More Than We Can Ask or Imagine: 18th Anniversary

(Written on January 29th)
Last night we had gotten Zech in the bed, but the other 5 kids, Kenny, and I were sitting around the coffee table playing a big family game of Uno at the end of a long Saturday of basketball games and wrestling tournament.  A little earlier we had ordered pizza from Oz, our favorite pizza place that finally just reopened around the corner (woo-hoo!) and had sat around together eating pizza and watching old episodes of the Cosby show ( I know, not what everyone sits around watching on Saturday night these days, but it's a Dallas family favorite!) So here we were laughing, competing (yes, this family does some serious competing, even playing Uno...slightly embarassing), and just hanging out, and it hit me...18 years ago that same night Kenny and I were sitting at our rehearsal dinner for our wedding!  We were getting ready for one of the biggest days of our entire life, and I can still remember how exciting and fun it was.  Ofcourse, there was some nervousness and anticipation that night as we actually rehearsed walking up and down the aisle, where we would stand, etc, but there was a whole lot of fun that night, too.  Dinner with our closest family and friends, a sweet sentimental slideshow (yes, I said "slideshow"), and, ofcourse, a good time of everyone getting up and telling stories that made us laugh and cry all at the same time!  I remember it being a perfect celebration in preparation for our big day.  So there I sat last night in my very LOUD den with my groom and 5 of our beautiful, full of life children playing cards, looking around at each of their smiling faces, and I couldn't help but sit there and soak it in for a little while.  Perfect.  I could have never imagined in all of my wildest dreams how perfect.  I brought it up as we sat there..."Honey, so years ago at our rehearsal dinner, could we have pictured what we'd be doing 18 years later on this night?!"  We both just laughed and smiled at each other, knowing how blessed we have been. 

In Ephesians, it says that God can do "more than all we can ever ask or imagine."  Truth.  I've witnessed it over and over again already in my life.  Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined, conjured up, this beautiful life the Lord has given us...we would have botched it up completely  by ourselves.  It is only by His grace and guidance in our life that we have come this far.  He has been so faithful to place Godly mentors in our path, precious friends, and others who have sharpened us and made us stronger in our marriage, in our work, and as parents.  We have made it our one desire to honor Him and seek after Him in all we do...we fail terribly at times to measure up, that's for certain, but with all our hearts we have continued to stay the course and have determined that our focus, our whole life, is His.  We made a firm decision, before we even got married, that no matter the cost, we would have "the real deal" at home...that we would be intentional in this.  I'll be honest, that sometimes in a practical sense that's uncomfortable, because it means we have to say no to being involved in certain things that really are good  things in order to preserve time for our family, or we feel awkward knowing we do some things in ways that sometimes seem odd or "uncool" to everyone around us.  We dont' LIKE that feeling, but we have taken very seriously that commitment, and we believe God will continue to honor it if we persevere.

You know, God's ways are not man's ways.  His ways are so much higher, so much greater than our own.  As I looked around at those sweet Dallas faces last night I was reminded of that once again.  He's always up to something.  We just want to always continue joining Him in whatever that is.  We are far from perfect...anyone around us long will see that for sure, but we do love the Lord with all of our hearts, love each other more and more every single day, and adore and enjoy our sweet children. By the way, I don't think what we have in our marriage and family is anything that anyone else can't have, too.  God offers such meaning and joy to each of us wherever we are in our journey, if only we will seek after Him with all of our hearts and not grow weary.  Remember...God can do "more than all you can ever ask or imagine."  Expect it.  Pursue it.  He won't disappoint you!


(If you'd like to see some pictures of our journey so far, here's my post from last year http://lifetrulylife.blogspot.com/2011/01/17-years-and-counting.html?spref=bl">Life that is truly life: 17 years and counting

Help With Perspective

I wanted to share this post with any of you other moms out there that might need a lift or word of encouragement today.  If you're like me, the "to do" list each day seems endless...sometimes overwhelming, if we're not careful. I finally have to just stop at the end of each day wherever I am on the list and crash before it picks back up tomorrow. Often times I find myself a little extra exhausted as I sigh and look around the kids' rooms or the den at toys or clothes that are piled up, wondering sometimes if it will ever all be clean at the same time!

