Wednesday, December 28, 2016

A Gift to Remember ~

Hello to you my dear and faithful friends!
I trust that you had a most wonderful Christmas
with your loved ones?
Due to both of my daughters being married 
we celebrate Christmas together on what ever day works best for everyone.
This year we gathered together and celebrated Christmas on the 26th
and what a beautiful day we had.
We now have with us our oldest daughters three boys
and will enjoy them for the remainder of the week.
Unfortunately the flu bug has hit a couple of the boys
and my husband and I are feeling a bit under the weather.  
Oh well...that too shall pass.


Since it was just my husband and I on Christmas day
we did something we have never done before,
we spent the day together on the ski slopes.
You might think that would be the norm while we live in the mountains
and near a ski area, but it's not.
This is not my usual kind of post, but I wanted to share with you
the beauty of our day and the gentle hand of God
as He directed, protected and orchestrated our day.
***
As most of you know, I have been looking at having a knee replacement
for months now, but the Lord  for some reason has put me on hold.
I could become anxious over all the strange details that have taken place,
but with Jesus as the Lord of my life, I shall patiently wait upon Him,
knowing that He has my best interest at heart.
I heard that you can rebuild cartilage and so that is one of the things I am trying.
I believe the aqua aerobics I have been faithfully doing have helped as well.
With that said; I wanted to find out for myself if I could ski
since I have not been on downhill skies for 10 years.
I've been nervous about skiing since I have two bad knees,
but life is too short and should something happen
there's always a fix, right? 
***
I wanted to give my dear husband a gift he would really enjoy
and remember for years to come.
He was shocked that I wanted to go skiing
and a little apprehensive about my knees.
We had the time of our life!
This was the best Christmas gift I believe I have ever given my husband
and what a gift to myself, I found out that I need not fear.
My God was with me throughout that day,
keeping watch over my knees even when I would come to a stop
and gently fall over due to my balance issue.
Life is too short and I'm going to enjoy the days God has blessed me with by
doing the things that bring me joy with those whom God has graced my life with.
40 years ago on January 21st. I met my dear husband on Vail Mountain;
I was working as a chairlift operator in the Game Creek Bowl (chair 7)
when he and a friend were visiting from Canada and enjoying the ski season.
There he was, on that beautiful winters day
 skiing with such grace and style towards my chair lift
when my heart went pitter patter.
 And the rest is history... 

******

I gifted my husband with a GoPro camera for his 60th Birthday
and we had a great time using it together on the mountain.
Thanks to YouTube I'm able to share a glimpse of our day with you. 
At the bottom of my post click on the link to view the video.
Thank you for taking the time to stop in. I always enjoy your visits!
See you next year!
Blessings and be safe.

Joy!
~ Debbie ~
The music is from the Michael Buble′ Christmas CD
  Amazon

36 comments:

Sylvia said...

I love your youtube video, Debbie, you looked so graceful!
Have a very Happy New Year!

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

Oh Debbie ~ I'm sitting here with a huge smile on my face and tears in my eyes. What joy and thanksgiving that you two had such a wonderful Christmas day together. I pray your knees continue to heal so that you won't need surgery.

Thank you for sharing this lovely video of a beautiful moment in your life together.

Love & hugs ~ FlowerLady

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

My goodness, how thrilling to see you gracefully skiing and with knees that held out. My husband had a knee replacement in September and after a month one hardly knew it as he didn't even need his cane.
I've had meniscal tear surgery in one knee but have arthritis in both now so know the feeling of painful knees every day. I'm not a skier but will have to sell my skates and know this is all part of aging.
You gave your husband the best gift by accompanying him to ski and even have video footage to reminisce for future years.
Christmas was wonderful for us as we spent a couple of days with each of our two daughters at their homes and just being together was the best gift for me.
Good wishes for a joyous 2017!

Creations By Cindy said...

Debbie, what a sweet video. I just loved it and enjoyed it so much. Almost made me tear up...now ain't that silly? I am always saying too,Life is short...so we need to love life to the fullest. Happy New Year sweet lady. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

hobbyloes said...

What a wonderful story and you are skiing so elegant,
I'm so glad things are going well with your knees.
You and your husband had a wonderful time together.
Wish you and your family a healty and blessed New Year.

Linda said...

{{{Big, Big smiles}}} I am so happy to know you had a beautiful Christmas.

