Happy Halloween

Call me crazy, but as we walked around town watching all of the little kids, I couldn't help but remember what seems like yesterday! Thanks for letting me share another picture of my kids (...a long time ago!). I know, I have issues! My kids never really liked trick or treating... especially John!

I hope you all had a fun Halloween. It didn't rain until after trick or treating was over! Yay!

Then... I went to see the best movie... I highly recommend it! It's called "BELLA". You must see it! I wrote down the first line of the movie. " If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans." Okay, I better not spoil the movie.

Love,
Angie

She Has Called Me Friend

This morning before I left for work I jumped on here for just a second and found that my friend, Kat gave me this sweet award! This is such an honor, especially coming from Kat! She is the sweetest girl you'll meet. She is so generous and loving and always leaves me the sweetest comments!

I want to pass this on to Jean, Shonda, Holly and Tonja! I'd really like to pass this on to everyone because I consider all of you friends and I look forward to meeting you all in person... hopefully at the Siesta Fiesta next August! I think this is just a taste of what God feels for us! Praise Him! Please listen to a great song...


I have been blessed beyond measure by all of you!
Love,
Angie xoxo

Family Traditions

Lately I have really been focusing on what it means to be "family". If I am being totally honest, which I always am on this blog, I have struggled with being family since the divorce from my children's father. I am happily re-married, but something has been missing in regards to what I call "family". I'm not sure what to call us. And, I don't even know how to address my answering machine... "Hello, you've reached the Baylis family."(But my kids don't have the same last name as me anymore.) Or..."Hi, you've reached the Baylis/Williams family...". And now it's just... "Hi, You've reached Lincoln and Angie". (That works, because the kids are grown and don't live here anymore.) That's just one example. I never realized until recently what "family" really means and what makes us a family. My friend has been helping me sort that all out, and we came to the realization that traditions are what make us family!

I was talking with one of my blog siestas this morning, Annie's Eyes. She keeps sharing little bits about what she and her family do for their family traditions. They have Sundaes on Sunday! I was not jealous of her, just very interested in the different kinds of things they do that make them a close family. She wanted to start a meme so we can all get ideas and learn what family traditions people have.

My favorite tradition is our Christmas cards. I started this when the kids were young. The picture below is not the first one. For some reason I could not find that one. I dressed them up and took a whole role of film to try to get one decent picture. I remember the first one I took, Meghan had to actually hold John up. He was just a baby. I've done it every year! Only one time did we do it of our family. Someone once asked me why? I didn't want to tell them the truth, that I didn't feel like a family anymore. But, everyone seems to enjoy the pictures of the kids every year! Maybe this year will be different! I want to get a family portrait taken when Meghan is home for Thanksgiving! It's all in the attitude! We are a FAMILY!


Here is one of the first pictures I took.
Here is the one I sent out last year!

That's just one family tradition that I love. Most of the others involve food! For some reason when I grew up, food = love! I want to tag my siestas to please do a post about your family traditions. Please go over to Annie's Eyes to sign up on Mr. Linky! They don't have to be about holidays... just special things that you do as a family!
Thank you so much!
Love,
Your siesta!

I'm Happy

Okay, so this picture has absolutely nothing to do with this post! This is one of my all-time favorite pictures of my kids. My daughter has always loved her brother and if you couldn't notice, he was so happy! I think today he is feeling just as happy... which makes me happy too!



I got the best news today! My son, John has made a decision. He has decided NOT to transfer to the University of South Carolina after all! He decided that he LOVES Michigan State University and does not want to move. He is enjoying his college life here, and wants to graduate from MSU! He may move down there for graduate school. I will have him living in the state for a little while longer! My daughter, who graduated this past spring thought he was out of his mind for even thinking about it in the first place! He is very happy today since he made up his mind!

I Praise God because he learned that we all supported him in his decision no matter what!
Thanks for sharing in my excitement this evening!
Love,
Angie xoxo

Acceptance

I am so glad Jesus loved to hang out with EVERYDAY PEOPLE like me!
He loves us and accepts us just the way we are!

May I extend His love to you today!
Angie xoxo

My friend is a Grandmother

Okay, so I haven't lost my "touch". He fell asleep in my arms!


My best friend, Sue (Mrs. Reese) from dental hygiene school with her grandson, Maverick! Can you believe she is a grandmother?