I remember a friend of mine saying this years ago when our oldest kids were toddlers.  She said she was trying to explain to her husband one night why it was so frustrating sometimes keeping up with housework with little ones.  She said, "Honey, how would you feel if you went to work, spent a good portion of your day on a project, felt very good about all you had accomplished, and then turned around and someone had come and UNDONE every bit of work you just did?!  Well, that's how I feel all day, every day!"  I couldn't have said it any better!  Do you moms agree?!  It's just part of the territory that comes with being a mama and having little ones (umm, and older ones, too!)

Well, I have a friend named Jessica, who I have just begun getting to know a little bit over the past year.  I had met her a few times before, and each time she had her sweet, smiling 4 year old little girl, Elizabeth, with her.  Here is a brief summary of their story, from Jessica's profile on her blog: 

"On March 5, 2010 we received the words that no parent should ever have to hear.  That was the day our 4 year old daughter, Elizabeth, was diagnosed with cancer.  Shortly after Elizabeth's diagnosis we found out that we were expecting our second daughter due in February 2011.  After 8 months of chemotherapy and 6 weeks of radiation therapy, Elizabeth was in remission and we rejoiced in God's faithfulness to answer our prayers.  We celebrated Elizabeth's 5th birthday and spent Thanksgiving and Christmas with family and friends, enjoying our new found freedom from medicines and hospital visits.  On December 31st, our world was changed forever.  This was the day Jesus took Elizabeth home.  This blog is the journey of our bitter sweet reality of losing a child while expecting another.  We still rejoice in God's faithfulness, and we know that in Christ there is greater joy."

I am often blessed by Jessica's blog, because she is so real, so honest about her emotions, as well as the Lord's faithfulness, as they walk this path they never would have chosen for themselves.  But Jessica recently wrote a post called "Perspective", and I wanted to share it with some of my fellow moms today.  Try reading this post and staying frustrated very long as you look around at the mess your kids are making today.  Thank you, Jessica, for your sweet, honest heart in sharing with the rest of us, so that we keep our own perspectives right and focused.  I hope you'll take the time to check it out.   ( http://www.thecookesga.blogspot.com/2012/01/perspective.html )
 You will be blessed.

Christmas Catch Up!!

Well, since we're exactly a month past Christmas Eve, why not post Christmas pictures now, right?!  I've finally about caught up on the blog, and wanted to share bunches of pictures from our fun times over Christmas break with family and friends.  As always, you can click on each collage to enlarge.

Fun times, including a visit with Santa at the mall.  Actually, Zech's first time ever sitting on Santa's lap (I know, I'm a great mom!) and all of my big kids helped mom out by getting in the picture so Elly would stay! (let's just say, one little redhead couldn't get enough of Santa and the other was about ready to run!) This group of pics also includes a few of the boys with Zach and Carson Barnett, who are former Landmark players, now Samford players...my twins in particular love these big twins to death, and Zach and Carson have been such amazing role models to them over the past several years. I can't put into words how much we appreciate their impact on our young men's lives.  (you'll see they brought our twins Samford hoodies when they came to see us, which they've barely taken off since!)

This group of pictures is Christmas at our house this year.  My brother, Chuck, and his two precious kids, Hannah and Whit, got to come down and do Christmas at our house with our family and Mammaw and Poppa (my parents).  So much fun all getting together!  Special times!

Here are some pictures from our trip to Memphis...Grandaddy and Grandmama's house...never a dull moment with all the grandkids there!!  We wouldn't have it any other way.  I think it's just wonderful!  Also we got to go visit Kenny's Nanny while we were in and Janie and the kids, too.  Sweet times!

