I spent the day watching my three favorite movies - Vanity Fair, Pride & Prejudice, and Sense & Sensibility. Classics, those three!!

Then I cleaned...wished it was tomorrow and poof! The day will be over as quick as a wink. The work week is tiring, but most enjoyable. I enjoy being useful and it keeps me from being lonely. Long hours without Frank is depressing. :)

Oldie turned Goldie

Frank recently bought a violin on e-bay for around $50. It looked fine in the pictures, but the seller was selling it cheap because it was unlabeled. As it turns out, no one else wanted it, so we won the bid easy as a wink. It was discouraging, because there were several other violins that were sooo much more valuable that we got out-bid for. But I kept telling Frank that we would get the violins that were for us - no matter how worthless they seemed in comparison to other excellent buys.

We got the $50 piece of seemingly worthless wood, and I strung three strings on the pegs it came with. I noticed right away that the sound was potentially very good. The upper register was a little muted, but I knew that it was only because of the missing e-string. I was disappointed, however, by the fact that we were unable to find a peg to fit. After a lot of searching, we were able to determine that it was a custom piece; and after trying everything short of carving one ourselves we decided we would wait till we had $100 and take it up to Jan's place in Gainesville. Frank did notice that the label was carved on the back of the violin instead of the traditional label. It reads, "Lyon and Healy" and the year and country of origin were a complete mystery to us at that point.

So today, Frank made the effort and went up to Gainesville and got two pegs - one to replace a loose one, and one for the missing one. We spent $31 on $100 worth of work; the bridge was shaved down, the chin piece was adjusted, an e-string was strung, as well as the two pegs replaced. It sounds wonderful - big deep sound in the lower register, and a pleasant upper register without a ear piercing tinny that is so deja vu of every student model out there.

All things said and done, it is a French-made model made under the label of Lyon and Healy. It was made between the mid to late 1800's, in the city of Mirecourt. Our violin is valued at $6,000 and there is no way I will ever part with it! I enjoy playing violin, but I do not dare call myself a violinist. I am cellist at heart, and it a lot nearer to my heart than the violin has ever been. But this Lyon and Healy has such a great sound it is actually enjoyable to play. It is the classic oldie turned goldie story, except it finally happened to me. I own a valuable piece of history, all for $80 bucks; on a day that Frank randomly bid for an unlabeled instrument, on a violin that was meant for me all along.

Never reject anyone that looks undesirable like an old violin. You never know what's going to be underneath the varnish.

P.S. These next few sentences are specifically geared towards my mom and dad...

Just because Frank may not have been your "ideal choice" for the me, the cold hard fact is that we have been married for over 2 years, and I love him. I see him for who he is; a wonderful man who loves me more than I thought was humanly possible. I am not coming back, and I am more than happy where I am in life. Frank is a treasure that only gets better the longer we are together. And like that old violin that seemed ordinary yet turned out to be very valuable; Frank is a wonderful man that gets only better the more you get to know him. So why don't you two stop lying to yourselves and realize that we are together, he is a fantastic husband, and know that I am hanging on to my treasure.

To elaborate on yesterday's post:

I have no regrets in marrying my wonderful husband of nearly two years. Had I not taken the plunge when I did, I would forever regret having missed out on the most delightful last two years of my life. I look forward to many more years of joy with my beloved husband.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. "

We'll still regret some things we did; but we'll regret more what we didn't do ~ particularly when we know it was the right thing by God to do and chose to ignore it. Trust me on this one.

Thanksgiving Pictures

Here are the rest of the Thanksgiving pictures...I wasn't able to get them all in order, but I did the best I could!

Me and Phebe...

Mr. Lytle & Phebe

Mrs. Meyers

Mr. Lytle in a serious pose...a rarity.

Okay, Mr. Lytle in a not-so-serious pose!

Playing Chester

Mr. Lytle doing a weird pose while Mrs. Meyers pretends not to notice.

Mrs. Lytle has the giggles...

Caution: do not make weird faces if you do not want to be seen on the internet. Because I WILL post them.

