is it valentine's day yet?

This year, Valentine's Day will mark our 13th anniversary. Amazing.

Living in the south affords me the luxury of moving from pine trees and lights to red hearts and lace doilies with ease. There is no bitter cold or ice to remind me it's winter. As much as I love having my house decorated from floor to ceiling with green and red, I was tired of tiny bite-marks in the candles and broken ornaments. In the spirit of Christmas I allowed the girls to play, somewhat freely, with the decorations. Without a doubt, the broken-and-super-glued ornaments now out number the still-in-their-natural-state ornaments at our house.

I'm realizing we aren't the total losers we were just a few short months ago. We spent Christmas Eve with a nice couple and their kids. Last night, we had Wii fun night and leftovers at another couple's house. The wee one had a playmate just her size and the big kid fussed and fretted over their new baby. I had a neighborly conversation with the young couple across the street. I've made it my mission to get her involved in the command functions so she stays informed once the men-folk deploy.

I received two packages of books along with a nice, handwritten letter from New York, on Christmas Eve. A couple up the street had his mother, grandmother, and younger brother and sister visiting a few weeks ago. The Baron stopped and asked if they needed help mending their elaborate Christmas decorations after a big storm. He knew the husband from the last time he was on sea duty.

The visiting family were the only ones home and gladly took the Baron's help. They started chatting about this and that and stumbled onto the homeschooling topic. Turns out, the mother home schools this guys younger brother and sister (teenagers) in New York. Later that evening, at her request, the big kid and I stopped by to chat a bit. She was doing crafts with the couples young girls and the big kid joined in. This friendly woman took my name and address but I had no idea she'd be so generous.

Don't worry, I'm sure my life is still sufficiently blah that I can maintain this blog without any trouble. Be warned, though, I do have a glimmer of hope and my need to be thankful for the blessings in my life may shine through from time to time.