This group includes pictures from Kenny's mom's side of the family at her house and when we did Christmas at Kenny's brother's house..once again, a wonderful slew of kiddos!!  They have so much fun together!  Also, some pictures from fun times with friends 4-wheeling and hanging out together.  What a full, wonderful, blessed week! When the Dallas's celebrate Christmas, we celebrate!!!

The Singing Dallas Boys!!

One of my greatest memories growing up was getting to be a part of kids' musicals at church.  The Lord really worked in my little heart during those times to draw me closer to Him and to start teaching me that He had given all of us gifts to be used for His kingdom.  Something stirred within my spirit even as a young child when I was around music...specifically music that honored Him and drew others to the heart of God.  I am still so thankful today for those who invested the time to make those things happen years ago.  It really made a huge impact in my life.

 In December, Caleb, Joshua and David got to participate in the children's Christmas musical at church.  The twins had solos/duets in a song, and Caleb had a solo, as well.  All of the kids did such a great job, whether it was singing, acting, dancing, etc.  It was really a great experience for them, and I've put a link below to the musical. (Thanks to our friend, Dennis, for helping me get it online!)  The entire program was just wonderful and will bless you, but the twins' song is at 5:50 (First verse is David's solo, duet together, Second verse is Joshua's solo, duet together).  Caleb's is at 20:12 ("What Child is This?")  So proud of these fellas...they are tough, strong, athletic, AND they love worshipping the Lord through music, too.  I think God smiles when He sees His children using their gifts to honor Him. Precious.

http://www.goldhatsup.com/musical.wmv

www.goldhatsup.com

 (You can pause the music on my blog first by scrolling to the bottom of the page)

Cinderella

Kenny and I were so excited to take Elly to see Christi Avant Watson (a former Landmark student, and daughter of some of our greatest friends and mentors, John and Donna) as Cinderella in Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella the musical!  What a perfect, fun, "fancy" night for our little girl!  This was her first musical and our first time that just Kenny and I got to go do a special night together with just Elly. (She goes on dates with Daddy or has girl days with just Mama, but we haven't had a special night just the three of us ever!)  We got to have a nice dinner with our friends, the Avants, and enjoy the incredible job that this cast did in presenting Cinderella at the Springer Opera House in Columbus!!  I wish we could have had a video camera on Elly the whole night, because her reactions were just perfect...jaw dropped, wide eyed, and SO into every second of it!  It was a wonderful night, and to top it off, she got to have her picture with Cinderella herself! (Sweet Christi!)  I think the look on her face about sums it up! Btw, Christi was magnificent!!

Sweet Faces!! (Rewind Post #2)

Some of my favorite shots of the 4 youngest kids over the past couple of months...these sweet faces make my heart smile...so full of life.... so "them" in each of these!   

Sweet Elly

David...I'm in love with this sweet picture!

This "smirkish" smile is classic David!

Precious Joshua!

So Joshie!

Peanut butter face!!

Perfect

My smiley face Z!!

Love

Rewind Post!! (November!)

REWIND!!!  Just a few shots from November...Thanksgiving, Veteran's Day chapel, and Kenny's birthday!

TURKEY!!

Veteran's Day Chapel with Mammaw

My twins and their precious, precious teachers!!

Kenny's birthday...the day after Thanksgiving this year (:

David (on the left) was so sweet...on Thanksgiving, on his own, he wrote out a letter for each person in our family individually, telling us what he was thankful for about each of us.  Here is Elly holding hers.

Helping get the food ready!

The Road to the Georgia Dome

(Note:  I wrote this back in mid-December, but I'm just now finishing the post!  Just thought I'd mention that, since some of my timing references might not make sense otherwise!)

Wow!  I have been completely absent from the blogging world for the a LONG time!! Our busy season escalated even more over the past month or so with the incredible experience of Landmark making it to the state championship game!  Everything that possibly could got put on the back burner, so, needless to say, there have been no blog updates!  Glad to be getting back in the swing of things, and thought it was only fitting that this post include some updates and pictures from the last couple of weeks of the playoffs, and specifically the Dome!

