All About Alabama..things you wanted to know, and maybe some things you didn't!

Hello friends & family!!
I am home from my week-long visit to Alabama. It wasn't long enough, I could have easily stayed another week, I already miss everyone SO much.

First off, I'm not going to give a play by play, you'd be sitting here reading 'til the early morning hours.
I'm going to start with seeing my sister & her family. My sister, Michele, is the only person in this world I've ever been able to totally trust for my entire 30 years. Never, ever gave up hope for anything, and always wanted the best for me. I feel so like myself when I am with my sister. She has always been my rock, and there when I've needed her, through thick and thin.
I love her more than she will ever know, and I am happy to add that Michele & I have a sister bond like no other. It's one that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
The kids are awesome. I didn't get to see my oldest nephew, Josh, because he is stationed elsewhere, but I got to see my niece Moriah, who is 17, (everyone calls her Mo) and my youngest nephew Caleb, who is 14.
Wayne is Michele's husband. He is a hoot. He talks more than most women I know, which isn't a bad thing, it just makes it SUPER easy to break the ice! He is perfect for her in every way. She deserves a man that treats her like the princess she is!

We rode horses in the Cheaha (pronounced Chee-ha) Mountains, which is gorgeous!! I enjoyed the entire 3 hour ride on Pep, my sister's cherished horse! We went through lots of forest, saw a rock wall, some old gravesites, crossed some magnificent mountain creeks, and just enjoyed the quiet in the mountains, being with nature & God.

And, the moment you've all been waiting for......I saw my birth mom again after 12 years. Up until a few months ago, I swore I'd never see/talk to her again. But if you've been following my blogs the past few months (and I know you have) you will know what brought me to the point where I booked a flight to Alabama, for the main reason to see her again.
Her name is Catherine, Cathie for short. She has 3 children, Michele is 37, Danny is 35, and I am 30. She was left a widow at the age of 27 with 3 kids to take care of. My Dad died in a drowning accident in the Missouri River in 1981, one month after I turned 2.

My sister picked me up from the airport on Monday, Aug. 10, and we drove to my Mom's house for lunch. Getting out of the truck and walking into her house and seeing her in person for the first time in 12 years was SO surreal. I should have pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. It was really nice to see her again, and hear about her life.
I stayed with her for 3 nights. We hung out, relaxed, and just were together.
Michele & Mo came over one night and we saw the movie Julie & Julia, and it was a hoot, but what was more fun was all of us having fun, girl time together. Just acting silly & not caring what anyone thinks of us!
We also got pedicures. The first of which for Mo & my mom. They BOTH enjoyed theirs so much, but I have to say that Mo was about to cave in, her feet were so ticklish, but lucky for her, I do have a video of that.

My sister & I hashed out a lot with our mom towards the end of the week. We said what needed to be said, and listened in return. I can only pray that as I put the past behind me, I look onto a new day & a new chapter in my book, for a relationship with a mother who is joyful over the reunification and from a daughter who can't get enough of her.

I must say a huge thank you to my friends & family for your huge support & encouragement. Knowing that y'all are behind me and supporting me makes it easier to cope with things and to know that everyone is cheering me on. THANK YOU!!

A thank you to my sister Michele, who like I said above, is the best sister I could ever ask for. I love you soooo much!!! Also, a shout out to Wayne, who will likely never read this, but thank you for putting up with my mouth, being hospitable, and giving up your bed for me, so my sister & I could have a 2-night slumber party! You rock Wayne!

And last, a thank you to my mom, Cathie. Thank you for being honest, for allowing me to put you on the spot, and for listening to me all week. Thank you for speaking from your heart, for wanting to see me, and for loving me. I love you, and every day is a new day, a chance for a new beginning, no matter what has happened. The past is the past, and the future is the best present of all. Love, your daughter, Mindy.


I hope y'all have enjoyed my saga the last few months, and seeing what God has done & changed in my life is nothing short of a miracle. I owe this entire experience and healing to Him. To God be the glory, forever & ever!!


