Wii and Mii

So where are Grandma and Grandpa? Oh that's right. They're out on the porch playing Wii bowling and golf. And what's this I hear? Becca knocked out her father in boxing???

We never had Atari, Nintendo or XBox at our house. We didn't even get cable until the kids moved out of the house. But I have to say...this Wii thing is a lot of fun. My brother Rob gave his kids WiiSports as a Christmas gift. He had the smarts to have them open it at Grandma and Grandpa's house in Florida with the family all around. Yes! It's been on every day since Christmas morning. My parents have the perfect spot for it, out on their screened-in Florida porch. We don't need a big screen TV to enjoy this game. We've played bowling, golf, tennis,baseball and boxing. Boxing is too intense for me first thing in the morning. Bob and Becca worked up a sweat and I banished them to the showers. As soon as they relinquished their controllers, Grandma and Grandpa took over. If you're not playing, you're in the audience. The difference I see from past video/DVD games, is there can be more family participation and involvement. My brothers are thinking of starting up a Tuesday night bowling league, originating from Atlanta, Savannah, and Dallas. Of course, that would mean we'd all have to get a Wii. After the fun we've all had this holiday, a Wii may be in our near future.

One negative...we are all sore from playing these multiple sports. Becca's thinking she may be getting tennis elbow! Bob's out running now to get in shape to box some more. Fanatical? Well, maybe just a little. But I'm sure that once we get home and are faced with work and house stuff, we'll forget about playing the game. You think?

Mom, Dad, Mickey & Minnie

We're spending Christmas in Florida this year, and I can't wait. Even though I was brought up a Yankee, I've learned that my body does so much better in warmer weather. Not hot weather, but nice, cool 60-70 degree weather. Love it. According to weather.com, that's what we should be expecting down there.

But besides the warmer weather, I look forward to spending time with my family. It's been a rough year for my folks. Dad had quadruple bypass surgery in February, from which he's recovered well. Mom had a knee replacement and is still bothered by the after effects. They finished off the attic space above the garage to accommodate more of the grandchildren. The space will get used as two of my brothers and their families will be there as well as Bob and I, along with Pam, John and Becca. There will be 15 of us, sleeping in every nook and cranny, but we love it. We've done this for many years. I remember a year when my youngest brother, single at the time, had to sleep on a cot in the small entry way by the front door! It works when the family gets along! And we do, as long as we're not playing Trivial Pursuit or Pictionary. Then it gets a little intense. We mainly stick to Rummikub or Dominoes. Not as competitive.

This year Bob and I decided to take the family to Disney World before heading down to my parents' house. We made this decision back in the summer, and now are very happy we have a fun distraction before the new year. Bob's prostate surgery is scheduled for January 12th. He'll be down at UTSouthwestern Medical Center for a few days. We feel very good about the procedure. We are blessed to be in a city with great medical care. But we also know that our Great Physician will be with us. We have a lot of people praying for Bob.

So we are off for the holiday. Going to see Mickey and Minnie first. Can't wait to see all the lights. Disney is magical. You can feel like a kid no matter what your age. We've got our itinerary thanks to John who has been thinking about this trip between law finals. I told him I just need to see Buzz Lightyear, Pirates and the Haunted Mansion. And of course, the Castle all lit up.

Wishing everyone a most blessed Christmas! May you feel the hope and peace that comes from knowing our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Instead of being one long journey, life seems to be made up of a series of journeys. You travel down one road, reach a fork, need to make a decision on which way to go and continue on your way. Sometimes the decision is an easy one. The choice is clear, because maybe the other way is obviously blocked and impassable. Sometimes the decision is not yours to make...it's already been made for you. Then there are times when the decision is difficult, because the choice is not clear. While standing at the crossroads, the paths that are in front of you may appear to be the same, but we really don't know where they are leading us. Here's where we step out in faith. It's easy to say we have faith when the road is clear and the journey seems to be going smoothly. But it's a whole different ballgame when the road's a little foggy and the bumps in the road are rough and jolting.

We are now traveling down a familiar road. One we journeyed about 16 years ago. We learned a lot on that road back then. It was rough and difficult at times, but we had the best traveling companion, Jesus Christ. He never left us. He stayed with us through all those visits to Children's Medical Center. He was and is The Great Physician.

We are again asking for His services. A week ago, Bob was diagnosed with prostate cancer. The good news in this is that we caught it early, and there are treatment options that could yield good results. Choosing the right treatment is the difficult decision. So we will be researching our options to help us in that decision.

We are praying that God would direct us to the right doctor. We feel blessed that we live in an area with excellent health care. Our options are great, but we need His help in making this choice. We have already seen God's hand in this situation. It's amazing.

We know the power of prayer, and we are asking our friends and family to lift Bob up in prayer. Christ knows our needs, but prayer is a form of worship, and we are here to glorify Him.

So our prayer is that while we are on this journey, though rough it may be at times, may we always remember that Christ is our traveling companion, actually going before us and guiding us along the path. May He be glorified in whatever situation we may find ourselves.

He will never leave us nor forsake us. Blessed be His name.