The absolute best group of coaches around!
Unity starts here, and these guys are incredible leaders!

 This little 4-seed team out of Fairburn, GA just went on a ride that these young men (and their coaches) will never forget!  We were the underdogs for 6 straight games in a row.  We had to win the last regular season game (on the road) to even make the playoffs.  Needless to say, that was a huge win, and from there we took it one week at a time.  As one of our coaches put it, we went on a "tour of Georgia"   From Norcross to Rome, from Savannah to Augusta, to McDonough, and finally to Atlanta at the Georgia Dome, week after week these guys took everyone by surprise.  We played our last home game somewhere around mid-October!  Landmark is the 4th smallest school in the state of Georgia to even compete in football, and here these guys were just doing what they do, week after week with great confidence, unity, and focus.  This group of young men was able to grasp the concept their coaches stressed to them from the beginning of the season...we play for the front of the jersey, not the back. It's not about me.  It's about honoring our Lord and loving our brothers more than ourselves.  Kenny and the other coaches asked these players from week one of the season, "If you could win a state championship but NO ONE gets ANY individual glory, would you still want it? "  Well, these guys proved that they did, and not just with their mouths, but with everything in them.  It was an awesome thing to watch and be a part of.  It was an incredible thing for our own boys to get to experience alongside them, looking up to them.

Ajani, David, Joshua, and Bryant...all coaches' sons and waterboys for the team..
what a crew!!!

It all came down to the Georgia Dome last Saturday, and with 5 minutes left in the game, Landmark was trailing only 6-3...NOT a situation Savannah Christian had been in before.  They had solidly beaten all of their opponents throughout the season, and even in the playoffs. In fact, they only had one game that was even close through the entire season. This was Savannah's 3rd year straight to the championship game, and they were undefeated when they met Landmark at the dome.  Many across the state even referred to them  as the "University of Savannah", because of how huge and athletic their boys are! Our guys went out there and gave those boys the game of their life.  In the end, Savannah came out ahead and we came in second...they beat us, and I'd be lying to say that didn't stink, because it did!  Ofcourse, if you're going to play a game, you play to win...no shame in that.  However, these young men and coaches had no need to hang their heads.  They had just made Landmark history. They played with all of their hearts and left nothing behind.  They forever will tell stories to their own kids and grandkids about the season they made it to the dome and how amazing that journey was.  They will recall incredible friendships that only grew more and more solid throughout this season because of all they went through and accomplished together.  They will remember their coaches who helped build them into the men they one day will be by spending day after day, hour after hour coaching them, teaching them, and mentoring them through this little game called football. 

One reminder Kenny gave the guys at the team meal the night before the dome, and he and his coaches always discuss at the beginning of each season is this...He said, " 'What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?'   What will it profit anyone if we win a state championship, but any one of you were to lose your very soul? What would it even matter?  If I lead you to a state championship game, but don't lead you to the One who saves your soul and gives you life, I have failed you as a coach.  Don't ever forget that.' "  Just a glimpse into what makes Landmark football different...building men in a way that matters.

sure hate this is blurry, but here's a shot from Caleb's ipod before the game in the dome.
Love these fellas!!!


**I do want to give a big congratulations to my sweet husband for winning the Coach of the Year Award for all divisions (Single A through 5A) for Fulton County (Atlanta area) and the Associated Press Single A Coach of the Year for the entire state of Georgia!  I love you, Kenny Dallas!!!  You ARE the real deal!  God's word says in Luke 6:40, "When a student is fully trained he will be like his master."  These young men who have been trained under Coach Dallas and these other incredible coaches, this year and in the years before, have so much potential for impacting this world for the kingdom of God it overwhelms me.  They have been so blessed to have this kind of example and influence in their lives, and all I know is that the Lord has big plans for each of them in the future. Love all of you boys!!!