Merry Christmas!

Thanks to everyone who helped make this Christmas season so very wonderful. The image above is from our Christmas card. On the inside it says: "We triple-dog dare ya to have a merry Christmas." Just in case you didn't know...that's from "A Christmas Story" which is one of my all-time favorite movies. It reminds me of a much simpler time, when things weren't nearly as complicated. Part of me wants to go back to those times...just to see what it was like. Anyway, hopefully in a few days I'll post up some shots from Christmas morning. Until then...may the joy of Christmas bring childlike laughter and the love of Jesus Christ into your heart.

A True Giver

It's so easy to give. Especially during this holiday season, when we are constantly reminded that it's far better to give than to receive. When I was a kid I'm sure I could've argued with you about that one...even though now I know it's true. In reality, I've met very few true givers. You see, to me being a true giver reqires two things. First the gift should require you to sacrifice something in order to give it. Secondly, the gift should be something the recipient can't get on their own.

Yesterday, I was witness to true giving. My beautiful daughter Sylvie has been studying giving in her first grade class with Mrs. Marsh. She had mentioned months earlier that she wanted to get her hair cut but of course her father protested. Then Michelle told her about Locks of Love. Sylvie knew immediately that this is what she wanted to do. The way she puts it: "There's this really bad disease called cancer and the medicine you take makes your hair fall out and since I have plenty of hair I can give it to one of those kids." Now how could I say no to that? Anyway, yesterday was the big day. Our friend April who works at ShonTaylor salon here in Boaz volunteered her time and came to Sylvie's class to cut her hair and all her classmates got to watch. It was so fun to watch, even though I had to fight off a few tears. I think we could all learn a few lessons from our kids...

Ruby!

It's been very easy for me over the years to resist the urge to be a pet owner. It's just never been my thing. My six year old daughter Sylvie on the other hand has been begging for a puppy for I think about 6 years now. The issue has popped up about once a month, and I somehow always managed to put it aside....assuring her that once we could pay for a fence in the back yard we would get her a dog. Well when I found out my little girl was saving her money to pay for a fence, along with a few bats of the big blues, I knew what I had to do. On the way to dinner one night Michelle and I quietly agreed amongst ourselves we would begin the search for a dog. Little did we know the search would begin and end that very night. After dinner, as we approached a stop sign, I noticed a man on the corner holding a hand made sign. As I tried to make out the words, my 1st grader (who reads on about a 12th grade level) shouted from the back seat "CHRISTMAS PUPPIES!!!" She didn't bother to read the rest of the sign...the part that said "$100." Anyway, that makes no difference. We pulled around and about sixty seconds later I was holding Ruby in my hands. To make a long story short, she seems right at home in the Gray household, and she's all to eager to lick our faces in the morning. My little Sylvie is quite happy and she doesn't even mind cleaning up the accidents...well not too much anyway. So I guess we have a new family member.

It's time!

That's right. Tonight is the night for the annual Boaz Christmas parade. That can only mean one thing....HOT CHOCOLATE! Who doesn't love hot chocolate? Actually, I like warm chocolate because hot chocolate (you know, like the kind you get at football games) burns my tongue. Everyone is invited to come by the studio tonight. I'll be serving up my now famous warm chocolate while it lasts. Really I should correct myself before I go any further. I found out recently that real hot chocolate is made from actual chocolate that's been melted. Hot cocoa is made from the cocoa powder. I also found out that one of the very first versions of hot chocolate was made by the Aztecs, and it had chili peppers in it! YUCK! No wonder they called it hot chocolate! Because I can only imagine the mess I would make melting hershey bars, and slicing chili peppers, tonight I will be serving...warm cocoa with marshmallows. It's funny what you learn if you do a little research. Anyway, be sure and come by, it's a great spot for watching the parade, and the kids can catch candy like crazy...hope to see you here tonight!

Champions!

Congratulations to the Boaz Pirate Cheerleaders who finished first in state AND first in regional competition over the weekend. There could be a mouse in my future...great job girls!