Aw, how sweet...what a perfect couple.

"Put your left foot in, stick your right foot out...and hold."

Mr. Lytle having another stress-relieving moment...

Lydia and me having a jam session.

Mr. Lytle acting scared...not sure of what.

Marisol handing out food

Mr. Lytle showing off his big cup

Mr. & Mrs. Wilson...you should meet them sometime.

Mr. and Mrs. Lytle posing for the camera...

6th Thanksgiving Picture

This picture portrays Abby doing something useful, and shows that she has ever so good intentions!!! Who knows ~ maybe Samantha and Abby will play duets someday!

Also, we have dear Lyddie showing them how it's done...

5th Thanksgiving Picture

Can anyone guess who this is? (Show of hands, please.)

4th Thanksgiving Picture

Imagine one family feeding their children cake every day. You look at the table and they see their slice of cake with the place setting perfectly set. The fork and knife are all set and ready at their fingertips and you expect them to just sit and enjoy what others may not have the opportunity to have.

Now imagine another family that also feeds their children cake. This family however, doesn't have nice silverware or even a table. They just tell the children where the cake is, but don't really give directions how to eat it or even enjoy it because they don't know how to either. The children know that the cake is in the refrigerator but due to lack of direction, they eat it with their hands as best as they can.

Now I'm sure most readers are wondering what cake has to do with the picture, or what point I'm trying to make. Frank and I were talking yesterday about people born and raised in Christian families, and those raised without the benefit of a Christian home. No matter where we are born or how we are raised, we all ultimately make a choice about what we are going to believe. Those born in Christian homes (the family who was taught to eat cake with silverware) know they way they are supposed to walk. Still, it will be their choice whether they want to be saved. Those born without the Christian influence (the family that eats cake with their hands) will need to be taught how to do things properly, the true way to salvation. We who eat cake with a fork can't look down in scorn at those who eat cake with their hands. If they haven't been taught to eat cake with utensils, how can we expect them to do it right?

This was Frank's analogy, and I really enjoyed it. He should really be a preacher ~ at least to my thinking. All comments would greatly be appreciated.

Oh yes, and Abby's (pictured above with Frank) is being taught to eat cake with a fork (figuratively, in keeping with the analogy). I'm not sure that's how she prefers it...in real life. ;)

3rd Thanksgiving Picture

Okay...so I am still very prejudiced and want to keep posting pictures of Frank. But see, I put Josh in it this time!!!

Josh is a very special and perceptive young man, who knows when something is wrong and stays away from certain people. Why? Well, Josh has autism, which (for those of you who don't know), autism is a brain development disorder characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. The autism spectrum disorders (ASD) also include related conditions with milder signs and symptoms.

Autism has a strong genetic basis, although the genetics of autism are complex and it is unclear whether ASD is explained more by multi gene interactions or by rare mutations. In rare cases, autism is strongly associated with agents that cause birth defects. Other proposed causes, such as childhood vaccines, are controversial, and the vaccine hypotheses lack any convincing scientific evidence. The prevalence of ASD is about 6 per 1,000 people, with about four times as many boys as girls. The number of people known to have autism has increased dramatically since the 1980s, partly due to changes in diagnostic practice; the question of whether actual prevalence has increased is unresolved.

Autism affects many parts of the brain; how this occurs is not understood. Parents usually notice signs in the first two years of their child's life. Although early behavioral or cognitive intervention can help children gain self-care, social, and communication skills, there is no known cure. Few children with autism live independently after reaching adulthood, but some become successful, and an autistic culture has developed, with some seeking a cure and others believing that autism is a condition rather than a disorder.

