Life as a Lewis

"But the angel reassured them, "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior-yes, the Messiah, the Lord-has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!" Christmas 2017 highlighted changes in our family (both immediate and extended) - those changes run the gamut between difficult, just not the Lord's plan, and blessings. Our family was missing two members this year and we felt their absence keenly. Brian, the kids, and I drove to East TN before Christmas for a very quick trip and celebrated with Brian's parents, grandpa and aunt in their new home where they now live together. Christmas Eve was our annual appetizer night at our house. Mom and dad came early Christmas morning to watch Becky and the boys along with our family open presents, followed by Christmas dinner at their house with both sets of my grandparents. My feet had a chemo reaction and blistered up the week befor...

My 2017 goal for reading was 60 books, and I clocked in at 55. I'm not going to beat myself up about that because it was just a random goal! Here's a breakdown with stats and favorites. 10 Non-Fiction and my favorite was The Tech-Wise Family . This book is less about rules and more about the importance of family and how family rituals and togetherness are influenced by technology. Two that felt important to read and understand:   Hillbilly Elegy and Born a Crime . 45 Fiction. It's hard to choose a favorite, but I would say The Language of Flowers took me by surprise, and I really, really enjoyed Sing, Unburied, Sing , Behold the Dreamers , and Mosquitoland .   12 written by people of color. This was a focus in 2017 for both me and the kids. I actually thought this number would be higher, but it only shows that being intentional is important.  A few books that stood out to me even though they didn't make the favorites list are Silence...

We started a new tradition this year called Our Favorite Things. This was so fun! Here were our favorite things (think Oprah, but cheaper): Mom - hot cinnamon spice  tea Becky - a gratitude journal and Sharpie pens Liz - Underarmour socks and caramel M&M's Mine - Mrs. Meyers dishsoap and an Ulta facemask They are not too big to grab a picture in front of the tree on Christmas morning. Basically the only pictures I took with the big girl camera. Christmas morning: Dad reading from Luke 2 before presents. You know, Christmas morning. The day I was running a 101 fever and felt sick as a dog.

I had no plans for a Christmas card this year, but literally 1 week before Christmas Day, I just couldn't let it go and I pulled together this very quick and simple card and printed for family. 

Only the good stuff here today. This Christmas video has made me laugh all 3 times I've watched it. Joe Biden comforting Megan McCain is so tender. Our annual work Christmas party was Tuesday, and it may have been my favorite one so far. So. many. laughs. And I walked away with a $50 Amazon gift card! Today is Brian's last day of school for 2 weeks. I'm pretty sure this is his second favorite day of the entire year. The kids both won spelling bees this week. Here's the thing. Rory worked so hard studying after school for the past 3 weeks. Really, so much studying. Camden literally said the words "there's too much to learn to even try." But he still won. How do I teach him that studying is necessary when he can win and make straight A's with no effort. College is going to hit hard I'm afraid. We had a family spelling bee earlier this week and I am the true Lewis family spelling champion. Rory's studying paid off, however...

God's love was revealed to us in this way: God sent His one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. -I John 4:9 I'm choosing to just quickly write events out in list form with little commentary purely for memory-keeping purposes. Fair warning - I am considering converting to a private blog. As the kids grow older (I have a teen and preteen!), I want to protect their stories and I want the freedom to document our life with honesty and transparency. While I would hate to lose touch with all of my readers after so many years, it just seems like it might be time. Still giving this some thought. Camden was diagnosed with the flu. He's all good. Brian's dad had a heart attack. He also appears to be all good. I made a quick 3-day work trip to Greensboro, NC (my first visit to NC, btw). If you've ever wondered what the presidential suite looks like, this is one small part of it. Brian and I spent the day together during my last scan day, most...

I posted via social media this morning, but it's worth documenting here. Happy birthday to the love of my life. I can mention two things from recent days that should give you a glimpse into why he's such a wonderful, godly person. (1) Camden set his alarm for 5 this morning so he could be the first to wish his dad a happy birthday and (2) over the past weekend Brian was due a major iphone upgrade after using the same phone for well over 3.5 years. Without even blinking, he gave me the 8 plus upgrade and took my 7. Happy, happy birthday! (those red eyes and wrinkles are proof of his many early mornings)

Every year my goal is to make it to December 1 with most of the "work" of Christmas finished. I want the tree up and the house decorated. Christmas gifts purchased and wrapped (the wrapping never  happens on time) and Christmas cookies planned and maybe even baked (this also never  happens). I'm 100% behind on every single item this December 1, and we're heading into a hectic December (I know we're not alone in the craziness). This year we have the added bonus of chemo and very long days at Vanderbilt. It's hard to believe this is my second December in a row full of doctors and appointments and long days at the hospital, not to mention that I've now completed an entire year of treatment. Twelve whole months is a very long time, friends, and I am feeling every bit of it. Before I list a few Christmas favorites, let me also tell you Wednesday's scan shows yet another decrease in cancer - I'm now at a 29% decrease from this time last year. If I c...