Zizzie Happenings

We've had such gloomy days here in Vegas lately, which is really unusual to have so many in a row.  I came across this song  Time Well Spent and I started thinking of so many of my loved ones in heaven.   Happy for them but I sure do miss them.

Today would have been my 13th anniversary with Mike.  So many things I never really appreciated about Mike until he passed away... just to name a few: how organized he kept me how he gave his word and followed through how special his love and affection was how he balanced me out how he protected me and treated me like a princess   how he listened to me and gave me wise counsel how he desired to lead me and be a Godly husband I just want to encourage all of you to never take a day with your spouse for granted.  Take the time to thank your spouse today!

Last night Mike's daughter had a precious baby girl.  Hard to believe that I am a "Grandma" Taylor Dixie ~ 7 lb 1oz ~ 19 1/4 inches long ~ born 11/5/2014 @ 9:31pm The family is doing great! I was talking to Mike's sister yesterday and she was telling me that my "little" nephew is now 5'5", his voice has changed and he is now shaving!  This picture was taken of him and my niece on their last visit to Georgia in July 2010 before Mike passed away.  Hard to believe how fast these precious little ones are growing up!   Did I mention I am feeling OLD!  But oh how blessed I am to have them all in my life!

Today would have been Mike's 48th birthday.

Job 1:21b ~  the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.

…marks the 4 year anniversary since Mike went to heaven.  One thing I've definitely learned in these last 4 years is that grieving lasts a different length of time for each person and everyone grieves in different ways. For me, I would say this has been my hardest year so far, and I guess it's because the loneliness has hit me harder.  You may not be able to understand how I can be lonely in a house full of people especially when they try so hard to not make me feel left out. Not having a husband these past 4 years has shown me how much of a balance Mike was for me.  The longer I go without a husband, the more I wonder what is God wanting me to do with my life because  I feel very out of balance. This has been a year of health trials for me and I don't know what is going on but I keep reminding myself that God is in control.  In some ways I feel like my joy is gone and I know that is not true because  true joy  comes from the Lord.  Mike wou...

  I am so thankful for the 8 years of marriage that God gave me with Mike.  The more time that passes and I am without a husband, the more I am reminded that God created me to be a Help Meet and not a leader.  Keeping my eyes focused on God, as I desire to be in His will.

With the new year right around the corner I am taking some time to pray about what my focus should be for 2014.  I haven't been blogging much lately and I'm wondering if I just need to give it up all together. Originally when I started blogging I was a stay at home wife and wanted to share a glimpse of my life to family and friends as well as have a place to store favorite recipes, projects and memories. Now my life is very different and I find myself often feeling overwhelmed.  What I've been learning and realizing is that part of God's unique plan in a husband and wife relationship is balance.  Mike balanced me out, his strong points were my weaknesses, so we completed each other very well.  Each day that goes by without Mike in my life, I realize all the more how blessed I was to have him as my husband. Now that I am working full time and trying to learn something totally new at work I haven't really had the time or energy...

I know I've been M.I.A. and I am sorry about that but life has been a little crazy and I'm trying to learn how to juggle everything.  In memory of Mike I am continuing my chicken tradition of buying chickens through Gospel for Asia . It's hard to believe another year has passed without Mike in my life.  I know that God is all I need but I would be lying if I said that Mike's passing didn't leave a huge whole in my heart and life.  I am not very good at sharing my feelings and I think people must think I am so cold hearted but the truth is I do have feelings and sometimes I have to remind myself daily that God has a plan.  Mike dying was not an accident or out of God's control.  God was and is in full control and who am I to question why He took Mike. One of many things that I have learned over these past three years without Mike is that He balanced me out.  I've had to learn to stay grounded and keep my f...

Today would have been Mike's 46th birthday.  I am so thankful for the years we had together and all the memories we made.  I am so blessed to have had Mike in my life!

It's hard to believe it's only been two years since Mike went to Heaven.  I say "only" because it feels like I haven't had Mike in my life for much longer than two years.  Each day without my beloved husband feels like years. Mike was an amazing husband.  He was a great provider, he took care of my needs and so many of my wants.  Actually Mike had a hard time saying NO to me so I had to be careful not to abuse that.  He supported me in anything I wanted to do and He was always there to help me through anything. He would always say his job was to make me laugh every day and he DID make me laugh EVERY day.  I actually REALLY miss that.  I realize I am more of a serious type person so he balanced me out so well.  Not that Mike wasn't serious but he knew when he needed to act like an adult and be serious and when he could be like a big kid and laugh and play. He was a romantic.  He loved planning out trips and surprising me.  I have lot...