What does that have to do with Josh being special? After Frank and I got married, I'm afraid that some very bad misconceptions began to go around, and rumors abounded on who and what Frank was. I'm very sorry to tell everyone that he is not a vampire, or anything out of the ordinary. No, he is not possessed by any special demons, (and no, I am not joking. I've heard some very nasty things, and I'd like to put some curiosities to rest. ) But I knew when my dear uncle and aunt invited Frank and I to go over to their place for dinner, that the ultimate test would be when Josh and Frank met. I kinda dreaded it in some ways, but I wanted to see what would happen. In the end, I trusted that Josh would love Frank just as much as I do. Can anybody guess what happened when Frank and Josh collided? Let's just say we are all trying to think of different ways to get Josh to do something other than jump on Frank's lap, beg him to go push him on the swing, and hog all the attention for himself. I guess any ideas I had that Josh might not like Frank were completely ungrounded. Between Josh always saying "more" for more fun time with Frank, and Abby showing the devoutest devotion to Frank by being the sweetest, most endearing creature when he's there (yes, I have to fight her for his lap, his kisses, and the privilege of sitting by his side!) when we go over I almost have my family to myself. I can only say that Josh is always right. If Josh loves Frank so much in his limited knowledge (which I daresay is more unprejudiced, simplistic, yet sophisticated than other persons in my acquaintance!) than everyone else who still has a problem with my husband needs to humble themselves to Josh's level and realize that they need to take a second look on how they are dealing with their opinions of my husband. And just as a reminder, if you, my dear reader, are getting the slightest bit upset about what you're reading, than I daresay you have a guilty mind. If it doesn't apply to you, then thank God right now that He has opened your eyes to His truths. And trust me, a guilty conscience is not a happy bedfellow. So if you can't sleep tonight because of too much on your mind ~ maybe it's because it isn't clear.

2nd Thanksgiving Picture

Okay, so I admit I am very prejudiced. I want to have a picture of Frank posted now, because I don't want to wait. (Don't worry, everyone who was at the feast will have their pictures posted soon.)

Frank has always encouraged me to tell the truth and be stand strong in what I believe in; so I wrote a poem today of something he would say...just in my words. Frank speaks many truths, I just have the knack of writing it down in a way that sounds pretty and softens the blow of exactly what it is ~ the truth. Feel free to comment...and please tell the truth. :)

To Be Strong

To be strong doesn't mean,
To always look good;
It's doing what's right,
What we know we should.

It's not saving face,
Or trying to be cool;
Because we will make,
Of ourselves a great fool.

It takes great courage,
To truly be strong;
It means telling the truth,
Even when you're wrong.

It means standing up,
For what you believe in;
Because when you lie,
You commit a great sin.

And being free from lies,
Will give your heart a song;
Standing for what is right,
Is one way to be strong.

1st Thanksgiving Picture

Okay, so I have a ton of pictures from Thanksgiving...(thank you Abby!!). I will try to be posting new pictures daily until they are all posted. Keep your eyes on the Wilson blog, and you just might learn something new about us...

So everyone knows how I eloped to marry Frank. Right? Okay, good. So does anybody know WHY I did it? Didn't think so. Little known fact: I suggested we invite Frank to church even before I knew his name ~ I think it goes without saying how that turned out. But regardless of everything that has happened since the night of September 3rd of the year 2007; Frank is my husband now. I want you to look at the picture above and give a good, hard look at Frank. Don't think about how he "stole me away." Look at his picture without prejudice or malice of any kind. Frank is a good husband, and he loves me beyond the expectations I ever had of him. He has made my family different forever, and it's time we all accept him for who he is. If you can't love Frank for who he is, (as a lot of you don't know him personally) love him because you love me. I am still the same Deborah I always was, except that I have been made better because God has bestowed His grace upon my life and given me the man I was going to need to keep me going strong. Yes, in some ways I am different. But I am different for the better. Yes, God and Frank still have a lot of work to do; God for the spiritual, and Frank for the earthly aspects. But I could not do without either of these two in my life, and I am thankful for where I am today. I know I am where I am because of the choices I have made. But I want everyone who knows me to understand that Frank and I are husband and wife now, and I will not allow anyone to look down on a wonderful thing.

