As promised...PICTURES!

Because I know you just love looking at someone else's vacation pictures! Ha! 

I'm sorry but I can't help but share a handful. We had so much fun, and it was fabulous to get away and just soak in family time. No Internet, no cooking or cleaning, just a relaxing few days of treasured memories with our sons and family. 

Carnival Fantasy, our floating hotel for a few days

Hanging out in the lounge

My handsome guys...

We adopted our son's friend (pictured on left) for the week. 

I don't think he minded too much...

Usually we head to the mountains to chill, but here we are hanging out at the beach. We couldn't have asked for a better day. Sun warming our backs, a sweet breeze kissing our cheeks, and sand sliding through our fingers. Loved it!

Can anybody say windy? Sheesh, talk about big hair.

My beautiful family

This last one cracks me up. Little Man usually hams it up for the camera with a huge smile, but he hardly cracked his lips for any of the formal pictures. He's still a cutie!

See what I mean? Such treasured moments I will cherish forever!! 

I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into our lives and that you are able to enjoy special times like this with your loved ones!

What about you? How do you get together with your loved ones when they are spread across the country? What was one of your most memorable vacations?

H is for Hanging

It's been loads of fun hanging out with new friends on the AtoZ blog hop and checking out their blogs! I'm still with limited Internet access, so I can't link up, but if you'd like to hop on, you can do so here. 

This week's letter is...H....for ... Hanging

Not as in dangling from a rope, but as in being left hanging. Or leaving things hanging, suspended, or unfinished.

During my auditor years, I visited schools on a daily basis to ensure they followed safe accounting practices. For each of the three different types of audits we performed, I knew how to schedule my work week. Some audits lasted days, some weeks, but for each, I enjoyed the satisfaction of wrapping up an audit and turning in the report.

When I switched to working special audits, my calendar might be blocked out with the same task for months. Although I adjusted, I never really liked this aspect of my job. You see, I value accomplishment, and I appreciate checklists and enjoy checking tasks off as I complete them. 

Since writing a book takes months, to help me overcome this negative vibe, I created an Excel spreadsheet to track my forward progress for every book. Not only does the spreadsheet offer me a sense of accomplishment by entering my daily word count, it also gives me an ending date, something tangible so that I don't feel as if I'm hanging forever.

Sometimes leaving things hanging is unavoidable. Like now. We booked our cruise months ago, not knowing our son would accept a job in Washington DC, about 10 days before our sailing date. We promised to help him move his stuff to DC when we return.

As a writer, sometimes I leave my characters hanging, whether it's in a particularly intense scene or, like now, because I couldn't give them their happily-ever-after before I hopped on that airplane. I tried, I really did, but life got in the way. That, and latching on to every available minute with my son. My characters will be there when I return home. My son won't.

Our son and grandson

What about you? How do you feel about being left hanging? Or leaving things hanging?

What My Parents Need to Know

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb. (Psalm 139:13 NIV)

Hey guys. I'm Baby Huneycutt.

Mommy and Daddy are excited about finally meeting me in February, but I don't know what the big deal is. Haven't they seen a baby before? Don't we all look alike?

Besides, I see my daddy's face all the time, scrunched up and goofy-eyed when he leans down to whisper "I love you." He pats my head or sometimes tickles my feet. My mommy constantly rubs my body. I can't see her, but I know her. I'm part of her, for always.

Mommy's friend, Trish, asked friends to share their advice for my arrival. I figured who better to offer advice than me, the kid? Here goes...

To my Mommy and Daddy... 

Things are gonna get a bit noisy. I can't talk yet, at least, not in a way you understand. The only way to get your attention is to cry...for now. As I get older, I'll employ a multitude of weapons to accomplish that. Don't let the noise bother you. It will only last for a couple decades.

Things are gonna get messy. Don't buy many new or expensive clothes my first few years. Enough said about that.  

We'll all be learning parenthood together. Don't beat yourself up over your mistakes. I won't hold them against you. Stock up on a huge supply of grace, forgiveness, and hugs. I'll never outgrow them.

Stand united with each other. Otherwise, I'll play Mommy against Daddy, and that game really isn't what it's cracked up to be.
 

Until I can do things for myself, I'll need lots of your time. Delete the word "me" from your vocabulary. It's all about "us" now.

Speaking of us, I love feeling your arms slip around Mommy's waist, Daddy. You tickle Mommy's neck with your lips, and her whole body sighs in satisfaction. That helps me relax and feel secure in your love. I'll let you in on a little secret, Daddy. After a few sleepless nights and long days at the library, Mommy might need you to wrap her in your arms, whisper "I love you" in her ear, and ask what you can do to help her. That's a perfect way to keep your romance burning.

But most important, God created me in His image and entrusted me to you, my sweet parents. He designed parents to love Him above all, and then each other. Keep your eyes and heart focused on Him, and everything else will fall into place. 

I love you, Mommy and Daddy! It won't be long until February!

Has Baby Huneycutt covered everything? 

Any advice you'd like to add?

In those "I can't believe that just happened!" moments...

I giggle. Hysterically.

Take the time our family traveled through Arizona several years ago. Hubby stopped the car to snap a photo of our younger son standing next to a giant Saguaro Cactus. I stayed in the car, watching. Back then cellphones weren't camera capable, and Hubby had his eye pressed against the camera. Trying to get the whole cactus in the shot, he backed up, backed up some more, and WHAM! Stumbled backward into a ditch. 

What am I doing? Giggling. Hysterically.

And then there's the time hubby was doing some work in our attic. He was moving around up there, not exactly light on his feet, and WHAM! Slammed through the attic floor. Somehow, he managed to straddle a rafter, and I looked up to see his long legs dangling through the ceiling.

What am I doing? Giggling. Hysterically.

This weekend our two-year-old grandson huddled near hubby's vacant recliner. I pulled the lever to lift the footrest (for whatever reason, I can't remember now). I stuck my hand in front of it to avoid hitting him. Did that help? No. WHAM! The footrest lifted up with such force, it whacked Mason in the side and catapulted him a couple feet in the air.

What am I doing? Giggling. Hysterically. Thankfully, he thought it was a game or a weird kind of ride, but how sad is that?

What about you? 

How do you react in those "I can't believe that just happened!" moments?