box and also two tumors in lymph nodes. The doctor told him that if he had not recv'd treatment with in a week, he would have been gone because the tumor was cutting off his airway.

Well, let me say that in this time I have found out that all I believe in is absolutely, 100% truth. God showed up for my dad in those moments, He showed up for me in ways like I could not have imagined. As I told my bible study group last night, the only strong hold that the enemy had with me was that my dad could not talk. I cannot tell you the prison that I felt surrounding me with that. My dad and I talk a lot. We are huge communicators, and to not be able to talk...ugh. There are not words for how I felt about that. To top it off, he had left me a message the week before, and I had erased that message. Were he not able to talk again, I would have been responsible for erasing the last message he would have ever left me. Pain gripped my heart like I had never felt before, but God is so faithful to me.

On the way back to New Mexico, I missed a flight. Instead of getting mad about it, I told God that I did not understand, but I was just going to trust him. I had made the choice to trust his timing. Missing that flight put me there too late that night to see dad. When I got there the next morning, I walked in the room right before the respiratory specialist who was bringing in a piece to hook onto Dad's trach that made it possible for us to hear him speak. I cannot tell you how sweet it was for me to hear him speak to me.

Well, a week from the time that the dr had said that my dad would have only had one more week had he not sought treatment, we took Dad home. The picture of me and dad was taken that day. I cannot imagine that dad was all that happy with me taking a picture of him that day, but that is our victory shot. I have a copy of that pic hanging on the cork board in front of my desk, and as I look at it it reminds me of the song, Victory in Jesus... Because from here on out it does not matter how hard the road is, all that matters is that one day, that moment...when we were able to stand together and claim victory over cancer...

The other picture that I put on here is one that I took on the plane ride home. It was taken after we came through the fog. I hate to fly...hate is not even the word for it, probably more along the lines of loathing...but in any case, not my favorite activity. The morning that I went to get on the plane to come home, there was a dense fog. I was gripped with fear. To be honest, I almost did not get on the plane. But I did, and as the plane came about 20 or 30 feet off the ground, we came out of the fog. A tear came to my eye as I saw the beautiful scene below me, and I was reminded of what my dad had told me so many times before. It does not matter what it looks like on the outside, all that matter is what God is doing on the inside. I was afraid because of what I could see...but the reality of the fog was short lived... and I believe the same will be said of this cancer. The reality of it will be very short lived.

My Thanksgiving Day...

2008-01-04T17:58:00.000-08:00

January 4th. A year ago my husband had a pretty serious medical "incident". That is what I call it, an incident. I cannot believe how thankful I am to have him with me. I have given much consideration today to the past year. To the times that we have had that were happy and sad and hard and wonderful and trying and beautiful. Not that much unlike any of the other years that we have spent together really, other than for the fact that I am uniquely aware of the fact that this life is inherently temporal...and that every day I have with this man, this amazing gift from above...each single day is just that, a gift. Another chance to be thankful for what we have with each other. Another chance to see who he is, and who I am when I am with him. Another chance to enjoy the little people we are blessed to have and the friends and family that we share.

That day for me was a defining moment, a slice of time that is forever etched in my mind. I will never forget the way that it felt to go through that time, nor will I ever forget the people that were faithful to walk through it with me. But it is one I would wish on no one and one that I hope to never have to repeat. Amazingly enough though it is one that I am thankful for, because it put me in touch with reality. It made me intimately acquainted with how close God is to us, how much we really need to depend on him for every single moment. How extremely fragile our existence is. And it opened my eyes to something that I had not given consideration to before. My husband, my closest and most intimate friend, is a blessing in my life. One that I need to remember to thank God for everyday, because there is no promise of tomorrow, there is only right now. So as we all celebrate thanksgiving in November, this is my own personal Thanksgiving day, January 4th.

Quirks

2008-01-01T12:20:00.001-08:00

As most everyone who knows me at all knows...I love REO Speedwagon. For reasons that are too many to list, but most all relate to my father, I love them. Well...this week I got to enjoy one of the other things that I love more than life itself. Lefse. {Pronounced lef-sa}. It is delightful. But it is something that you really only get in the north...where I am from. Here is the great state of Texas, we are much more prone to be found partaking in a kolache than a nice slice of lefse.. I have been in heaven since she got here, and yes, I am reluctantly sharing with the children. :)

More important than the lefse is the person that brought it to me. This week my mom and Russ came to visit us!! We have been really blessed in the last few months to get visits from Brent's dad and now my mom! We had a lot of fun checking out the Dr. Pepper museum, the Suspension bridge and being touristy all over our own city. Kind of neat though, the kids really liked it. Hope you enjoy the pics of our outings, and for your enjoyment may I also include a useless piece of knowledge for you...did you know that there is actually no prune juice in Dr. Pepper??? I had no idea... well... enjoy!!

It's Christmas Time in the City...