This friend is a gift from God! We've been like sisters since we met in dental hygiene school back in 1982. We bonded together during a stressful time! She had a baby and a new marriage and still had time to be my study buddy! We rode to school together and have remained friends forever! She was one of my bridesmaids in my wedding! Her mother was incredible. She taught me so much! She taught me the difference between quality time and quantity time! She was so wise. She took me to my first Bible study ever. I had never experienced anything like it! It was definitely a seed that didn't bloom til several years later! I still think about her mother so often. She made me a Christmas tree skirt that I bring out every single year! Her mother would be so proud of her because...

Now... Sue is a grandmother! I just met Maverick this past Friday for the first time! He is absolutely adorable. He never cried once! I'm sure you noticed how he fell asleep in my arms! Sue is such a wonderful mother to her kids. She is just like her mother! I am honored to go through life with her! We don't have to see each other often, but she is the kind of friend that we can start right back where we left off! We've been through so much together!

John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
I pray you have a friend like Sue in your life!
Love,
Angie xoxo

Patricia

This is a picture of my sister PATRICIA (with my niece Katie, my nephew Zach and her dog "Scout").


This Thursday I am Thankful for so many things! I am especially thankful for all of the love and support I have received from my blog siestas, especially these past couple of days. You really do give me so much encouragement!

I invited my mother, brothers and sisters to all visit my blog to see the tribute to my sister yesterday. One of my sisters, my second oldest (the oldest one living) e-mailed me after she read the the post about Vic. This is the first time she has been on a christian blog, I bet! She wrote this back to me...
"P.S.
Hey, I want a ribbon, I mean shoot, I grew a 10 pound ovarian tumor and was supposed to die. Isn't a miracle worth a ribbon on your blog? ... just kidding... I guess my life is my ribbon."

So... I thought I would dedicate today's post to my sister, Patricia. She is an amazing girl. She is the sister who told me all about being a woman. (If you know what I mean.) I was the 4th daughter so apparently I was supposed to have learned everything, but somehow I didn't learn it on my own. Anyway... I am so grateful for her help back when I was about 13 years old. She was so brave. She loved thunderstorms. I wonder if she still does? She is so smart! She is a therapist and has a master's degree in Chinese Medicine. She does Acupuncture! She is unbelievable at computer skills. Now she has her own business where she makes herbs for women who are having difficulty getting pregnant. She works with women all around the world. It really works! She has lived in San Francisco for years and has recently re-located to North Carolina. There is so much to say about her, but the most important thing I want to get across is that I love her so much and I am so proud of her! She has so much compassion and does so much for people behind the scenes. I would tell you all about what she has done, but she is so humble that she would be upset with me for telling the whole world. She reminds me of Mother Theresa! She has the biggest heart for people and is so accepting of them no matter what their lifestyle is.

Anyway... if you read her words above you will learn that she really did have a malignant tumor removed a few years back. God let the cup pass her by. She is cancer-free. They were able to remove her tumor completely and she didn't need any follow up treatment. God is SO good!

Our family has been hit hard by cancer. But... HE has done some HUGE things in the midst of it! I, for one am SO very grateful!

So, Patricia... Yes, your life is your ribbon! But... here is another one just because I am so grateful that God saved YOU!
You really are a miracle! I give all the praise to God!



I love you,
Annie xoxo

My Oldest Sister, Vic

I love candles! I will burn a candle tomorrow in honor of my sister.
Tomorrow is my oldest sister's birthday. She would have been 53 years old. (This is her with my Dad.) They've both gone home to be with Jesus. She lost her battle to breast cancer back in 1998. One of the things I miss most about her was how she and I loved to go to Mass on Friday mornings together, then out for breakfast. She loved breakfast. I think she was planting seeds in me way back then. I didn't really have a relationship with Jesus, I just went to church because it meant a lot to her.

My sister made me a cassette tape with some of her favorite music years ago. She loved Kathy Trocolli. Before she died, she planned her funeral Mass and her wishes. Obviously, she wanted Kathy Trocolli to be played. So... in honor of her, I wanted to play one of her favorite songs.

Please keep my family in your prayers tomorrow as we will surely remember our sister, daughter and friend!


UPDATE 10-24-07....This was a comment from my brother that must be added to this post!