I'm continuing my tradition of buying chickens through Gospel of Asia  in remembrance of Mike and his love for God and his love for chickens. May God be glorified and may the lost come to know Him through the Gospel of Asia ministry. I will also be fasting from food and electronics on August 17th as I focus on my personal relationship with the Lord and what my future direction and focus needs to be.

Back in July of 2004 Mike ended up in the hospital from an emergency appendectomy.  There were some complications which required the doctor to make a 12 inch incision to remove his appendix.  A few days after the surgery Mike had uncontrollable and painful hiccups.  Doctors determined that he had pressure and acid building in his stomach so they inserted an NG tube down his throat to empty his stomach.  After 11 days in the hospital he was released to go home. After 2 days at home Mike started experiencing major chest cramps and he was having a very difficult time breathing.  Back to the hospital he went to discover that he had a blood clot travel from his leg up to his right lung.  The doctors removed 3 to 4 inches from the bottom of his lung.  They started him on blood thinners and after 12 days in the hospital back home we went.  Three days at home and Mike had a really bad dizzy spell and after a phone call to a doctor friend of ours,...

I was out doing my walking the other day and I was remembering that I started walking July 1, 2011.  I can't believe I've actually accomplished my goal of walking.  Don't get me wrong, I wasn't totally faithful in walking EVERY day but I can honestly say that I walked more than I probably have in YEARS and it's all thanks to Mike and his example of accomplishing anything he puts his mind to.  He was an awesome example of follow-thru and commitment in completing a set goal.

Today Mike and I would have celebrated 10 years of marriage.  I am so thankful for all the wonderful memories I have of our 8 married years.  Mike was a loving, loyal, creative, romantic man, as well as detailed, thorough and dedicated. I was going through Mike's external hard drive and I found this list.  He had kept track of what we did on each of our anniversaries.  For our 5 year anniversary he planned a trip to Niagara Falls and as soon as we got back from that trip he started planning for our 10 year anniversary.  He had decided that every 5 years he would surprise me with a trip somewhere.  Mike was always thinking, calculating or planning something.  This note that was on his iPhone always makes me smile but also makes me miss him more.  He actually took the time to calculate how many days we had been married, taking into consideration leap years.  It's little things like these that remind me of how uniquely special Mike w...

...to share my surprise I posted about two weeks ago. I am overwhelmed and humbled by how good God is to me. Three weeks ago Kathy and I walked into Aaron Lelah  jewelry store to see about having a custom ring made for me from my wedding ring, engagement ring and Mike's wedding ring. I had never had custom jewelry made before so I didn't know what to expect and I definitely didn't know how much it would cost. I had an idea of what I wanted the ring to look like but I wasn't sure if I would be able to describe it well enough.  I was also concerned that I wouldn't be able to afford a nice looking ring. I had seen on their website that they buy gold so Kathy and I had gone through all our jewelry at home and grabbed any broken pieces we had. When we arrived at the jewelry store, the owner was talking to a customer, so a nice lady came and talked with us. I pulled out my rings and I explained to her that I wanted to take the three rings and use them to ma...

I was just thinking today what a romantic Mike was. He didn't wait for Valentine's day to show how much he loved me. He would do things often. Sometimes they were big, expensive things like surprise trips...but countless times it was the little inexpensive or free things that he did that showed his love to me. Like these logs he placed into a heart shape.  He was such a sweet, thoughtful, loving, encouraging husband!

I totally forgot about this picture.  In 2006 Mike suprised me with a weekend trip to Rock City and Ruby Falls.  We were eating lunch and Mike loved making me laugh.  He always said his job was to make me laugh each day, and he did a great job!

For our family cruise in September 2007 Dad asked each of the men in the family to prepare a devotional so they could each take one night and lead devotions. In going through some documents on the computer I found the devotional Mike prepared. I love finding things like this. It just makes my heart smile. ------------------------------ Psalm 23 – God as our Protector and Provider in Life 1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. We are His sheep I know the Lord will care for me – we commit our needs to Him Jesus was speaking to the people of Bethany in Matthew 21:22 ~ And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. 2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. God creates situations, eagerness and desires. The water refreshes us – experienced by David in Psalm 42:1 ~ As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God 3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteo...