Jam-Sesh

Just me and my oldest doing what we love. #musicpeople

Laundromat

Back in April, I hosted a bachelorette party for my sister, KK.  Hours before the party, the downstairs toilet overflowed...like major.  We used every single towel and sheet in the house to clean up the mess.  Instead of working on last minute party details, we spent a few hours in a laundromat washing and drying all the towels.

But, how retro and cute is this laundromat>

This pic is totally staged and I love it!

KK's party was awesome and this little hiccup proved to be a day of fun too!

thirty-six

In the middle of May, I celebrated my 36th birthday.  My family threw me a surprise shin-dig and my mind was blown at their secret keeping and creativity!!

My favorite decade was represented in style, music, dance, games, food, and most importantly...FUN!

Graham had a photo booth complete wth all the accessories!

How fun is this?!

Thank you, family!  It was a birthday party for the books! Can't wait to see what y'all come up with for my party next year! *wink, wink

My Day Just Got AWESOME...

And by awesome, I mean crappy...

They say things happen in threes...OH NO!!!!

Pulling the Plug

It's no secret that I've become the worst blogger in the world.  Technically, I don't even think I can call myself a "blogger" anymore.  Excuses:  We have terrible internet in our neck of the woods, these days I use Instagram as my "blog", and I just forget to post stuff here.  Just keepin' it real.

For many, many years this little corner of the internet has been my family journal.  And for a good long time, I really worked at it, enjoyed it, and connected with ladies around the blog-o-sphere.  But as time passes, technology progresses, life gets more involved (with growing kids and homeschooling), I find less and less time to devote to it.  A few weeks ago, I was tempted to pull the plug, delete it, and move on. Only, I haven't printed hard copies of my whole blog yet (something I really want to do).  I've printed copies of years 1-6 and still lack the last few years to print.  I plan on doing that real soon and hopefully I'll finish out 2017 with my Christmas home tour and call it good.  If I make it to Christmas, I'll have blogged for over 10 years--if you don't count the long, long sporadic breaks. Who's counting, right?

For those of you who've stuck around through it all...THANK YA! Get ready for post overload as I spend my summer "catching-up" the blog and getting ready to print this sucker.  My domain name expires at the end of December and I think that will be a good time to say good-bye.

It's been good, Our Joy...His Glory!  Thanks for the memories.  Literally!

Five on Friday

Five on Friday, I've missed you.  Now is the perfect time to give 1,2,3,4,5 updates.

[ONE] 

For starters--THIS WEATHER!  Y'all Texas weather has been crazy lately.  We've had 70ish days since the middle of January.  I wouldn't say I'm complaining, but I miss getting to enjoy the winter.

[TWO]

We love First Monday Trade Days in Canton.  For us, it's a family affair...

Edy picked out this $10 wedding dress for her newly engaged aunt! 

What do you think, KK?

huntin' treasures

[THREE]
We use our foyer for homeschooling.  I've found practical ways to store our stuff without it screaming, "WE HOMESCHOOL IN HERE!"  Most of our stuff is stored in my office, but some things I keep in a cabinet in the foyer.

The other day the door to the cabinet was open and I clipped it with my leg and ripped it right off the hinges.  I was so frustrated.  It was beyond repair.  Graham and I purchased the little cabinet for 99 bucks just after marrying and I loved it.

AG and I went furniture shopping for hours and hours one afternoon.  The very last place we stopped, I found this beautiful cabinet...

I LOVE IT!

[FOUR]

Yesterday, Graham and I celebrated 15 years since our first date!  We've never celebrated this anniversary before, but we thought it would be fun to go out and reminisce.  We talked about our first date and how there was so much unknown to us at the time, but how it was the beginning of something wonderful!

I remember my greatest fear was that I'd slip up and accidentally call him Grant.

[FIVE]

I'll end with these cuties...

That's a wrap!  

Have a great weekend!

Trials

This life is riddled with trials.  They are inevitable.  They are hard.  They are painful.  They are uncertain.  But Scripture is clear that they can be used to grow us and glorify His name.  With God's help, His grace, and abundant love, they move us into a deeper communion with Him.  They strengthen our faith.  They make us more like Him.

.................................................................................................

For us, this season has been tough and trial-filled.

This summer, I wrote about my parents desire to serve as missionaries to the Philippines. (Click HERE to read more)  They were set to leave in October; however, with several recent health issues, they still haven't departed.  It has been discouraging, but not hopeless.  These trials have kept us totally dependent on Him.  And that's how it should be, right?

my parents

For starters...

Back in August, doctors discovered that Dad had three blocked arteries in his heart.  Fortunately, he had triple bypass surgery right away.  For several months now, he has been recovering.  I am happy to report that he is doing really good. We are so thankful that these blockages were caught and treated immediately.

And...

About a month ago, just as my parents were about to head out, my mom was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma in her toe. Sound strange? Yep!  It's so rare that doctors told her she is literally one in a million.  We can all agree about that!  Long story short, she underwent surgery to remove her toe. PRAISE GOD the cancer was contained and all scans are clear.    