Mindy

I figured it would be easier to share a link to the pics from my trip, rather than messing with uploaded a whole bunch to my blogspot. Of course, if you read this via Facebook, then just click on my album titled http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=136378&id=553119051&l=703efb14aa

If you'd rather access my pics through Snapfish, here is the link for that:
http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=1224709015/a=7515133_7515133/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Abby is a Wannabe

I am posting this here so my facebook-less Aunt Teresa can see the video! Love ya Aunt T!

Moving on....or at least trying

This blog comes to you from a long road of pain & heartche affecting my childhood.
You know, back a few months ago, I forgave the one person in my past who hurt me the most.
I am not going into detail, but if you know me really well, then you know exactly who & what I am talking about.
See, I have made the choice to forgive (read back through my earlier blogs titled "Forgiveness").
That does not mean it was instant, but I do believe God is healing me through each & every step of the way. Healing my heart and my mind from the things that occured.
But, then, every once in a while, Satan gets his 2 cents in, when someone says to me " I don't see how you can forgive this person" "Why are you talking to this person" "All this person did was screw up your life, think how different things could be"
Believe me, I do think of how different things would be if certain events had not happened when or how they did, BUT I cannot and WILL NOT dwell on that.
I am sorry that others cannot forgive this person for what they did, BUT seeing as how I am the victim and I am able to forgive her says volumes about how God can work in your life, if you just let Him.
I've said it once, and I'll say it again: I chose to forgive, and now I am handing the rest over to God, and I'm NOT taking it back!!!!

If you are struggling with forgiving someone in your life, remember that forgiveness is for YOU not the offender. In time, and if God allows, you can start to heal.

Turning 30

Hello Friends!
I write to you now as an older, more mature & sophisticated 30-year old.................NOT!!
It sounded good though right, that I should instantly be sophisticated because I'm 30!
Sunday was my 30th birthday (June 28) and I just have to say, that I feel no different, but I did have some trouble that day.
Before I get into that, I'd like to talk about my celebrations! The night before, my husband & kids took me out for dinner, and then Garrett wanted to pick me out a cake from the grocery store. So, as we are leaving the restaurant he says "Mom, I am going to get you a tractor cake like I had for my birthday! And you will like it & be grateful!"
I was almost rolling in the floor....where did he hear that? Oh yeah, from me! I am forever getting onto him for not being grateful about gifts he's given.
So, he picked me out a lime green & hot pink (does my kid know me or what!!) cake with sprinkles! He also picked me out a plant of red, white, & blue Mums!
The next day we went to Amarillo for some yummy food from Abuelos. If you live near an Abuelos Mexican restaurant and have never been, you are missing out. That is some fantastic dining! And thank goodness they don't sing & make a big hoopla about birthdays anymore!
I think the last time I was ever in a restaurant and I had to stand up & be sung to was my 21st birthday at On the Border. I had already had too many margaritas and they made me stand in a booth and wear the biggest sombrero I've ever seen in my life!
Afterwards, we left for my parents house and I was welcomed by a SURPRISE little party at their house. It was so sweet. My sister, Stacey, had done all the decorating and getting the cake, and I had no idea about it, heck, Brent didn't even know!
My kids sang Happy Birthday (which was the sweetest thing a Mommy could ever ask for on her birthday, is hearing her kids sing that song with such gusto & look SO proud when Mommy could blow out her own candles)!
I have a great family and some wonderful friends!!
Oh yeah, you wanted to hear what was so terrible about my birthday, right? Well, besides that fact that my husband bought me a Dyson vacuum cleaner (totally kidding, I LOVE IT) I was feeling quite like a failure. Why?
I hadn't lost all the weight I wanted to yet and I felt as though I was a failure, because there were certain things I'd set for myself that I'd have done by the time I was 30. Well, my husband, bless his heart, said "Hun, who cares? I mean, you have God, me, 2 wonderful kids, and so much family you don't know what to do with all of them, what else do you need?" And I realized, he is so right. To me, that's like having it all!!
So, yeah, I'm 3o now, and loving it! No where near sophisticated, but I never will be, that's just not my style!