Chris said...
Hey Annie. Thanks for letting me dip into your blogworld. That song brought lots of great memories of Vicki. Her laugh. Her smile.
Her life had lots of purpose, especially for the Kingdom and the Glory of God. If you recall us sitting around after that big Christmas dinner in her dining room, she said she couldn't wait to see her Creator, her Lord and her Savior. Her faith was deep, solid and secure. A week later she found out she had cancer. Before she died, she told me that if having cancer was what it took to meet Jesus, it was her honor to do so. How cool is that! We will see her again, praising and worshiping our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ!
Your brother (and brother in Christ),
Chris
So much love,
Angie xoxo

John

John, Junior at Michigan State University.

John with his very proud mother!



Yesterday was a bittersweet day. This is the last time for me to watch John play lacrosse for MSU. It seems like yesterday when it all began. He didn't start playing until his junior year of high school. He had been a basketball player until he decided that he wouldn't get as much playing time as he would have liked, so he decided to give lacrosse a try. He noticed right away that the guys didn't seem as dedicated to this sport as they were in basketball, but he really liked the game. He received Most-Improved player award his junior year and Most-Valuable player his senior year! We were so proud of him!

The summer before his freshman year of college we found the MSU website to check out the team and he decided to tryout just for fun. He noticed that a lot of the players were recruited, but just thought he'd try his best and see what happened. Guess what? He made the team and learned that there were only two guys who made it who weren't all-state or all-american players in high school. He really didn't even know all of the rules of the game! You have to know John. He is the most dedicated guy I know. He gives his all and is determined to get what he wants and never quits! He told me how awkward it felt at first and didn't feel like he belonged with all of these guys who have played since they were probably eight years old! Anyway... I have been so proud of him. He is now their number one defensive middie as a junior!

It's been so much fun to watch him grow more confident and look like he is having the time of his life! I know he will miss all of the guys when he moves to South Carolina this Winter! I'll have to go a long way from Michigan to see him play again! :)
How exciting!

God has given him the gift of being very athletic! One day, (if he doesn't already) I pray he will realize this and give God all of the glory!

Thanks for listening to me brag... What can I say? I'm just one proud mama!
Love,
Angie

Christmas Spirit Award-Me?

I had been away from blogland for a little over a week since I was out of town, then extremely busy. I went over to visit my friends' blogs and guess what I found? My friend, Tonja was so sweet! I am embarrassed to say that I was brought to tears just looking at this computer screen. She gave me another award!

What is the Spirit of Christmas you ask?

Quite simply it is those that have a generous and giving nature. Those who care about others. Those who have a kind word to say or a broad shoulder to lean on in the times that others need that. Those who display the "Spirit of Christmas".

I immediately thought she must have made a mistake. Me?

If you have a second, I will tell you a little story about Christmas. If you don't have time to read this, I totally understand! Anyway... For the past 14 years Christmas has brought on some emotions that are not real "happy" for me. NOT the meaning of Christmas, just the feelings that come from an event that happened the week before Christmas back in 1993. That's when I found out about my husband's affair that lead to my divorce. I wanted to pretend Christmas didn't exist after that. Let me just tell you, it was very difficult to just turn on the Christmas Carols after you learn something as tragic as that. So... in hopes for "new beginnings" I decided to do a non- traditional Christmas tree. I decided to make it "pretty" instead of putting on all of our old ornaments. We had always had colored lights with many ornaments that we had collected from vacations and of course all of the kids' school projects! But... my son was not happy about my decision! When my entire family was here cebebrating on Christmas Eve my son told everyone about his dissatisfaction regarding the tree. So... my parents suggested we bring out the old ornaments and decorate the tree with all of our old "family" ones. My son was SO happy!

I will ALWAYS be so grateful for what I've had to go through because if I hadn't, I would never have had God in my life and I wouldn't trade Him for anything! He is the best gift ever!

So... long story short, this means even more to me than just another award! I am so blessed by the friendships that have grown from this blog! I want to pass this on to everyone, but since I can't, I must give it to my prayer warrior, friend in Texas, Annie's Eyes!

I'm one happy girl today!
Merry Christmas!
Angie xoxo

Great Times in New York

Meghan found this especially for me. Ouch! :)
I just Love this girl! I'm so proud of her!
Meghan and me with our friends, Pauline and Kristen at "Wicked".
We ate at Fig and Olive ... Meghan's favorite place.



My dear, Siestas!

It feels funny to miss my "imaginary" friends, but it's true! (We won't be imaginary friends this time next year!) Thank you for all of your kind comments! I really do feel loved by this blog!