About two weeks ago, Mom's foot got severely infected.  Bad.  Like real bad.  She was hospitalized for four days.  Presently, the infection is on the mend, but the healing process could be quite lengthy.  

The future is not clear, but it looks like my parents won't be able to leave for the Philippines until after the first of the year.  Hopefully.

Through these storms, we continue to read His Word.  We pray.  We trust.  We obey.  Repeat.

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Recently, I've been through a trial or two of my own...

This summer, on our family vacation to Galveston, Graham and I got the very unexpected news that we were pregnant!  MIND BLOWN!  We were so shocked, but so elated.  What a very happy surprise!

This pic was taken right after we found out the big news!

Several weeks passed and things were going great...or so we thought.  However, at one of my doctor's appointments it was discovered that our little one wasn't growing properly.  Devastation and uncertainty filled our lives in a moment.  Words really don't express the magnitude of grief and even frustration that ensued. After about two weeks of living life "up in the air", I began to spot. And, after about two weeks of spotting, we lost the baby. 

Now what?  Heartbroken, I obey.  I trust.  I pray.  Repeat.  

I can tell you that this doesn't look perfect in my life.  I am broken.  I am flawed.  I am angry.  Even still, I desire to be more like Him.  I want to be a student of His Word and molded into His likeness.  I rest in the fact that He is good and nothing can separate us from His love--even in the midst of difficult circumstances. Romans 8

I have been thankful for the body of Christ who has covered me in love and prayers.  People have ministered to me in so many ways and, in turn, that has challenged me to minister better.  To serve better.  To love better.  To be more like Him!

I will continue to praise the Great Physician. Not only is He capable of healing our bodies of illness, but He, who is infinitely greater than us in every way, has the power to transform and heal our hearts! My lips will praise Him even in the storms of life for He is my ultimate joy! He is my portion--my everything. He has made me glad!

"Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!" Psalm 115:1

I pray that through these trial I will be able to "count it all joy" and rest in the fact that the testing of my faith produces steadfastness.  James 1:2-4

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As Thanksgiving approaches, I am reminded of all that He has done and will continue to do.  He holds the future and I am so, so thankful.

Mother's Day 2013

I forgot to post about my Mother's Day.  Mother's Day...remember...almost two months ago.  

Better late than never...

Ladies Tea with AG

my three precious treasures

Joy *made* a little canvas for me in Sunday School.

Since this is my online scrapbook, I am required to post about Mother's Day, right?  Thanks humoring me.

My 35th

A few weeks ago, I celebrated my 35th birthday.  Graham and the girls were so good to me...

turtle ice cream cake

sushi

Birthdays are fun around our house and this one was no exception.  It was a special day and I'm thankful that my family took the time celebrate with me.

Our 13th

Graham and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary last Tuesday.  

East Texas folks, you must try out Jack Ryan's Steak and Chophouse.  It is wonderful fine dining and a beautiful atmosphere--perfect package.

We ran into several couples who were celebrating their anniversaries too!  We had a good time sharing stories, toasts, and laughs! (married 54 years, dating one year, 47 years and us)

All the food was picture worthy...

I'm a huge lover of steak and this one was top of the line!

Graham always gets chicken or fish.

I am beyond over the moon for my man and I love how God has grown us closer to Him so that we can love one another better each passing day.

Classical Conversations Wrap-Up

Wednesday, we wrapped up CC for the year.  It has been a great year and also a really, really busy year.  For almost six years, I haven't "worked" and taking on the director job was definitely a lot of work.  I'm glad I did it and plan on tackling another year in the fall.

Friday, we had our End of Year Celebration right smack dab in the middle of heavy thunderstorms, tornado warnings, and flood warnings.  Even though phone sirens were blasting and the rain made it hard to hear, it was a great night.  Thankfully, the weather passed and everyone made it home safe and sound.

Like last year, I took class pics for our community.  If you can believe it, I knew it was picture day and I remembered my camera, but I forgot it was picture day.  Make sense?  It's like my mind knew it was picture day but forgot that it involved my kids--no cute outfits or fancy hairdos for the Hale sisters.

I made a little video montage for the End of the Year Celebration.  The mission statement of Classical Conversations is:  To Know God and To Make Him Known.  I thought this song (in video) was very fitting to wrap up our year.  Check it out:

Classical Conversations of Central Tyler 2015-16 from Leslie Hale on Vimeo.

All of life comes down to just one thing and that's to know you, Oh Jesus, and to make you known.

Classical Conversations is a phenomenal program and I could talk about it, home discipleship, and the rise of Biblical illiteracy until I'm blue in the face.  If you have any questions, please leave comment!  I'd love to share.

Happy Halloween!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Better late than never, right?

AG went as Cerise Hood--her pick.  FYI: She's a character from the cartoon Ever After High. 

my little Cinderella

JoJo as a scarecrow

our jack-o-lantern

ready to trick-or-treat

car ride home...filling up on candy

Can you guess who this is? It's me circa 1984.