Goodbye Summer

Mom and Dad came to visit and to celebrate my birthday. We went to a dinner and movie..two of my favorite things!

Our good friends, the Bennetts came up for a day.. and the menfolk did what some crazy menfolk do. They shot guns and went scouting for wildlife. 

We girls chose to stay at the house and relax.. with coffee and leftover birthday cheesecake.

Before they left, Donnie and Rhonda took time to pray for my sweet Momma... what a blessing.

I don't have many childhood memories that don't include these four adults... remember "Train up a child..." They did and we have not departed from it.

Mom and I enjoyed the warm temperatures on the deck... love her so much.

On the weekend, we headed  up to Denver for Rock the Range. Dad had to work, but we checked in periodically.

Finally.. it was back to country life. We just enjoyed every single minute together and I can't wait until they come back!

Come back soon... I miss you so much already!

Dear Mom

Dear Mom,

Not a minute goes by that I don't thank God that you are alive and celebrating another year of life. For as long as I can remember, you have been my best friend, the one that I have always been able to talk to and you always listen with an open heart. This is still true today.

Our ability to converse as we used to has faced some changes over the last year and half.. but it hasn't changed our relationship. Words may not come easy for us, but it's the touch of your hand, your understanding smile, the way that you cry with me when I cry, and the way that you look me in the eye and speak volumes when the words simply do not come. We both understand that this season that we are living in is just that.. a season. I have NO DOUBT that your speech will be restored...that your complete health will be restored. It's a promise from God and HIS word never returns void. He said in Jeremiah 30:17,that He will restore your health and heal your wounds. We know that God is able. I have heard you tell others that very thing when they were fighting a battle for their healing.  

You are such a blessing to all of us around you. There is a compassion that you have for anyone that you see hurting. I love to hear you pray, it's so powerful. But that is the way that you've always been!

I love you more than words can ever say.. you chose to be my mom and you forever changed my life. Happy Birthday Momma.. I can't wait to see what God has in store for your life this year.

To the One I Love

To my Dan...
From the moment I first met you... it was evident that you were the one that I had waited so long to find. For years and years, I prayed, cried, waited, and prayed some more.. hoping that God would bring the man that I had dreamed of, into my life.

our first date .. ignore the date on the picture

The way that we found one another was not "traditional"  (match.com, what????) and although the ones that knew and loved us weren't sure that we were doing the right thing.. we knew that God had a plan for us.

Now here we are three years later.. Circumstances and trials have not been kind to us. The enemy has tried his best (which is never good enough) to tear us apart with legal battles, financial pressure, and much time apart. When I hear the statistics for marriages, I think to myself, wow, I have a husband that has been through the storm, is going through more, and he still has a heart after God and chooses to serve him and lead our home in that direction. You are the love of my life, the one I hoped and dreamed of for so many years.. Thank you for loving me and choosing me! I will spend the rest of my years on this earth honoring and loving you with my whole heart. Happy Birthday, My Honey.. and Happy 3rd Anniversary!

I love you...

Knock Your Socks Off Good..

I recently posted a picture on my Facebook page of a fabulous pizza that I made for dinner. A couple of friends asked for my recipe, so I thought that I would share it with you! It's super easy.. it has to be easy for me because I am sometimes (ok, very often) challenged in the kitchen!

Here ya go:


1 Pizza Crust ( I prefer Boboli or Freschetta Whole Wheat)
1 16 oz. Bag of Pre-Shredded Mozzarella Cheese 
1 clove of garlic
1 jalapeno
10-15 large shrimp
olive oil
Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
Salt
Pepper


Preheat your oven to 400. Drizzle olive oil in a bowl and then finely chop your garlic and add it to your olive oil. I let it sit and allow the garlic to infuse the oil while I prepare the rest of my ingredients. I then rinse my shrimp and add them to a hot skillet. I cook them in a tiny bit of olive oil, season them with salt, pepper, and Tony Chachere's. Next, I spread the olive oil and garlic mixture onto my crust, add a layer of cheese, then the cooked shrimp and thinly sliced jalapeno. I add one more layer of mozzarella and sometimes I shave some parmigiano reggiano for some extra added flavor! Place it in your oven for around 15-25 minutes or until the cheese starts bubbly! 


You will crave this pizza regularly! It's so easy and unspeakably delicious! By the way.. I had this pizza at Bella Panini in Palmer Lake. They used crawfish and that one was DELISH, too!


Enjoy!

I Lift My Eyes

Letting go of so many things that you hold dear is very HARD.

Trusting God and holding fast to your Faith is where you learn if you're really WALKING THE WALK or just TALKING THE TALK... Especially when things seem to get worse than you could have ever imagined instead of better.

I am determined to make it through this season of our lives with a SMILE on my face and JOY  in my heart. I know that God knows the plans that He has for us and He will bring us through this journey that has seemed so hopeless and  so very, very painful.

I know that when I think that we cannot endure one more trial, one more test, one more day without seeing a change in our situation.. I have to remind myself that HE endured a death that HE did not deserve for me.

And then I am reminded that this life if fleeting, that I am called to be the LIGHT during my time on this earth. Then I take a deep breath and put my head up, and keep pressing on in my journey.

Billy Graham said, “In my travels I have found that those who keep Heaven in view remain serene and cheerful in the darkest day. If the glories of Heaven were more real to us, if we lived less for material things and more for things eternal and spiritual, we would be less easily disturbed by this present life.”

Amen and Amen

You Can Take A Girl Out Of The South.. (you know the rest)

I will rarely, if ever again, post a recipe on this blog... I'm not great in the kitchen and I don't love spending hours on end working on recipes. Crazy thing is.. I love Food Network, Paula Deen, Giada (even though Dan makes fun of her big head the whole time), Rachel Ray (Dan calls me Amy Ray, when I take time to cook), and any other type of cooking show.  But to get in there and break out the spices and fresh ingredients.. well, I am NOT your girl. The heart of the matter is I love good food, but I would just rather eat it at someone else's house or at a restaurant!

Having said all that...
My three boys told me that tonight I made a great dinner. It was super-duper easy! So I thought I'd pass it along to y'all!

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches 
You will need a crock pot, then add
4-6 Frozen Chicken Breasts
1 bottle of any BBQ Sauce
1 cup of water
Turn on HIGH and cook for 6 hours and then down to low for 2 more hours.
They were so good! We ate them on Hawaiian Bread Buns along with sweet potato fries (manna from heaven). Listen, if I can do this and get rave reviews from my younger, very somewhat picky, younger boys.. anyone can!

They Chose Me

Thirty five years ago... my parents, Junior and Juanita Castillo, made a life-changing decision. They knew a baby girl that needed a home, she needed a mom and a dad that were committed to her and all that she would need to grow into the woman that God created her to be. When they were faced with the choice of adopting, they never wavered, never thought twice.. they only saw a little girl that needed them and they changed the direction that they were going and they committed to make only choices that would bring her closer to her Heavenly Father.


Thank you, Mom and Dad,  for the many sacrifices that you made for me. You forever changed the course of my life by your obedience and willingness to give up the life that you knew to create an new life with me. Our tradition of celebrating our family anniversary means so much to me...oh, the love that I have for you both!