Christmas 2009 in pictures...

It is the MoSt WoNdErFuL TiMe oF tHe YEAR!

FAMILY! (The Dt. Mountain Dew with the ribbon was a gift Joey brought by to me and surprised me at the Urgent Care one particular day over the holidays when he knew I was having a tough day -- I thought it was pretty special that he attached the cute ribbon and all.)

The biggest gifts do come in the simplest forms when give with the heart!

LAUGHTER!

FRIENDSHIPS!

Love from one generation to the next...

ChLoE...how we love her so!

Sweethearts - Ginger and Shaun ....Forever...

Tiawanna and her 4 grandsons - Spencer, Andrew, Carson, and Hunter -- aren't they precious!

Marshall and Lindsay - more sweethearts...

and Brandon and Jenny -- newest parents this year to Hunter Owen Collins in November!

Ethan -- my son who carries a big part of my heart at all times...

and next we have Joey performing "Blue Christmas" with his back-up singers, Ronella, Teresa, and Jane - the "original Dinkins sisters!" Fun time!

The Kershaw Health Urgent Care Staff who attended the Christmas get-together at BlueFin - another fun time!

my date for the party, Celina West, RN who works with us at the Urgent Care some -- She is a great friend and we had a great time laughing this night and shopping til the stores closed! :)

Thankfulness...Fall 2009

Girls' Night Out for Japanese food and to see "NEW MOON!"
Brandon becomes a dad! Congrats Jenny and Brandon!
San Jose' -- a must have when Erika comes to visit!

The kids goofin' off! They're so fun!

Joseph and Valencia - November 2009

Hunter at Thanksgiving - 2009

Bob and Joanne Maxfield with Leighton - Thanksgiving 2009

Scary times at Kreepy Hollow - Haunted Hayride! Halloween 2009

Fall came in with a breeze that seemed in some ways more like a whirlwind speeding it's way through our family and my life so fast! So many things happening all at the same time has made time feel to have passed quicker than ever. October arrived bringing with it birthdays of those very dear and close to my heart and a job transfer to a brand new facility bringing with it much excitement and anticipation. As the month approached the end we enjoyed time as a family including some excitement at a local Halloween attraction, Kreepy Hollow, making fun new memories that carried us right into November. Along with November came another new addition to our family, Brandon and Jenny's baby, Hunter Owen Collins and plans of a highlight of my whole year -- Erika, Jack, Leighton, and the Maxfield family coming to east coast! A trip to Disney World for their entire family included a stop in South Carolina for Thankgiving with us -- Erika's first Thanksgiving at home in South Carolina in 6 years! Thanksgiving at my parents' house (aka "Lana's Cafe") is a glorious time and a feast to behold! And to have the kids here this year made it the best! It has been such a wonderful fall season for our family, and especially for me! I have so much to be thankful for and so many wonderful blesssings the Lord has graciouly seen fit to bless me with. For these things I am most thankful -- my family -- my wonderful parents and their good health, my dear sweet husband and the blessing he is to me, my beautiful children (Erika, Ethan, Addison, Abby, Alex, and Jack), my adorable grandaughter Leighton and the joy she is to me, my health, my abilities and the opportunity to have employment that I enjoy where I am able to share myself by helping others, and for my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ who have given me all I have. I look so forward to this Christmas season and to make it one that the reason will be remembered in all we do this Christmas season. The birth of our savior Jesus Christ is the most remarkable thing that has ever taken place in the history of the world -- a babe born in a lowly stable who came to this earth to take upon him the sins of the world, to be our Redeemer. As we go into this busy time of year may we all remember Him, take the time to know Him, and try to see Him in all we do and not get so caught up in the hustle and bustle that somehow we miss Him.

Merry Christmas!

Remembering September...