2007-12-25T08:50:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! Well, we have had quite the wonderful time opening presents this morning. The kids seemed to be very happy with their new stuff and mommy and daddy are excited about their gifts as well. But I think that the best present that was opened in our house today was a movie that Brent got. Gridiron Gang. I have to admit that I was not especially excited about watching yet another football movie...but I was so wrong. If you have not seen it then you must. You see, in that movie there are a bunch of kids that are in jail and they get to play football. And the game changes them. It changes who they are on the inside, it makes them want to be better and because of that they become better.

As I sat and watched that movie this morning with my hubby, it made me think about what Jesus did for us. Really that is what Christmas was all about. It is an invitation to the game. But there are no footballs in this game, just the ultimate coach who always has your back. A coach that truly does change who we are on the inside and makes us want to be better. This Christmas, our prayer for you is that you will take Him up on His offer. That you will let him get into your heart and change who you are. That you will be changed forever by an invitation that was made to you...

Merry Christmas.

My Man of the Year

2007-12-20T09:58:00.000-08:00

Ok~ I will try to make this short and sweet, but I am not sure how short it will end up being, so bear with me... Last night was the Bass Christmas party. At the party they give out two awards, Salesman of the Year and the Mack Bennett Employee of the Year award. Briefly~ salesman of the year is just that, given to the person who makes the most sales. The other one, and much more important one~ is the Employee of the year. It is an award that is given to an employee who is really a man or woman of great character, and it is voted on by all the employees.

Well, we pretty much knew going into last night that Brent would be getting the Salesman of the Year award because he got salesman of the month this year 5 times, and was salesman of the quarter twice. As I sat beside him last night though, and listened to the office manager's assistant rattle off the list of things that people had said about the winner of the Employee of the Year award, I knew that it was Brent. They had talked sbout his work ethic...how he is the first one there and the last one to leave. About how he is always doing things for other people. About what a man of integrity he is, how he is always there for them and listens to them. How he is always trying to put everyone else before himself. What a leader he is and how his heart is bigger than anyone elses. Every single person who voted for him said that they considered him to be a close personal friend.

Tears filled my eyes last night as an overwhelming sense of pride came over me. That man that they were talking about, that man who is so incredible to work with, who puts his heart and soul into everything and everyone..that man was sitting by my side. I have said a lot here, but there are truly not words to explain the pride that I feel in being his wife, and how much it meant to watch him accept these awards last night. I am glad that he can sell~ in this business that is great, but more than that...so much more than that..I am glad that he is a man of strong moral character. I am glad that God has given him the gift to lead others well, at work and in our home. And above all, I am glad that he is mine.

Thanksgiving & Beyond

2007-12-03T19:33:00.000-08:00

We finally did it...we got past Thanksgiving, let the decorating commence!! Yipee. To be fair, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. My in law's were here and we had an awesome time together. My turkey was the best, if I do say so myself. If there is one thing that I can do well, it is a nice turkey. We did a little shopping and went on the hunt for the Eckley Christmas Tree. Since we used to live where you could go out into the mountains and seek out the perfect tree and cut it down, living here in the land where you have tree farms or the home depot, it is usually a bummer to have to go to the store to get your tree.

This year was a new day for us though. A first of sorts for the Eckley's. This is the first year that we went to a tree farm, and also the first year that us girls went with the men to get the tree. But it was so great. We travelled about 30 minutes to get there, and found the most awesome tree. As you can see by the pictures...my little tree hugger was in heaven on a "tree farm", and my young man was totally prepared to cut down our tree!!

Life Group & The Anticipation of Christmas

2007-11-07T13:59:00.000-08:00

We had our first official Eckley lifegroup (bible study for those who do not know) last night and it was phenomenal! I loved it. It was so awesome to start something fresh and get new ideas from everyone. It was also really great to be able to see the vision that others have for the body of Christ! I found myself in Acts this morning, reading about the early church. I want so much to live like that, 100% sold out for GOD. On fire for him and his purposes for my life and the lives of those around me.

Other than that, we are gearing up for Christmas season around here. I cannot wait for Thanksgiving to come so that I can get my hubby to give the green light to putting up the Christmas decorations!! I love Christmas. I love everything about it, the season...the reality of what happened during this time 2000+ years ago, and I really love the time that I get with my children. The light in their eyes Christmas morning when I get to watch them open presents. I love to get gifts for my family. To get them things that I know they will really love, and then be able to watch them open those gifts...I love that morning, sitting in my jammies with my fuzzy slippers on, sipping hot chocolate, christmas music playing in the background...watching wrapping paper fly here and there. By far one of my favorite mornings of the whole year.

Off and Running

2007-10-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are, blogging... This really does seem like a great way to keep everyone up on what we are doing. With all the grandma's and grandpa's so far away, this will give us all a way to keep up close and personal with eachother. So, welcome to our blog. Feel free to drop by whenever you like. And yes, we will be adding pics of the kids and letting them write their thoughts as well!