The real Santa...

A friend of mine lives in Mexico. And like all of my friends, she's pretty fantastic. Sidenote: I'm excited about this so if those post is just a jumble of giggles, grins and random sentences on how much God loves on His kids, you might just have to grin and bear it.

Because there is so much distance between us, we email. Sometimes its hey, this is what i'm walking through, would you pray with me about it? Other times its just the dish on what is going on in our lives.

A few weeks ago, she asked for prayer about selling her folks' house. She had moved into an apartment, but her parents' house still needed to sell. Every week or so I'd email and ask how God had been moving with all that. I didn't know what He was doing but I knew He was doing something cuz when I asked Him about if the house was going to get sold, He would just send me a peace about it. So I'd bug her to see what all He was doing.

The emails passed between us were not the fret and worried kind. Just mindful that He might say yes to selling the house or He might say no. Both of us knowing that any No of His was done out of love and care, not to spite us. He'd provide whatever the outcome. Weeks go by.

I sent her an email with a few birthday pictures yesterday. And then this morning, when I check my email, there's one from her. And lo and behold, a Texan went and bought her parents' house! I'm excited for her, for her parents, and I love love love love love that He loved on them like that.

More Party Pictures

Christmas in July...

My roomies threw me a birthday party this year. One of them had been asking for months about a party, but I just really wasn't in the mood. I'm not the biggest fan of being the center of attention (and yet I write in this blog. hmm....), but saturday night they came up with this party idea and just started glowing about it. I didn't have the heart to say no.

It was a Christmas in July theme. I was Santa. My guests were the "kids". The kids brought Santa presents and wore pjs. We actually had a few little ones present who were absolute darlings in their little pjs... As for me, I wore a red dress, that along with a santa hat, made me look like a preggars Mrs. Clause....

The decorations were awesome. From snowmen in the front yard, to the christmas tree decked out in texas ornaments, to the fake fire, hanging stockings, and blue twinkle lights on the fireplace. Each place you looked there was something christmasy that made me smile.

A veggietales christmas was playing on the tv, there was a christmas cd playing carols in the backgroud, my cake was a TEXAS BOOT!!! Carla made it! Yellow cake with chocolate frosting, my favorite. Veggie trays, queso, guacamole, it was so good! I was pleasantly surprised to see that people ate my cookies.

The activity we did were pictures with Santa. And everyone did one! I think since we'd gone all out, there wasn't one stick-in-the-mud in the room! Although every picture I took with someone on my lap, I heard, I don't want to break you! You aren't going to break me...

All in all it was a very memorable time. I took a ton of photos. I'll try and post them on here soon. I know I'm loved and it was very fun to laugh and be silly with some of those loved ones tonight.

Christmas Day Good Samaritan?

I did something I've never done before in an airport. I grabbed a man's leg. This might not seem like much but I don't do stuff like that. I'm ok with handshakes, highfives, and a 3 second hug since I trust you. (I truly am the worst first date.) Making a huge, completely unfounded assumption I'll be someone's beloved, I have little physical contact with men. This body is a temple that belongs to Him, me and maybe a man on this planet. Hopefully he'll appreciate my attempts to honor him before we've met. In the meantime, even if he never shows, I'm on a tight leash. Alright, enough "this is how I'm wired."

So I'm on my way back home to Baton Rouge from the holiday. I'm in Houston and there is a man snoring on one of the seats close to me. I'm looking at him, wondering where he's been, where he's going, if he had a good Christmas, why he's traveling alone, if he has someone to hug when he gets to where he's going, if he loves Jesus. (I'm a complete people watcher and I'll throw a little magic into everything...) He had a fast food drink under his seat. He's been there long enough to get food, or at least get a drink, and he'd been there a while because all the condensation had run off of it. The plane arrives, deboards, and then they announce our departure. I figure someone will wake him up. I had already decided if no one wakes him up, I'm going to. He shouldn't miss his plane because he's tired.

A ton of people walk right past him! I couldn't believe it! They look at him as they walk right on by! But its the look of looking through someone. I hate that look. They see him but don't SEE him. It reminded me of the Good Samaritan bible story. So now I'm the one walking past him. Do I wake him up? Do I let him sleep? Come on God, what am I supposed to do?! Well, He doesn't say one word, so I go on gumption. I shudder at the thought of having to touch him, but I won't pass by and not try to help him. I figure if this isn't his plane, he'll just go back to sleep...

I start tugging on his shoe. He's still sleeping. Dang! I tug a little harder. Nope. Grrr. Wake up, Stubborn! I ask the lady one seat over if she knew where he was going. Nope, she didn't know. So I grab his leg an inch above his knee, turn a ridiculous shade of purple because I'm grabbing some stranger's leg and start shaking. He's still asleep! Sigh. This man needs to wake up before I give up. The nanosecond before I decide I'm going to give up, he opens his eyes. I was thrilled cuz I could stop touching him. I smiled at his left ear and said, we're leaving for Baton Rouge. He kind of shakes his head a little to wake himself up some more and I went and stood in line to board. I don't know if he even got on the plane, but that didn't really matter much to me. I didn't pass him by and I think He was smiling at me...