September is always a fun and exciting time for our family and also a very busy time. This September was no exception. We have so many birthdays in our family during the month of September. Now that our family has grown so they are really spread out but September seems to remain the busiest. It’s a great month that we look forward to spending a lot of time together as a family. It begins with Gnger on the 12th, Will on the 15th, Joanne (Jack’s mom), Aunt Ronella, Paulette, and my dear friend Linda Browder on the 21st, my friend, Pua Perreira on the 22nd, ME on the 23rd, Mom on the 27th, and Marshall on the 28th. Birthdays, birthdays, birthdays! Cake and celebrating are what we do best this month! Ha!
Each birthday has been a special one and this year was no exception. For Ginger’s Brithday we surprised her with a party at Lugoff House of Pizza with some of her friends and it was great that she was surprised! She’s always doing so much for others and it’s such a blessing to do something for her -- she’s so sweet. We had a great time.
Will’s Birthday was at San Jose’ as was mine -- this is somewhat a family tradition -- to choose where you want to go for dinner on your special day and we all seem to choose San Jose’! It’s a family thing! Joseph and I actually celebrated several days for my birthday -- he is so sweet. We had a movie and dinner night and went shopping another day. He also took me to the flea market in Charlotte a couple weekends ago and we had a great day together that day. He is so good to me and makes anything fun. We love spending time together…
Mom’s birthday was really fun for everyone, too, I think. Since hers was on a Sunday and she typically cooks we told her she couldn’t cook anything that day for company and that everyone was to come to our house. I cooked and others brought things and we had a wonderful meal and a great time together. Those who could not attend were there in heart. Even Erika, Jack, and Leighton were with us via SKYPE and the web cam. It was so cool!
Jenny and Brandon are expecting their little baby boy in November and Lindsay hosted a wonderful baby shower at their new home on the 26th. It was well attended and they received so many precious gifts for baby Hunter. He is so loved already! The same day of the shower was the Women’s Broadcast and Dinner at the stake center that Ginger and her counselors prepared before the broadcast. They did a great job and it was decorated so beautifully. She is truly amazing and such an example for so many. The broadcast can be viewed on the church’s website which is www.lds.org and is available for viewing. It was a wonderful broadcast.
As for me, I was on call a lot of the month due to the census being low at the hospital. The time off was nice some days but not when pay day rolled around…I am transferring to the new Urgent Care at Elgin which opens tomorrow and I’m excited that I will be working somewhat of a schedule and not having to take so much call time. I will miss my friends and co-workers greatly at the main campus -- they have been so very good to me and I love them like family.
Well, September has come and gone and with it came wonderful memories and experiences. I am grateful to be healthy and strong and to have celebrated my 43rd Birthday (YIKES -- did I just say that!?!) I don’t feel that old, though, at least not most days! Ha! I have so much to be thankful for and I am happy to be spending life with my family and my best friend in the whole world who also happens to be the love of my life and my companion and dear husband, Joseph. He is a jewel. I have also had a lot on my mind this past month and many concerns that I have had to pray about and put a lot of faith in my Heavenly Father about some things. All along, Joey is so patient and kind and always has a hug and an outstretched arm ready to hold me or just let me cry or just be quiet…He is my soul mate and I love him with all my heart. It is hard when sometimes people don’t do as we’d like and our kids make choices that we don’t think are the best or the right ones -- it’s tough to know that it is out of our control sometimes…But I know that the Lord knows my thoughts and the desires of my heart and nothing is impossible with Him. It has been a good month, really it has, and I have so much to be thankful for each second of each day. Without the storms sometimes we could not fully appreciate the sunshine. September has been a month I’ll remember…Here's some photos which tell the story...

Chloe loves Gramma Hornsby!

Happy Birthday, GG!

Ginger's Surprise Party!

Practicing the piano for Primary.

Happy 6th Birthday, Will!

Joseph and I celebrating my birthday...

Addi gave me a beautiful card and a gift certificate for a night out to see "New Moon" when it comes out and dinner. She's so sweet!

with my Daddy -- I'm proud to be the baby girl!

with my sweet sister, Tiawanna

my 2 favorite men

my sandwich and note Joey made me for breakfast before leaving for work...what a sweetheart!

