Celebrating Mom Perry's 60th birthday / Cruise to Mexico

Trey and my Mom enjoying one another

Trey and Grandpa

My mom decided back in September that she would come visit us in November. I knew that her visit would fall on her birthday, so I wanted to do something special. My siblings, my dad, and my Grammy all decided to chip in to buy her a cruise for a combined birthday and early Christmas gift. We also decided to include my dad's early birthday and Christmas as well. My mom came out on November 5, but she had no idea about the cruise or my dad's surprise visit as well. We had fun while she was here. It was fun to be together, and she is always a help around the house. Trey loved having her around. She taught him how to wave "bye bye" when she was here. We spent Saturday November 8 at a craft boutique where I had a necklace made for myself - I told David that he could give me this for my Christmas gift. It is something I have always wanted.

The front

The back - our anniversary and Trey's birthday

On Sunday night (Nov. 9), David went to the airport to get my dad. One of the things David does here on occasion is pick up missionaries from the airport. He told us he was going to pick up a missionary, and I played along. Mom wanted to go to bed, but I talked her into staying up with me until David got home. I loved her reaction when my Dad walked in the door. She was surprised and thrilled that he was here. I know Dad was excited to be here too to be able to celebrate Mom's birthday with her. We told her that the next day we were going on a trip, but we didn't tell her where we were going. She thought we might be going to the Price is Right (something she has always wanted to do).

We left early Monday morning for Long Beach, CA, where our Carnival cruise ship awaited us. We had an incredibly yummy breakfast at Mimi's Cafe on the way out of Phoenix. All the way there, Mom still had no idea where we were going. As we were nearing the cruise ship terminal, I had her open a card explaining that we were giving her a 4 night Baja Mexico cruise for her birthday and Christmas, and she started to cry. She said she was so overwhelmed by this gift, and that is was too much for us to do.

Boarding the Carnival Paradise

My parents had never been on a cruise before. In fact, they have never done much travelling for themselves. All the travelling they ever do is to see family or to attend a church conference. It was such a blessing to honor them in this way and to give them something that they would probably never give themselves.

Formal dinner night

Guess where this picture was taken??? :-)

Our rooms on the Carnival Paradise were side by side. We did a lot of things together, but we also did our own thing as well. It was great to be able to put Trey to bed, and then leave the monitor with Mom or Dad while David and I went to do something else on the ship. We enjoyed our meals together - of course we all ate way TOO much. Trey did amazingly well on the cruise - he slept and ate well. He is a pretty versatile little guy, and we are thankful that he adapts well to new situations.
Dad looking at the boats in Catalina Island, CA
Asleep at dinner one night

Our head waiter, Viktor, adored Trey

Our cruise went to Catalina Island, California and Ensenada, Mexico. Our cruise ended on Friday the 14th and Mom and Dad left early on the 15th. It was so fun to make so many wonderful memories with them.Grandma and Trey looking at the other boats in Long Beach, CA

New plans

I realized that I didn't blog about changes we have going on in our family. First of all, we cancelled our contract on the house we were going to buy. We were all excited about it back in September, and we had a "Go" from the bank with an incredible interest rate. But a few weeks ago, I started feeling uneasy about buying right now. I wasn't sure where that was coming from, but I came home from work and told David how I was feeling. He told me he was feeling the same way. It was such a clear confirmation from God. So we decided that we would stay put where we are and continue to serve God at UIM until He directs us elsewhere. We are also able to save money every month because we have no cost of living expenses except our utilities. We have both had complete peace about this decision. We have also had this decision confirmed by our parents and also several close friends whom we respect. Our hearts are encouraged to know that God is intimately involved in our lives. I personally found such reassurrance that God directed both of our hearts separately and then brought us together to make the decision.

I also was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I have really been battling weight issues for a few years now (since 2005), and I was really troubled by the fact that I can't seem to take the weight off and I just don't feel good. I am now on some medication to get my thyroid functioning again, and I feel almost like my head is coming out of a fog. My doctor thinks that if I don't have hypothyroidism then I definitely have adrenal fatigue - she said that is probably started back in 2005 when I had some super stressful situations that occurred. Then in 2006, I got engaged, moved to TN, started a new job, had to try to make new friends, planned a wedding away from home and family, started attending a new church, and got married all within a 6 month period of time. She said that all that combined probably led to this. I am encouraged to have some answers because I felt like I was falling apart on the inside. I felt like it affected how I viewed David and even motherhood as well as everything else. I still don't feel 100% but I think I am on my way. I am so thankful for a loving, caring husband who has stood by me and loved me when I didn't deserve to be loved. I am also thankful for friends and family who have loved me - you know who you are and I am so grateful for you.