Miller Christmas Tradition

Us Millers have a tradition when it comes to our Christmas tree. My dad, one of the smartest men I've ever met, makes a little Christmas magic for his girls...

Our tree always had bits of paper on it. Usually you have to spot them cuz they are hidden among the branches. Some of them would have an A or and L. They were clues. My dad would hide our Christmas presents all over the house. We would go back and forth through the house till we figured out the clues and finally got our gift. The best thing about it was that the gifts were usually staring us in the face and we never realized it. (I remember one time a necklace hanging from one of the weights of a grandfather clock. I ran every single fingertip in all the nooks and crannies over that clock then realized it was right in front of my face the whole time!)

It was fun for all involved because we'd do it one at a time. Leanne would go, then me. We'd all giggle as we'd figure the clues out or we'd run back to Dad because one of them was too hard for us to get and he needed to help us a little more.

Its definitely something I hope to pass on to my wee ones... I plan on being the one watching my children run around the house then come back to me to show me how creative Dad had been with his Christmas treasure hunt for them...

My First Texas Tree!!!!

Behold....
The pictures definitely don't do it justice, but I've got my first Texas tree this year!



Years ago, when my sister was 18 and moved to Florida, my mom and I searched the hills high and low for any Texas ornaments we could find for her tree in Florida. We went to every store we could find to make sure that tree was an accurate representation of the state she was from...



There are some things I don't really think much about until I have a family of my own. I don't decorate my living spaces too much. I don't pick paint swatches or buy antiques for my future home. Although I do have to admit I did buy a white sleigh bed for my daughter to use one day. Right now it works quite nicely as my bed, but I've got plans for a little curly haired tot to use it one day...

But this year, I was missing my family ferociously so I called and asked if she could send me a few ornaments. When I got home yesterday there was a huge box waiting for me...

It was a box chock full of Texas ornaments. Big ones, little ones, Santa's riding chili peppers, garland of rope and horseshoes, cowboys, cowboys riding bulls and much more.



My roomie had fun giggling at me because I had so much fun tearing open that box and looking at each and every ornament. I'm not the real excitable type about stuff but she definitely noticed the sparkle in my eye and the spring in my step as my ornaments went from that box to our Christmas tree.


And yeah, those are boots that I put at the bottom. They might be too much, but I still giggle every time I look at my wondrous, remind me of my roots, Texas Christmas tree...

That Miller Girl...

I miss my family tonight. No wailing and gnashing of teeth, I just plain ol' miss them. This picture sits on my grandfathers' desk as I type this. Its of my sister. She is 9 months old in this photograph. This picture is one of the reasons I'll have more than one child, God willing He blesses me with them. You see, she's my best friend. And we had the most wonderful adventures when we were little...

I was my sister's childhood hero. Or heroine if you will. If you ever have the pleasure of meeting the most charming, intelligent, beautiful Miller girl, she'll tell you she thinks I'm one of the grandest things God put on the face of this earth. Which is fine because I think the same of her as well.

We don't see each other much anymore. Usually once every six months. Life just takes you in different directions. But when we're together, the sun is brighter, the sky is bluer, and we can both talk each others' ears off. My sister likes to tell stories of when I saved her, protected her, etc. I frankly think they get more grand as time goes by, so I'll give you my version of a few of the stories and you can talk to her if you want to hear her side of it.

Legs was eighteen hands high. And for a 9 year old (leanne) and a 10 year old (me), that's pretty tall for a horse. He was generally good-natured, not like the very proud showhorse Spike that we had as well. Legs and Spike were corralled in, but for the most part just roamed around our ten acre vineyard. We had some type of fence, whether barbed or electric to keep everything both in and out.

One day, Leanne and I were on Legs. I was in the back of the saddle, Leanne was in the front. Leanne was happy in the front and I like making her happy, so in the front she sat. Legs was meandering around towards the main road and just kind of walking along. Stress free, happy as a lark. We're giggling about something, as little girls tend to do, and all of the sudden Legs bolts straight for the fence.

I'm still not sure to this day what made that danged ol' horse spook, but he could get up and go, and with his long stride, hence his name, he was making extremely fast progress towards that fence. He was going to try and jump that fence with both of us on him which would more than likely throw both of us. Or he was going to balk at the fence, throw both of us, either over the fence or onto it. Neither of these options is a pleasant thing for two little girls.

As Legs is booking it towards that fence, Leanne understandably gets scared and drops the reins. Not the best idea, but really, can you fault her? All I can remember is thinking no way is this horse going to have the straight up gall to scare my sister much less throw her off him. So I reach around so I'm holding Leanne but trying to grab the reins as well. I get a hold of them and tug and tug and tug. He's got to stop or we are going over that fence. Now, I've never weighed a lot and weighed even less at age 10. And to this day I'm pretty sure Someone Else was helping with that horseflesh cuz sure enough Legs skidded to a stop about four inches from that fence. Leanne calls it my Charlton Heston move.

I get off and walk Legs back up to the house. Keeping Leanne on him for a little while so she's not completely terrified of him because of this experience. Then she gets off him, and we walk hand in hand back up to the house. My other hand was firmly holding Leg's reins.

He might be a bottle of Elmer's by now...