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

Oh Debbie, what a wonderful Christmas you both had together! I so enjoyed seeing you skiing down the lovely slope, and what a blessing for you to enjoy that special time with your hubby. I am choosing happiness everyday to enjoy whomever and whatever. Thank you for sharing your beautiful Christmas. Happy New Year, sweet friend!

Elizabethd said...

How elegantly you skiied down the slope, Debbie. The one time I tried, in Switzerland, I spent most of the time getting up from the snow!

Stephanie said...

Well, there I go again...tears have formed in my eyes and are about to fall down my face.... Seeing you and dad on the slopes makes my heart sing, truly. I have always loved hearing how you and dad met and when you shared with me yesterday that he would ski backwards while holding you to block the wind, well, that was a new part of the story I hadn't heard and it made me grin from ear-to-ear. Knowing your health issues including your knee and thinking you wouldn't be able to ski again makes this video/time all the more special. You and dad look so beautiful together - a precious couple indeed {and I'm not just saying that because you're my parents}.

Thank you for sharing this with your family and friends. It's a video I know I will enjoy watching many, many times. And yes, it really does make me cry every time....now how odd is that!

Have a good day, rest up, and feel better! Love you lots!

Christine said...

This is wonderful & how great to be able to go skiing together for a special Christmas gift!
Thrilled for you both & glad your knees held up.
Every blessing
Christine

Debby Ray said...

Oh Debbie, first just let me say you looked SO graceful out on those slopes...I would have thought you were a professional skier! I have never been on a pair of skis and although it seems to looks so easy, those down hill shots were a bit scary looking! How wonderful that you stepped out on faith so you could give your hubby the sweet pleasure of skiing together. What a lovely way to spend Christmas Day and what a blessing that the Lord strengthened to be able to do it! Thank you for sharing your special day with us, sweet friend! Hugs to you and may you have a most blessed 2017! ♥♥♥

Cheryl said...

Dear friend! I don't know what it was, but I sat here with tears in my eyes watching your video. It is just so precious that God gifted you and your dear husband with such a sweet, tender, enjoyable day together. And, in spite of your health issues, too. I am SO thankful you got to do this, and hopefully, now that you saw how well you did, you can go do it more often. You are so right. Life is just SO short, and we need to make the very most of every, single moment with our precious husbands and children and loved ones. Jesus wants us to live abundant life...not just barely eke by. You both ski so beautifully...it was a just a blessing and joy to watch!

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

What fun! I was sitting here thinking, slow down, slow down! But that's just me and my helicopterng. LOL! I'm glad you did it and glad you had a super day and made a wonderful memory.

Vicky Hunt said...

What a sweet blessing to read this and watch your video. Your Christmas could not have been more beautiful and perfect. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. God is so good and He gave you a wonderful day that won't soon be forgotten. Your hubby seems to be a pro using his new GoPro! Have a blessed New Year's.

Hugs, VIcky

quakerhillfarm said...

This was so beautiful! Your video and story brought tears to my eyes! Thank you for sharing. Have a most wonderful New Year!

AnnMarie aka Vintage Junkie aka NaNa said...

You go girl! Look at you skiing with two bad knees! I am so inspired by you. What a wonderful gift for you both and a wonderful memory for the rest of your lives. Your faith in our loving God is bigger than that mountain you skied! xoxo

Melanie said...

What a wonderful way to enjoy Christmas Day! I rejoice with you that you were able to ski. I have knees that are painful. I would be interested in hearing about your aqua exercises. You have a youtube video? I'd love to see it. Have a wonderful day, my friend.

Pom Pom said...

How great! I BET you had a ball! What a great idea! JOY! JOY! JOY! (I'll go watch the video now!)

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Wow, Debbie, that was such fun to watch! Made me want to give it a go! And I always love a sweet "how we met" story! Wishing you a wonderful 2017.

Anonymous said...

Oh Debbie... What a terrific gift! Yay that you were able to ski. Knee replacements are not as scary as they used to be. :-) wishing you a happy new year!

Victor S E Moubarak said...

Best wishes to you and yours for the New Year.

God bless.

Karen said...

That is awesome that you two had such a great time on the slopes! I have a knee problem too, so I am amazed by your courage!

Margie said...

What a cute "how we met" story!

Your skiing trip is definitely the best present that you can give your hubby. Thank you for sharing your fun video (great soundtrack choice!). I haven't skied in over 25 years so I lived vicariously through you. I would never have guessed that you had knee issues. You looked fabulous going down the slopes.