Jenny's shower at Lindsay's

Tiawanna feeling for the baby to move

Relief Society Dinner and Broadcast - Mom and Tiawanna

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Erika and Leighton via SKYPE at Grandmother's party!

Marshall in his Halloween mask -- it was so funny!!!

Singing Happy Birthday to Mom (Grandmother)

4 Generations of Dinkins

Daddy, Byron, Marshall, and Cole

Leighton in South Carolina! 8/26/09 - 9/2/09

Being Leighton's Grandmother (her "MicMic") is one of the greatest blessings I've ever received. It was absolute joy having them with us for the week and being able to spend so much time with Leighton. She is such an angel and has my heart!

As you can see, she loves her PaPa Joey already so much! She laughs at him and with him! :) He calls her all kinds of southern names like Butterbean, Rutabega (not sure if that's spelled right), and all sorts of names! Her smile melts her grandpa's heart...
It was so fun to celebrate at the lake with everyone on Saturday night of their visit. Jack's parents and brother had arrived from Idaho and Jenny's dad and step-mom were visiting from Kentucky also. Thanks to Byron and Susan for such a great cookout and party at the lake to celebrate the Maxfield's visit to South Carolina and to welcome Baby Leighton!


Leighton truly looked like a porcelain doll in her blessing dress, a gift from Grandma and Grandpa Maxfield. What a little princess! She was so sweet and quiet listening to every word her daddy said as he gave her blessing. It was such a special day.

Family + Love = Leighton Valencia Maxfield

You are so loved, Leighton. Your Blessing Day is one MicMic will always cherish.

I love you, angel, and I can't wait to see you again soon.

August...

I don't know about you, but to me it felt like August slipped right in and immediately filled itself with so many activities and going-ons for our family and then sped right out like lightening and I'm still wondering if maybe I missed something because it all came and went so fast! No regrets, though, except that maybe it would've been a little slower...What I have now are such fond memories of such an eventful month and many blessings that have left my heart full. Some of the highlights of August include:

• The Big Split of our former Camden Ward
• Erika and Jack's visit to South Carolina with Leighton
• Changes in our Home (thanks to my wonderful husband)
• My Sister's Birthday Celebration
• Girls' Night Out for Karen's Birthday
• My New Job Offer/Transfer at the New KershawHealth Elgin Campus
• My Best Friend in California Became a Grandmother

and some great time with family and friends.

For a while we've been anticipating that our ward at church would split so the news was not a surprise but have to admit that it was still a little tough. I was excited about the change because change generally means growth and change is good but my goodness, I didn't expect to miss so many of our "church family" so much. However, we have many new people from the Ridgeway Ward and we do see our other Camden Ward friends between meetings so it's nice. The brand new Elgin Ward is going to be great -- it already is. And, I have a new calling as primary pianist for the children's Primary so I'll be gaining new piano skills that have gotten very rusty. It's an exciting time!

During the month of August Joey made many home improvements to our home -- my favorite being our hall bathroom and our freshly painted white kitchen cabinets, which I've wanted for many years! :) It brightened up the kitchen so much and I am so grateful for all Joseph's hard work and his dedication -- he is amazing and I love him so much! The hall bathroom (guest bathroom) also got an amazing face lift with new flooring, a new toilet (thanks to Mom -- we said she must've had to hold the handle to flush one time too many and purchased a new one for us -- thanks, Mom, I love you!!!), new paint, and a wallpaper border. It looks so different! It transformed from blue, green, and yellow flowers with a white floor to a black tile-look floor with red and beige accents in the border -- very different! It looks so much better and Joey and I had a great time doing this project in one evening. (He's a great work partner!)