Second in that picture is my good ole Uncle Sam. We all know he's a project, (sorry Sam) but you know what ~ it takes a lot of humility to be the only one in my family to invite Frank and me to sit at his table. To eat among his daughters for what all we know are now plotting their "escape" through their windows. Sound silly to you? It does to me. Despite every person's mistakes in life, God gives us each our own measure of grace to deal with the mistakes of others. What does this have to do with Uncle Sam? Start by asking yourself this: Who are we to judge others, when we ourselves have a log in our eye? I mean think about it. Are we sinless enough to point out the sins in others? Are we qualified like a panel of judges to decide who did wrong? When was the last time you sinned? And in case anyone is confused by my question, yes I mean lying. I mean things we categorize and consider "little lies." Telling your husband a partial truth. Telling your child that they can't do something and then getting up and doing it yourself. Do you see the double standard I am trying to explain? Sam has allowed the chiefest of sinners (yes, I mean me...and I'm kinda tired of telling everyone that) and has invited us to his home, among his wife and children, no less. Do you think you could do that? Do you have enough humility to do what he has done? He doesn't have us over to remind us that we're bad kids, that we need to start bonding with the rug beside the couch, etc, etc. But I have learned from him that pride needs to be put aside, and we need to be humble.

Samantha. Where do I start? Beyond asking me why I had left home, she accepted me and Frank. (Key word readers, FRANK.) Yeah, remember that guy I married? The one that's my husband? Same one. All I told her was "because I loved him." She didn't need to know the whole story. She didn't need a three hour explanation. And just like that, she nodded and gave me another hug. To have the love of a child. I wish everyone could be as simplistic as she is. She's not naive like other children. She knows right from wrong very well. But you know what, she loves me enough to forgive all rumors she hears and is told, and decided that love and forgiveness were more important to her than keeping a grudge.

Sometimes the people we love make very bad mistakes in life, and we wish we could go back in time and start all over again. But sadly, we are given only one chance. We only have one life. No matter where you are, who you are, or what you have done; you cannot take it back. You cannot do it over. You cannot try again. We are each given one chance in every situation, and God promises to give us an opportunity in each situation to back out of it before it's too late. But many times (as we all can testify) we do not take that way out that God provides us. In every temptation, there is a way of escape. There is a choice we can make to do the right thing before it's too late. Once done, our choice is final. We can't take it back. We can't change our mind at the last minute and hope it will all work out. We cannot erase the past. God promises to forgive us of our sins, but He does not promise there will be no consequences as a result of our choices. My choice was to marry Frank. The way I chose to walk the path that lead to being his wife is not only the one I regret, but the one I will answer for. Frank told me that by sneaking around would be to show I was ashamed of him from the start. But I chose to not try again and appeal to my parents. I want everyone to know that I am not ashamed of my husband, and I would like for all the people I know and have grown to love (yes, everyone from FBT) to see what a wonderful man God has blessed me with. The journey will not be easy. But think of this: has your way of escape been closed because you chose not to do it God's way? Are you too late? Have you ignored your last chance at redemption forever because you refuse to admit your wrong?Think about that while you lay in bed tonight. No matter what it is, open your eyes and take that way of escape ~ you'll ultimately be glad you did.

Of Religon & Sports

So, for the people who don't know me. I am an avid football fan and was very happy to see Tim Tebow and The University of Florida win another BCS Nation Title. However what I'm very disappointed in is the Criticisms that Tim Tebow has come under for his "Message".

To Tim and many others there is a great message in those letters and numbers. To those that do not believe in the message they should only see letters and numbers, and have no reason for finding offense. But, that would make too much sense. The reality is that those that find offense in the letters and numbers John 3:16 are really finding offense with the God whom they are rebelling against. If they find offense in the letters and numbers of John 3:16, then they will also find offense in God's word found in the next verses. "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather then light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." John 3:17-21

So, my applause to Tebow and the Christians that have positively responded to his message. To the reverend who thinks Tebow's actions aren't appropriate. God warns us about the consequences of being ashamed of Him in Mark 8:38 - 38 "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." This is a cynical world in which we live that tries to silence good Christian folks. Praise God for sending his Son to us to die for “OUR” sins and give us a chance for salvation, I for one am proud! It’s shameful that people are finding offense in the very message of hope and salvation. But then again that's nothing new for the times we descend upon.