Family Pictures

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving full of family and eating.
All of Anthony's family was in town except for Belinda, who we miss but get to go see in two weeks!
All of the Mackley family was there for Thanksgiving dinner except for Greg & Jules and kiddos, and of course Colby.
We missed them all.
It seems like it is so hard for all of us to get together anymore, and with out Colby it really feels weird when someone else is missing too.
I am so grateful for family.
I have the greatest family and in-laws.
There really is nothing that could come between us.
The Mackley family finally got together, minus a few of Jana and Dondi's kids, for an updated family picture.
Besides for weddings, it's been 6 years since we've done one.
That means that two of my kids weren't in it!
Anyway, here are a few of them...

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving too!

A Season of Thaksgiving.

For family night we had a lesson on thanksgiving and I had the kids look around the room at everything pink.

{we were at Anthony's mom's house}

Then I had them close there eyes and try to remember everything that was blue.

Of course they couldn't do it and I told them that it was because they had focused on everything that was pink instead of all the other wonderful colors that were around them.

This is how life is.

When we focus on all of the things that are bad, or sad, or going wrong in our lives, we forget to see the good.

We truly are SO blessed and need to do better at remembering that.

goodbye for now.

{thanks kate and cindy. you've inspired me}

If my computer is on the humm of it seems to draw me to it.
Is this bad? Yes.
Is it one of Satans tricks to waste our time? Yes.
I keep thinking...
but if I don't, I won't know what everyone is up to...
or,
No one will know what I am up to.
This is what I say:
who cares.
The important people will pick up the phone and call me if they want to know what is going on in my life.
And I will do the same.
I don't need a minute by minute update.
That ruins the fun of running into someone, you haven't seen in a while, at the grocery store. You used to be able to chat and say, hey, what you been up to.
But now, you already know.
So what's there to say?
I am giving a challenge to all you facebookers, bloggers, tweeters, my spacers..
give it a rest.
It will be refreshing and wonderful how much more time you have to be with family and friends...
or just having more time to relax.
or maybe do a little house work.
The possibilities are endless!

a happy sad day.

One of my very best friends is getting married today,

and I couldn't be happier for her but at the same time I am so sad.

I wish I could be there with her.

I hate that we live so far away from each other.

She's like a sister to me.

A sister I chose.

I love you Ape.

I hope your day is beautiful.

~ Chelsey

Rain is falling all around...

on the rooftops on the ground.

Rain is falling on my nose,

On my shoulders, hands, and toes.

I love the rain today.

It is like the heavens are washing away all the crap from the earth.

All my windows are open and we are breathing that wet desert air that I missed so much.

I love it.

Last night Anthony and I were watching TV and it was snowing on what ever it was that we were watching...

he looked at me and said,

"I'm really going to miss the snow."

But you know what?

I'm not!

I'm so glad I live in this beautiful desert.

Even in the middle of the summer...

living away from here made me realize the beauty of this place.

I love living by family,

I love the red mountains,

I love that my kids have cousins to play with.

(even though they could still use a few friends in the neighborhood... but that's mine and Anthony's fault cause we're never home.)

And I love that my husband loves it here to.

That's definitely happy.