Happy New Year, Debbie!

Daniela said...

Dearest Debbie,
I'm so glad to read that you've had such a lovely time together with your husband !

In the hope that you and yours had a wonderful Christmas Day,
I'm wishing you all many blessings for your New Year ahead,
may it sparkle with joy and gladness, peace and health,

with much love and utmost gratitude

Xx Dany

Annesphamily said...

Hi Debbie, goodness it seems like yesterday we were sharing tea at the Dusty Rose in Georgetown. I love your story here. Such a memory to hold close and your gifts to each other were terrific. It is good to see you here. We have been under the weather with the crude too. One gets better and another falls over like dominoes. My lil great grandboy was sick and no one told us he had flu like symptoms! Whew....I am sure glad we had our flu shots. It saved us from getting sick again!
I need to get busy and post something.
Enjoy the New Year and I hope it is filled with many beautiful blessings. Take care xo Anne

Alex said...

My goodness, Debbie, this was heart~warming to read and watch.
You were brave and you trusted ...and look at the wonderful outcome!, I'm happy for you!
Its such a sweet video and a sweet story of you and your dear hubby.
Hugs! ~ and get well soon.

Vee said...

The video was such a treat! I am truly amazed that you were able to be on the slopes, but what joy it had to have been for you both. Enjoyed reading the story of how you met...very romantic! Hope that everyone is vertical now and ready to head into a brand New Year with gusto.

Camille said...

So sorry you have had a bug hit you and your precious grandsons....sounds like you have had a lovely Christmas time with family....the Lord is so very good to us, isn't He? May you know His hand upon you all in the coming year. I just want you to know that I am planning to put up my last post on the blog today, Lord-willing, and will be bowing out of the blog-world. However, we can certainly keep in touch via email....mine is flowersinhisgarden@gmail.com Also, if you decide to come to Vancouver....you are welcome to stay with us. With Love, Camille

LV said...

You may have some health issues, but you have truly been blessed with a wonderful attitude and outlook. You will overcome it all and still be the special lady you are. So thankful having you as a blogging friend. Take care.

Pamela M. Steiner said...

What a glorious day you had skiing! Truly a wonderful gift...both to your hubby...and to you from God...that your knees could ski like that! Amazing! I am totally in awe. I don't ski, and would probably never try it, but I admire your abilities, even after so many years away from it! Wow! God is good! Thank you for sharing your day with us!

living from glory to glory said...

Dearest, this was so sweet! I loved hearing how you met! You are so right, we just need to trust God and He allowed you to create a memory that will last for a very long time. And you have a video to prove it! Loved this...
Hugs, Roxy

September Violets said...

Oh Wow Debbie! You two look fantastic on the slopes together! You make it all look so easy, and I love the part where we can see you and your husband skiing together ... like you're gracefully dancing down the slopes together ... so sweet. I don't think you could have given him a better Christmas present, and I think this was the reason you couldn't get together with your daughters on Christmas Day. I too worked at a ski slope when I was younger, and I tried skiing a few times, but I was too frightened of the speed and the ice to really enjoy myself and gave it up quickly. It's always been something I regret not having learned at a young age. Thank you for sharing your video!
Wendy

CherylQuilts said...

Oh, Debbie!! How exciting to read your special Christmas gift to your hubby, and I LOVED the video! How beautiful, and what a special day for you both...as you remembered when you first met him! What a joy! Hugs and love! xoxo

Marilyn @ MountainTopSpice said...

Oh Debbie! What a precious gifting you gave to your husband! And the Lord blessed you with such a beautiful time together! I just know He is going to heal your knees, and help your knees and cartilage to heal and become stronger! I really enjoyed your video on Vail! You skied so beautifully and gracefully, and such a special time had with your husband! Oh this post really made me smile today! May the Lord continue to bless and keep you dear friend!

Deborah Montgomery said...

Oh Debbie, I saw that I've missed some of your posts and wanted to catch up. I'm so glad I didn't miss this! What a wonderful video, and it was thrilling to see you ski! You look such a natural at it. What a wonderful time, I'm so glad you went.
Now I'm off to see what else you've been up to! xo

Anne Payne said...

I don't know how I missed this! Y'all are amazing skiers!!! I just grinned the whole time watching the video. :)

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