MERRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas to everyone! Wow, I can't believe Christmas is here and gone already. Where did the time go? We had a wonderful holiday with our family. Joe and I don't leave the house on Christmas day. Instead of traveling around, we play hosts for my family. I'm putting in a few pictures of our day. I hope you enjoy the pics. The first one is our family Christmas on the 25th. The second is of our Christmas party for friends and family on the 22nd.

Happy Thanksgiving

Wow! It's been so long since I checked in that I almost forgot my passwords. I hope everyone out there had a great Thanksgiving. I cooked for my family and enjoyed every minute of it. I only wish that I could spend the day with my entire family. It is really tough to not have them all together, especially during the holidays.

After a fun filled day of cooking and visiting, we enjoyed about 3 hours sleep before we headed out for "Black Friday". Joe and I were joined by one of our youth group members, Nathan. Nathan spent the night and we were up and out the door around 2:00 am. We drove to my sister Teresa's house in Seville, and then headed out to shop in Medina. It was cold and snowy wait for us as we stood outside the Wal-Mart around 4:15am. We continued our journey and shopped our way back to New Phila. Several people have called us crazy, but we enjoy every minute of it. By the time we got home on Friday, it was just a little after 8:00 pm. Needless to say, we were exhausted, but I can't wait for next year!!!

Life's Too Short

Just a quick note:

As some of you may know from reading my earlier posts, my Uncle Dick had recently become ill. Sadly, I received word this afternoon that he had passed away. Now, only two of my dad's siblings are still alive. I know all too well the pain and sorrow that my cousins are going through right now. I am truly sorrow for their loss. I hope that any of you reading this will keep the whole Levengood family in your prayers these next few days. What was looking to be a promising weekend will now be one of mourning for my family. As the number of those in the generation before us slowly dwindles, it makes you realize that life is way too short. We should be enjoying every minute that we can and treasuring the time we have with our family.

We Interrupt This Family for Football Season

You can almost smell it and you can definitely feel it. It's the electricity in the air. It's the crisp feeling of the morning breeze and the anticipation of those chilly, sweatshirt wearing nights. That's right, it's football season. I know that wouldn't thrilling to most people, but in my house..well, let's just say that it takes on a life of it's own. Maybe it's just that football is so prominent in this area. Why do most men (my husband included) get so excited this time of year? I happen to think it's a way for most of them to relive the glory days of playing on the gridiron. Maybe it's the feeling of being part of a team or maybe it's the feeling of knowing that for the next four quarters, you have a few hundred people on your side. Think about it, how many other times in life will you have the attention of that many people and they're all rooting for you, not against you. Let's face it, although most little boys dream of playing in the NFL, most will never play past high school. For some, this time of year brings back the memories of two-a-days, running until you think you just can't go another step, praying to God the biggest senior doesn't pick you for senior "hit" night, and relishing the opportunity to pick out that same type of freshman when it's your turn. Maybe it's just the pure and simple love for the game. I think officiating and coaching is a way for Joe to still enjoy the game. While most people see the referees as the enemy, I see them as grown men trying to pass on a tradition. A tradition of sportsmanship, respect and of course, love for the game. So remember the next time you decide to yell at those men in the stripes, most of them are not there for the money. They're out there for the same reason we all go.....those sweatshirt wearing nights, the electricity in the air and the love of the game.

How I Spent My Tuesday

Last Saturday, I ran into my friend Mandy's mom at Wal-Mart. I hadn't seen or talked to Mandy for a couple of years. Her mom invited me to her house on Tuesday for a jewelry show. We wanted to surprise Mandy, but when I called for directions on Monday, Mandy answered the phone. Well, we didn't get to surprise her, but that's okay. I had a great time visiting with her and her family. By the time I got home it was almost bedtime. Right before bed, I got a call from my cousin Del telling me that my Uncle Dick is really sick. It's really scary knowing that a member of your family is ill, but I also know that everything is in God's hands. While I was on the phone with my cousin, Amanda tried to call. We've been playing phone tag for what seems like forever. I think we've talked to one another's voicemail more than we've talk to each other this summer. (Sorry Joey!) I promise we'll talk soon.

I also wanted to let everyone know that I appreciate your comments and visits to the blog. Keep coming back and checking in on us!

First Day of School

It's hard to believe that summer is over and it's time for school again. Yesterday was Dector's first day. I can't believe that he's already in the 5th grade. Next year he'll be off to middle school. While I was waiting for Dec to come out, I started thinking about how different it was when I was in school. I don't consider myself old, but I realized that it has been 13 years since I was last in school. I wouldn't go back to high school again if you paid me, but, I do miss seeing my friends everyday. Looking back now, life was so much simpler and I wish I would have enjoyed it more. So many things have happened over the past 13 years. Most of my friends are married or enjoying their careers. Some have kids of their own going to school. It's amazing how time flies. As I sat there waiting (sometimes Dec takes a while to get to the car) I decided that I'm going to try and make more time in my life for my friends and try to re-connect with the ones I haven't seen for a while. I hope I don't bug anyone, but to close, I'd like to quote a sign that I've seen many times. I hope I don't offend my family. "One good friend is worth 10,000 relatives"

Foley

The most important member of our family is our dog Foley Michael. He was named for Pro Wrestler Mick Foley and our nephew Michael. It has come to our attention that at some point in the last six years, Foley has taken over and now has control of the house. We merely exist to make his life comfortable and to cater to his every whim.

Welcome to our page!

I've decided to enter the world of blogging. Of course, I have no idea what I'm doing, but I guess this will be a learning process. I'm hoping to share the life adventures of my husband and I with our friends and relatives.