Goin' to Alabama!!

Alright! I'm going to Alabama in August! Normally I do not take trips by myself, let alone on an airplane, but circumstances this year have made it possible for me to do just that, and to want to!

My big sister, Michele, lives in Alabama with her family and all her animals! I recently saw her for the first time in 7 years back in April, when we both went to Nebraska! But, I've never met her husband, and haven't seen my niece or nephews since 2002! So, I'm super-excited to see the kids, however, the last time I saw my niece, Moriah (aka Mo) I was the age she is now (17, well barely 18, anyway.....) and that makes me feel old, not to mention I will be 30 years old this month (stayed tuned for another blog about that)

I am also going to see my real Mom again. It has been 12 years since I last saw her, and I'm excited & nervous all at the same time. In fact, I think I more nervous about this trip, than the one to Nebraska! I recently started talking with her again, and its been a welcomed relationship.
God really worked hard on me, showing me things I'd never seen before, and opening a door for me to step away from past, and into the present & future with not only her, but a lot of people in my family! How blessed I am!!!

So, I'm flying out on August 10 and coming back on August 15.....I'm really nervous, but then again, I can hardly wait for the next 2 months to fly by so I can go!

Meanwhile, I'm going to enjoy our jam-packed summer fun....the lake, pool, birthdays, parades, vacation, friends, snowcones, popsicles, homemade ice cream, and playing in the sprinkler....all with my kids; heck, we might even venture to the waterpark this summer!

It's Weiner-Dog Time

As most of you already know, my miniature dachshund, SallyMae, was expecting puppies around Memorial Day.
She is a young mother. With the help of the other weiners in the household, they dug a hole under the fence in the backyard, and she slipped under, and I found her about 2 blocks down, tied to another weiner dog, and I didn't have any idea who he belonged to. So, she became a young mother, and it wasn't planned! lol

We planned to breed her once, and spay her. Well, our plans, weren't her plans.
She had her litter of 3 healthy weiner dog puppies last Wednesday, May 27. Two males and one female, and everyone is growing like they are supposed to.
So, as soon as we can, she'll be getting spayed. There is no way I can put my small dog through birth again. The first 2 puppies, both males, came out the right way, but our last puppy, a female, was breech. Came out legs first, and so I had to assist in the birth of that puppy. She wasn't breathing when she finally got out of the birth canal, but rubbing her vigorously with a towel helped stimulate her breathing. They are almost a week old now, and SallyMae has been the best little Mama, better than I expected. She is very protective over her babies when strangers come around, but she is pretty lax when the other dogs sniff them out and when the kids want to see her "baby puppies"

Garrett thinks we are keeping all of them, but he's already been told that we won't keep one. We already have 3 dogs, and that's enough weiners! He did name them for the time being, Conner, Tobey, & Butterfly!
I'm just glad the puppies are finally here, and now we can wait for the weeks when they start to walk around and chew on stuff! The end of July will be here before we know it, and they can go to their new homes!


Without further ado, we proudly introduce SallyMae and the litter of 3 weiners!

Forgiveness

What does it mean to forgive?

Well, according to Dictionary.com this is the definition of forgive



for-give 
1.
to grant pardon for or remission of (an offense, debt, etc.); absolve.
2.
to give up all claim on account of; remit (a debt, obligation, etc.).
3.
to grant pardon to (a person).
4.
to cease to feel resentment against: to forgive one's enemies.
5.
to cancel an indebtedness or liability of: to forgive the interest owed on a loan. :



It seems pretty self-explanatory, but in reality, its easier to say you forgive, than actually going through the process of forgiveness. A person cannot say they forgive another, without first going through a process of forgiveness.



I know that, because I have said it "I forgive you" when, really, I was still holding onto anger & resentment, and never meant a word I said about forgiveness. Little did I know, you actually had to go through this process of forgiveness, which I'll outline below.





My Process of Forgiveness:



Ok, this process may not be the same for everyone, but this is what God guided me to do, and I know that by my faith & trust in Him that this is what He wants for me.