I had such a great time staying with my daughter in New York! On Friday while she was at work I spent the day trying not to be the interfering mother, but helped her get organized. Unknowingly, I walked to a very dangerous part of town to get a great deal on some cute curtains for her bedroom. I was very naive... what can I say? I was fine and did what I had to, to do the "mom thing".

I met her roommates and they are just the sweetest girls around! I loved being one of them, especially when it came time to vote on Meghan's friend, Sarah's new boots! After we all analyzed them for awhile, she decided that neither was going to work! Such fun! Then, that night I borrowed a pair of Meghan's boots, so I could be as cool as her, and my feet were aching SO much that I could not walk another step and had to pay for a taxi even though we should have been able to walk home! Learn from my mistakes... don't ever borrow someone's high heel boots when you plan on walking several miles!

We met up with our friends to see "Wicked". It was great! We've seen a lot of plays and we really enjoyed this one. We weren't exactly sure why some people say they are addicted to it, but we definitely enjoyed it!

We did a lot of shopping, shopping and shopping! We really didn't buy a lot, but we sure had a good time looking! We ate at some really neat restaurants! We found a great breakfast spot where we had an omlette with pumpkin, broccoli and swiss cheese. It was delicious!

My favorite part of the trip was taking a walk with her through Central Park. I love walking and talking about anything and everything! I'm not sure we solved anything, but we sure tried! I also love following her around New York and in the subway! I love to people watch!

Tuesday night was our second session of our Daniel Bible study! I can't say a lot, but all I can say is we were all blown away by what God has already done in these past two weeks since we last met! I know God loves when we study His Word, and He really did some amazing things in our group!

Sorry this was so long. Now, hopefully I can stay awake long enough to check out what I've missed on your blogs!

Love,
Angie xoxo
I hope you have a lot to be Thankful for today!

Tomorrow :)

I'm excited because I have one more day before I go to New York to see my daughter! We are meeting our longtime friends for a girl's weekend! We are going to see Wicked! I have heard so many good things about it! I LOVE Broadway plays! I really don't care what we see, it is going to be so much fun! I cannot wait to see my favorite girl!

So... if I seem to be missing in action, you'll know why!
I Love ya!
Angie xoxo

p.s. Don't you just love Annie?

I was tagged!

Meme: My Man

Since Jenny and Sarah both tagged me I guess it's time for me to do this! Warning: I am going to be totally honest, so I hope that's okay! I've noticed everyone else has such sweet answers! :)

1. Who is your man? Lincoln David ... He's dying for a nickname and we've never come up with one!

2. How long have you been together? 10+ years! Wow... that went fast!

3. How long did you date? We dated for two years, then were engaged for two years before getting married in July of 2001

4. How old is your man? 40 Don't ask how old I am!

5. Who eats more? He does, especially in the middle of the night! :)

6. Who said I love you first? He did. Like on the 2nd date!

7. Who is taller? He is. His family is all about height. I've never been with another family who compares each other's height! I think they measured me on the 2nd date! You think I'm kidding? Nope!

8. Who sings better? He sings louder... and he plays the piano loudly, too...oops did I actually say that? :)

9. Who is smarter? Are we talking brains or common sense? I'd have to be the one with more common sense, so I'll give him the brains!

10. Whose temper is worse? Another toss up! Actually I'll take that one! But he can get a little passive aggressive... (...sorry, I gave you the warning!)

11. Who does the laundry? We each try to do our own. He's good at starting things, but I end up finishing what he starts! :)

12. Who takes out the trash? He does! Yay!

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? He does. He hates when I get into bed on his side of the bed! He's so good at making the bed! We have a rule that the last one out has to make it and he usually wins! :)

14. Who pays the bills? I do. We have tried to do it together, but that doesn't work very well!

15. Who is better with the computer? I've gotten a lot better since I started this blog! :)

16. Who mows the lawn? Our yard is too big to cut ourselves. So we cheat and have it cut! :)

17. Who cooks dinner? He gets the most improved award for this one! He is getting so much better about helping , especially on my work days! He gets stressed out , so it's not worth asking him to do it very often! :)

18. Who drives when you are together? We both do. If I want a relaxing drive, I drive. If we need to make record time getting somewhere quick, he does. Do you wonder if he wears his seat belt? (I am shaking my head while answering this one!)

19. Who is the most stubborn? There is an Italian word his mother calls him that means stubborn. Something like...Testadura! I know that's not how you spell it! But... I am very stubborn too! I know that's why we have arguments too often! :) ...aren't you proud of me for taking responsibility?

