Expect the Best

  I have a little fetish with looking at real estate. I love to walk through houses and just browse the MLS to see what's out there. There are a handful of houses/neighborhoods that I have fallin' in love with and dream of being in.
   Last night while on the MLS during one of my browsing frenzies, I saw a house I have  admired from the outside for 10 years. This house was in a neighborhood my parents had lived in. I remember going on jogs and wanting to stop and knock on the door to ask if I could see the inside. In fact one time I actually stopped and walked towards the house, then chickened out thinking they would think I was out of my mind! The house is all one level a creamy stucco color with a Spanish influence. The red tile roof  goes  beautiful  with  the big double doors and wooden shutters.
  Oh I was so excited to finally see the inside. Would it meet my imagined expectations? Have I loved this house for nothing? Josh was near by and I told him briefly about the house and he remembered it( when we lived in Boise we drove around many times to look at neighborhoods/houses we liked ). Browsing through the pictures I had a big smile on my face.The house in not quite as I imagined but still beautiful. A big entry way with wooden beams in family room, a decadent bathroom, and a fabulous back porch.
  Our dreams at times are not quite as we imagined them to be, but still beautiful. We can always hope for the best and expect the best. When are dreams seem to be squished out of the picture push them back in.  We should love our dreams.Keep dreaming ...
  I think one day I'll own that house or maybe one of the others!

I HATE...

  Momma always said hate is a strong word and to be used seldom, if at all.  Since we moved to Tucson our family has had to adjust to the differences down here in the south. Over all we've done a wonderful job! But there is one thing I cannot  build up a tolerance for....Crickets! I hate them! At first thought ,no big deal get a bug guy out to take care of it. After having the bug guy out 3 times and hearing their loud obnoxious chirping still blaring in the evening, it has grown to hate!  They're not like the crickets back home that are small and quietly singing, they're loud like a screaming child jumping around to get away from you smacking them.
  Does God expect me to be tolerant of all things??? He may, but maybe he gave us crickets to understand hate.If we loved everything how would we know hate? Without hate , there would be no love, right? At least that what's my mind is saying to justify my evil thoughts upon them. Now I can sympathise with the Egyptians for dealing with those locusts. Maybe if I repent there will be fewer in the future ;)

Tradition

  Oh I love Halloween! The crisp fall weather in the air(though the high today was like 105)but I mean usually. I have a lot of fond memories with friends and family dressing up and getting loads of candy. My favorite costume was when I was a 9th grader I dressed up as Oscar the Grouch. One of my friends was having a party at her house, we got low on candy so all of us(around 15-20) went trick or treating for two streets. Most of the adults were giving us funny looks but we just thought we had an amazing idea cause we ended up with a ton of candy! 

 I love how one day out of the year you have a free pass to look anyway you really want. Surprisingly the way you act ,as long as it is not criminal, gets a pass as well. It's a form of expression. A way to draw attention to yourself or just to have fun with the friends you hold dear. A night to freak yourself or others out. Whatever the reason may be to celebrate,  it's a night we repeat from past years as a tradition.

I could have learned it at some point but  I have no idea where and when Halloween started. Why do we follow traditions? How can we start or replace a tradition to enhance our relationship with our loved ones? Can we pull ideas from other people's traditions to enrich our own?  Remember when you do create one make sure it's good, and it will stick!