blessings from New Mexico

Here are 25 blessings from our trip to New Mexico to visit Chris' family. We had quite a few mishaps as well but I thought for now I'd stick with the blessings. Maybe I'll write about the mishaps another day.

1.) safe flights to & from

2.) meeting my niece, Sara Jane, for the first time

3.) watching Papaw make the sweetest gestures with Nana and realizing once again how much
Chris is like him and being grateful for it

4.) Papaw telling me that he & Nana have been married for (63?) years. When I told him we had about 52 years to catch up, he said, "You'll make it." If the Lord wills us to live that long, I
know we will.

5.) watching Papaw (83 years old) color with my (almost) 5 year old

6.) spending time with Erin, my sister-in-law

7.) watching Gracie play with the daughter of Chris' cousin (would that be her 2nd cousin???) whom she's never met before

8.) having worship & communion with the family out at the ranch

9.) giggling with Erin and Ashley (Chris' cousin) over silly girl things

10.) having my mother-in-law get up with Katie in the middle of the night (which is not usually an issue) and also early in the morning

11.) going on a date with Chris while the in-laws babysat (for free!)

12.) sipping a "Frap" with my mother-in-law & Erin in a cute little coffee shop

13.) Chris' bag being found after he accidentally took someone else's *oops!*

14.) having time with Chris to look out over the ranch and listening to him remember times he spent there growing up

15.) watching Gracie ride a horse and pet a sheep without the fear she usually shows in such situations

16.) spending time with Chris' extended family at the ranch

17.) Singing, "God Be With Us 'Til We Meet Again" at the request of Nana and watching Ashley put her arm around her when she tears up

18.) Chris & his brother, Mike, spent time together which is unfortunately a rare thing because of the distance between our homes

19.) watching Chris do flips (forward & backwards) off the diving board when we went swimming in Ruidoso....I didn't know he could do that!

20.) watching Katie put her face in the water at the pool and then sputter & smile! (Gracie is so much more nervous that I'm glad Katie is more comfortable with it.)

21.) watching Gramps & Gramme help Gracie jump rope

22.) Gramps & Gramme taking Gracie, Katie, & Sara Jane on the Bible Trail they've created behind their house with Bible verses and cute items to help them remember them

23.) watching Gramps help Gracie catch her first grasshopper named "Hoppy."

24.) the way my mother-in-law makes it feel like a real vacation when we visit by doing laundry, cooking, & taking care of the kids

25.) knowing that Gracie is creating many happy memories with her grandparents this week

26.) Mary Frances (Chris' aunt) has been released from the hospital after being bitten by a rattlesnake at the ranch.

27.) hearing the sincere appreciation from my mother-in-law for Chris helping them decide on a new vehicle & fixing some things on their computer

Dear God, Thank you for our safe trip to & from New Mexico! We had a wonderful time, took 247 pictures, and made many happy memories with the family. Please keep Gracie safe as she is spending a week with Gramps & Gramme and help them to be safe as they drive here to being her back. Thank you for Mary Frances being okay and thank you for not letting one of the children, or anyone else, be bitten. Please be with Chris as he goes back to work. That's always hard after a vacation. Please help us to do things that please You. In Jesus' Name, Amen