Tender Mercies

Sisters know best. Or should I say siblings?  It was the eve of my birthday when I found three... yes, three!... letters for me  from two of my sisters and my brother, wishing me a Happy Birthday.  Not only did I feel blessed, but I felt loved because all of them are currently traveling or living away from their home. But they still remembered me. Receiving calls, texts, emails, and small gifts from my parents, other siblings, and friends truly made the day extra special.  I really enjoyed everything I did to celebrate my special day.  We began it with a yummy breakfast of baked eggs in avocado, grapefruit, sauteed red cabbage, and cultured salsa. I enjoyed being able to eat good food with my husband.  Before dinner, Marshall and I went to the shooting range to shoot our Christmas gingerbread house. It was time for it to go to the grave, and shooting it with a .22 is so much more exciting than tossing it in the dumpster. Plus, don't we all need...

...and hello to heated seats and an auto-start! It has been 21 days since I ran Danica into the snow-packed meridian on Johansen Expressway on the snowy morning of December 22nd.  At first glance, I thought we would just have to pay our deductible and our car insurance would take care of the rest.  I guess there was more to it because our lovely insurance company decided the left frame was too bent and called it a total loss, giving us cash for it instead of fixing it. I was sad to see her go. She was our road trip car. It was that car that took my soon-to-be-fiance   and I from Missouri to California for spring break where I got engaged overlooking the San Francisco Bay and Golden Gate Bridge. We have had so many memories in that car and I looked forward to the time I would be driving little kids around in it. But I guess it was time for her to go.  After a few long weeks of searching, we finally found a car that felt "right." Maybe it wasn't the perfect de...