20. Whose parents do you like the most? Please don't make me answer this one! I choose to avoid this question! Hope that's okay!

21. Who kissed who first? He kissed me... on about the first date! Way too soon for my comfort level at the time! (I had come out of a divorce so I was kind of scared.)

22. Who asked out who? He did. About a half hour of when he asked if I'd ever be interested in going out! I am not kidding! He called to invite me to a concert to see REO Speedwagon!

23. Who proposed? He did. When I was FINALLY ready! Like I said, I had been divorced with two children so I thought long and hard about it!

24. Who has more friends? We both have a lot of friends. He mainly sees his friends from elementary school and high school! I have a good mix of old and new friends!

25. Who has more siblings? He had 4 brothers and 4 sisters= 9 children! I had 4 sisters and 2 brothers= 7 children! We are both from big families!

I TAG... Stacey

He's right there!

Since this is kind of like my journal and the Godstops along the way I thought it would be appropriate to think about where it all began. This is the church where my parents were married, all of us were baptized, made our first communion and some of us got married!

I love the daily devotional I am doing... Jesus:90 Days with the One and Only. This morning I read in Matthew about Jesus' baptism. I especially loved verse 16-17 which says... As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." I like to think about it like Beth Moore explained... "Heaven is right there. We look up at that sky at night and the expanse of the stars. He is literally just an open window away from us, sitting on His throne. His presence is in us and on us. God upon His throne is near. We just can't quite see it yet." I can handle anything here and have peace just knowing that!

I like seeing the church where it all began for me. But it wasn't until I was desperate for Him that I truly allowed Him to take over my life! I am so grateful for all He has done and continues to do every single day!

I hope you remember when and where you were when God first made Himself known to you!

Much love, dear siestas!
Angie xoxo

Family AND Friends!

My brother, Dave...Lincoln...My brother-in-law, Joe

Me and my sister, DeNaze

DeNaze and Joe


Hi Everybody!

We had such a nice time at my sister and brother-in-law's house last night that I just had to post about it! We went to my sister, DeNaze (isn't that a cool name?) and Joe's. We had an amazing dinner, and had a bonfire under the clear sky! It was warm and the stars were so bright! They live out in the country so we felt like we were on vacation. My brother, Dave and his fiance, Pattie were there as well! We also met some of my sister's friend's. There is something about a bonfire that is so relaxing! We even listened to some classic rock!

My brother is going through a job transition and is a bit stressed out about it and relieved at the same time! I don't think he has a lot of friends to talk to so it was nice to be able to listen to him and give him our support! I know I always ask you to pray for my family on this blog, but I have to do it again. Please pray for my brother... that God would invade his life and that God's Will be done! He's been through so much over the years and he is an amazing guy! He is the best grandpa out there... he has a heart of gold. Come to think of it, so does my sister! I realized something... we are FAMILY, but even more importantly we are FRIENDS!

We are so blessed to have each other!
I hope YOU are blessed to have a close family!
Love,
Angie xoxo

She's Got a Lot on Her Mind!

No matter how old our children are I have learned this to be true. As a mother, when my kids have something on their mind my heart becomes heavy, too! I'm used to it, but it doesn't make it any easier. We want to kiss their boo boos and make everything better, but I've come to realize I can't do what God can do! He is the only one to heal broken hearts for good (no matter how long ago they were hurt).

I believe with all my heart He places certain people in their lives for a reason. It's no coincidence when He does! There are certain things that mothers can't tell their daughters. Friends are such a blessing!

Please keep her in your prayers!

I pray she knows in the depth of her soul that He is in control and He loves her even more than I do!

Have a great weekend!
Angie xoxo

He's Wonderful to Me!

This is a very special Thankful Thursday! We started our first session of Beth Moore's Daniel Bible study this past Tuesday evening. Eight women met at my house to spend some time in God's Word. We all live near each other, but are at different places on our journey! Some aren't completely sure they believe Him, some have never opened a bible before (me, not too long ago!) and some are seasoned at Bible study! It's very neat who God chose to join together.

I am grateful that God chose this ordinary girl who is definitely not a Bible scholar to facilitate this study! I never would have imagined He could use me! I just want to be obedient and although it is out of my comfort zone I pray I am doing what would make Him proud! I want to share what He has done for me! It's not about me, it's all about Him! All I've done is open my house and He's in charge of the rest! I've already been blessed!

These new friends don't know my love for Praise and Worship music!
I hope your Thursday is wonderful!
Angie xoxo