My friend, Karen, and my sister, Tiawanna, both have August birthdays and we had a girls' night to celebrate each one. For Karen's birthday we celebrated at Olive Garden for a full three-and-a-half hours! We laughed sooooooo much! Our waiter was a hoot and we had such a great time. For Tiawanna's birthday, Karen was out of town and we missed her. Darla, Jody, Tiawanna, Addison, and I went to the Tokyo Express and to the movies to celebrate and I really thought we were going to get kicked out of the theater for the giggles. It was hilarious! Then we took a drive through SandHills and Darla had us all in stitches! Let's see -- was it the dancing in the street, the glamorous glasses, or the buggy ride I took her on in the Penney's parking lot...Geez, I think it was all of them that still has my tummy sore from so much laughing. THAT we need to do again -- talking about laugher therapy! Darla's the one to call for just that! Ha!

Another neat thing that happened to me in August was that I interviewed for a position within the hospital which will be at the new Elgin campus (KershawHealth Elgin Urgent Care) and was offered the position. I am really excited about it and think it will be pretty neat to be there at the beginning of a brand new facility and it will be fun learning new things. I love people and serving and feel this will be a growing opportunity for me. I absolutely LOVE my job now in the Women's Center and I so much love the people I work with. However, I get pulled so much all over the hospital and at times to areas I am not comfortable with and feel it is time for a change. I am looking forward to this new adventure.

During the month of August my dear friend, Anne, in California who was my best friend in the whole world when we were in Hawaii became a grandmother to a beautiful baby girl, Ellie Mae. She is a baby doll and is the answer to so many prayers. I am so happy for their entire family and this tremendous blessing to all of them. I look forward to meeting Miss Ellie someday! Anne's other daughter, Addie, who lives close to Erika in Idaho is also expecting a baby girl in November -- what a great year for Anne! "Grandmotherhood" sure agrees with you, Anne! :)

We had so many good things happen during the month of August and I've saved the best thing until last to write about and that was Jack, Erika, and Leighton's visit to South Carolina and spending with us. This was Leighton's first time meeting the rest of the family besides Addison and me and it was HEAVENLY! Addi and I picked them up from the Greensboro, NC airport Wednesday the 26th and we stopped first at Mama and Daddy's and were they so happy! We had such a good time with them here. Leighton slept right next to me every night and the joy I felt each time I woke up and saw her there. She is such an angel and I love her so much. Erika and Jack were so funny and had a list of places they wanted to eat while here which included Chic-Fil-A, San Jose', Rush's, Lugoff House of Pizza, and Leo's Chicken Wings. They also had planned an overnight trip to Hilton Head to celebrate their anniversary. Joey and I got to have Leighton all to ourselves Thursday and Friday while they were away and enjoyed every second of it! Leighton's Blessing was Sunday, 8/30/09 at church and it was a wonderful day. Another major highlight is that Jack's parents (Bob and Joanne) and his brother, Thomas, also came from Idaho for a long weekend so they could be here for Leighton's blessing day. We loved having them here and it was such a wonderul weekend. We had a cookout at the lake on Saturday night when they all arrived to celebrate Leighton and the Maxfield's being here. What a great time we had! I think I'll have to devote an entire blog post to Leighton's visit and meeting everyone in South Carolina. It is an event that I cherish and hold close all the memories made that week. When they left this past Wednesday I felt like a huge part of my heart left with them on the plane -- I know it did because that baby girl is so precious to me.

Well, that just about covers the month of August for happenings in our family. It was a fun month with lots of wonderful memories left behind. I can hardly believe that September is here and oh my goodness, Christmas and the end of the year is just around the corner. 2009 has been an extremely fast year already -- I can hardly believe it.

Time -- enjoy it -- it passes very quickly...

Cabinet Project -- Joseph is amazing!

We have been wanting to make some changes and updates in the kitchen for quite some time so this past week Joseph took on a project and painted our kitchen cabinets. It made quite a difference brightening up the kitchen so much! I was so excited to come home and this is what he was doing! He is so amazing and when he gets an idea into his head and takes off and he gets things done! Thanks, honey, for all you do for our family and for our home -- you are incredible! I love you and look forward to cooking up lots of good things together in our new kitchen!