First, I had to deal with my anger towards this situation. I wanted SO badly to just be angry and let everyone know how this affected me. How horrible my past was, and how I wish things could have been different, and what things would have been like if they had been different.

Anger, resentment, bitterness.....I was all those and I just didn't see a way past it. Ever. I even got to the point where I questioned the existence of a God who loves, because of my past. How could he allow me to endure what I did?



Next, I finally talked to someone. Not a therapist, Not a shrink, but my friend. A very good, faithful, God-fearing woman, who I believe was put in my life for a lot of reasons, and this being one of them. I told my friend things that I'd never told anyone about my past.

She is the kind of friend that when she says "I'll pray for you" she means it. Talking about it helped me start my process of healing, although I didn't realize it, God knew exactly what He was doing with me.



I could feel that I was being prayed for, not just by my friend, but other people were praying for me, and I could tell. I'd wake up in the morning, feeling better & refreshed and less angry each day. I could also tell that God was working in me. I went from being angry & bitter towards God and my offender, to understanding. I felt my heart begin to change as God reminded me that He was always there with me, even through my darkest hour, He was there. He didn't make the bad things happen to me, He protected me from the bad things. (Deut. 31:6- Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.")



I could feel God changing my heart toward my offender. I now was realizing that I am a victim no more, I am a Survivor. I began to talk to this person a little more each day, and I felt myself asking God if it was ok. God was telling me to lay it all down, and He would take care of the rest. (Prov. 3:5 - Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding) So, I gave it to God, and I'm NOT taking it back.



God not only allowed me to tell this person how I'd been feeling, He also showed me some things about this person. He opened my eyes to how the situation affected and tore this person apart.

I started seeing things in another's perspective.....God's. And it was amazing the amount of compassion you can feel for a person when you look at it through God's eyes. (Eph. 4:32 - Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.)

And I began to realize just what God did for me when He gave His only son to die for MY sins. Forgiving me of sins that I didn't deserve, except by the grace of God.
Who was I to deny forgiveness to one of God's children? (Matt. 6:14,15 - For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.)

I know also that I could not heal from my past without forgiveness. I cannot move on and be used in the kingdom of God, if I'm still looking back at my past. Everything that I held onto in the past, is holding me back from the present and the future.

Forgiving also led me to love this person again. 1 John 4:7 (Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.)
I also realized that I cannot hate a person and love others or Christ. I can't speak bad about someone with the same mouth that I worship God with. Which brings me to this verse Prov. 10:12 (Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.” )
I chose to still love this person, even after all that I was put through, because of my ability to finally forgive, and because of my love for God. I also chose to love this person because in my heart, I always have, and I desire to love her.

Now, I am working on a relationship with this person. We used to have a relationship a long time ago, and God has presented us with another opportunity to know one another. 1 Peter 1:22 (Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.)

I obeyed God by trusting him to forgive this person and to be in contact with this person again. I know that the love I feel for this person is a real love, because its from God, so I'm not afraid.
Psalm 18:12 (The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold)

I will never truly understand the way my life was, is, or will be, but I do know this;
that I have been dealing with my past, I have forgiven, I love , and I'm on a path to reconciliation.

I'd like to end with this verse:

Phil. 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"

Thank you Lord for giving me the strength and courage to confront my past and to move on with a future in love! Amen

My Special Mother

At Mother's Day Out, for Mother's Day, the kids had a fill in the blank questionnaire about their Mommies. I wanted to share Garrett's answers. It's pretty funny! Garrett's answer will be a different color & my comments will be black & bold.


My Special Mother

My mother is the most wonderful mom in the world!
She's as pretty as a flower and she's a very good cook.
Her specialty dish is Honey Waffles. (I guess it takes a lot of talent
to pop one in the toaster oven, LOL)

She weighs 4 lbs (thank you son, lol) and she's 29 years old. Her
favorite color is pink. Her favorite food is pancakes. (hmm, not so much, I think that's HIS
favorite food)
Her favorite animal is my dog.

She likes to go for a walk when she has time and she
is crazy about me hiding.

In the good old days, when Mom was little, she liked to
pick out toys. I think Mom looks funny when she
puts on her princess costume
(for real, I have no idea where this came from unless he thinks those pics of me in my wedding dress is when I had a princess costume!)
I know she's really mad when
she yells at me.

I wish Mom would go to the store with me everyday.
I wouldn't trade my mom for anything, not even a monster truck!
(the monster truck thing had me rolling in the floor. I must be pretty special, he adores Monster Trucks)

All About My Trip

Hey Y'all! So, its been almost 2 weeks since my trip Omaha to visit my family. This is going to be a loooooooong blog, so if you don't have time to read now, maybe you should come back later!! And don't forget to leave me comments, I love comments! :)

On April 23, I arrived in Omaha and was enthusiastically greeted by my Aunt Teresa, Aunt Judy, and my sister Michele (who had arrived just 30 minutes before I did). I was so so happy to meet my aunts (that's just two of them, there are more) and my big sister, Michele. I hadn't seen Michele since she sang in my wedding back in 2002. Hugging her neck was SO surreal. I love my sister so much, I don't think she will ever know how much I love her!

Aunt Teresa made this fantabulous sign for us at the airport. She is a hoot, but a girl after my own heart! I mean, if you can't be goofy with your family, who can you be goofy with?!?

After our awesome chauffer (aka Uncle Stan, Teresa's hubby) delivered us to the house from the airport, we freshened up for a bit before heading out to get manis & pedis. How wonderful that was to be pampered for an hour and come out looking & feeling beautiful!!

We went back to the house to wait for our brother, Danny, to come! He showed up and it was surreal for me again, to finally see my brother after 18 long years. I missed him so much, and I'm so happy that he took the time to see his crazy sisters!

We, of course, stayed up late that night, talking and getting to know our family! I finally met my cousin Jennifer, who is about 5 months younger than me. Apparently there are pictures of us as babies together, though they haven't been found yet. I have been talking with Jen via facebook for a good year now, I felt like I already knew her when I saw her. We are alike in a lot of ways, and I love her to death!

I cannot express how nice it was to sleep in though the next day! What a feeling! I almost forgot what that was like.

On Friday we hung out some more and spent some time remembering moments of those that passed. I won't get into that, because its very personal for me, and something that I feel should be kept sacred and not open to the public, like in a blog.

Friday evening we had a lot of family come over to see us. None of my aunts/uncles had seen me since I was about 2 years old. That's a long time and I'd obviously grown up & changed a lot!

I met my cousins Ashlee & Sara (who are my Aunt Judy's daughters) They are so sweet & beautiful!!

And just a few more pics of more family from that night! We all just hung out & talked and maybe sang a little karaoke!!

They made me sing with Michele. She is a really good singer, and I'm really not! But I still obliged! We sang the song she sang at my wedding "Because You Love Me" by JoDee Messina.

Gettin' down with karoke...it's a Family Affair!

My goofy Aunt Marcia (aka Aunt Mousey) and Bill

My aunts, Judy, Mary Jo, Teresa, Kissy, & Mousey, me, Michele, and cousin Jen!

On Saturday morning, we slept in and lounged around and I got to talk to my Aunt Debbie from Maryland on Skype (which btw I need to get hooked up to) We, then headed down to Panera Bread for a late breakfast! Teresa & Stan were the perfect hosts, and made us feel so comfortable and loved!! And their son Jacob is such a great kid! He put up with us all weekend, and was very polite, but he can play a mean game of poker!

On Saturday afternoon, my brother came back for a visit, and this time he brought his girlfriend, Angie, and her sweet daughter Justine! I'm so happy for my brother that he has someone who is completely awesome to him, and who loves him a lot!! She is definitely a keeper!

That evening we had yet, another family party, complete with karoke & Texas Hold 'Em!

We did not plan these outfits, we have just have great minds that think alike!!

Me & my cousin Teresa!!

Us @ Karaoke night. Judy, Michele, me, & Jen

Us with Aunt Mary Jo & her hubby

Us with my Dad's twin Uncle Ronnie!

Me singing Faith Hill...I think it was the only time at karaoke night that I didn't have my mouth

wide open!

Before Karaoke night.

Aunt Teresa, Michele, Uncle Steve, Aunt Judy, me, Jen

I met lots of others too, that for some reason or another didn't get pics with. I met Aunt Linda & Jim, Uncle Johnny and his daughter Missy, Uncle Mike, his wife & kids. And there are still a few people that I didn't even get to meet!

I had a fabulous time connecting & re-connecting, and its a trip that I will certainly treasure forever. I'm so happy to have had the opportunity to see them all again, and to see where I came from. I love each and everyone in my family, from the sweet & quiet ones to the absolutely insane, crazy ones!

Countdown...5 weeks 1 day

Yes! I'm finally blogging again! February was an interesting month with my shoulder & neck pain, I could barely sit at the computer, let alone type!
Anyway, I have a countdown, T-minus 5 weeks, 1 day until my trip to Omaha.

I know the question on everyone's mind..."Why are you going to Omaha?"

And here is the answer, put more simply, but its way more complicated than one might think!
I am visiting Nebraska to "re-meet" my biological's Dad's side of the family, The Hudson's. I have seen none of them since I was about 2 or 3 years old, I don't remember any of them, and of course I have cousins whom I have never met, but can't wait to meet!!!
In fact, I have developed a sort of online sisterhood with my cousin Jennifer and I am SO excited to meet her. We seem so much alike in a lot of crazy ways!
I also, am so thrilled to see my brother, Danny, again! I haven't seen him since I was in the 5th grade, which was eons ago (it seems)
My sister, Michele, is also going, and I've always been in contact with her, but crazy thing, I haven't seen her since she sang in my wedding in 2002. That's way too long.
I'll be gone for 4 days, away from the comfort of my husband and my kids, but its something I really should do alone, at least for the first time.

I spoke to my parents about this, to see what they thought, and they are so supportive of this decision to meet everyone again or some for the first time. They knew it would be something I would want to do, but haven't pushed me, but supported & encouraged me in any way I needed that.

So, now that you know the reason for my trip to Omaha, Nebraska, you can stop asking yourself "Man, if she was taking a trip, shouldn't it be somewhere like Hawaii?" (you can tell my husband that though, Hawaii would be great)

My "Bucket List"

While watching the Travel Channel this afternoon about the 10 greatest places on earth! One of which was the Grand Canyon, and showed people white water rafting down the Colorado River! Wow, that is definitely something I've always wanted to do. It's now on my bucket list. Not that I'm old, but I believe you can never start that list too early in life!

Bucket List (in no particular order)
1. White water rafting
2. Visit Australia
3. Be brave enough to scuba dive
4. Fly a plane
5. Be on the Price is Right
6. Meet Matthew McConaughey

I'm sure there are many more things that I'd love to do that I haven't thought of yet or that haven't crossed my mind!

New Year, New Me

Wow, you know I say this every year. I make a resolution to lose weight, yet, I drop off somewhere between the 1 & 2 day of the year.
This year it is not a resolution to lose weight, its a change of life. A change in my eating habits and exercising more. It's not that I eat too much, its that I eat the wrong things and I don't exercise. I HATE EXERCISE! There I said it. But I don't actually hate it, I hate the thought of it, but at the end of my workout I feel energized and ready for the day!
I wish I had the urge to want to exercise everyday like my friend Julie, but I'm just not there yet, maybe when I start seeing actual results, I'll get there.
I mean every year we go to the lake, its no surprise, and I'm so sick & tired of being overweight, especially at the lake, where only minimal clothing is required.
So, this post is to remind myself how great I feel right now, this very morning, after a nice 30 minute workout, and 2 miles on the treadmill.
It's to make a public declaration of my commitment to this, once & for all, I WILL lose weight while changing my habits.

Happy 2009!!