Christmas with Santa Tracy

05/22/2024

For those of you who may not have figured it out, I am Santa! I've been asked why I do it, and I've always said "because it's fun!" Well, in the last few days I've come up with an answer.

Sunday while at Church, I was greeted by so many hugs from short people and tell people alike! One mom said, that's how she gets her kids to church because maybe they'll see Santa! And I love the hugs!

Now, I'm in tears. A father came to me to thank me for making his sons Christmas so fun and happy. He said he lost his son to a battle with cancer recently, the last Christmas He has so much fun at a Christmas party that I was invited to.

I think perhaps that's the best compliment I've ever had. And that's why I'm Santa everyday, even if I'm in my Clark Kent outfit. If you recognize me you can come up and say hi or give a hug. I like that! I'm going to go blow my nose now...

05/19/2024

Look at those beautiful things... Purple and all... That's a purple iris from my mom's garden. It was her favorite flower. I just told someone last week that it has only bloomed once since it's been in my backyard. Now it's Bloom twice!

05/11/2024

My mother and my wife, mother of my two kids... Nana to our three redheads!

04/30/2024

Isaiah 60:1 says, "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee."

04/08/2024

What time is the solar eclipse on Monday? Well, it depends on where you live in Iowa. In Des Moines, people will be able to see a partial eclipse from 12:43 p.m. to 3:13 p.m. At 1:58 p.m., 84% of the sun will be obscured by the moon, its peak.3

04/07/2024

Sorry in advance for this long post. I hope you find it worth reading.
Part of what I took out of today's message, was taking time to listen for God's word. We often pray, sometimes asking God for things, when were going through a test. And often the answer comes back and we're just not listening. One of the things that I struggle with the most is listening for God's answers to my prayers.

After church I went over to the grocery store to pick up some supplies for game watching. There's nothing quite like a tortilla chip dipped in spicy cheese to get you through a good basketball game. Driving home I was reminded again, that I often struggle with remembering some of the deeds of the old Tracy, and I often pray asking God to erase those memories and let me only remember the good memories. And that's when it happened....

I clearly heard God tell me specifically, if you have time to spend remembering those memories, then perhaps you're not spending enough time making new memories. New better memories. Wow! Talk about a mic drop moment!!

I've been in a season of doing less because I haven't been feeling well, and now spring is here and I have determined that this spring and summer I will go into a season of making new and better memories. Perhaps another mission trip, or a nice weekend trip with Nana. Yesterday Nana and I spent a nice afternoon/evening with the redheads. Those were great memories.

So dear friends, pray for better health and better decision making, and a more active memory making season for Papa and Nana!

04/04/2024

Possibly the ultimate cure...
I have a cough that is terrible, painful and every 5 minutes... Keeping me up all night since last Saturday. This "tea" allowed me to sleep most of the night last night. The cough is still with me, but not as debilitating. I'm having more tonight... Here's the recipe:
Two cups of water on a nice simmer on the stove
1 tbsp of honey
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
A sprinkle of cayenne pepper
Whisk in the ingredients. When thoroughly mixed, pour in your favorite cup and enjoy.

I slept good last night.

03/31/2024

More Bridge Kids Friends on this Happy Easter!

03/31/2024

Me and two of my besties at the first of 12 Bridge Church Easter services at 4 locations?

03/18/2024

Happy birthday to my Bride, Deb Songer !

03/13/2024

‭‭2 Timothy 1:7 CSB‬‬
[7] For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.

03/11/2024

So, I was driving to church today in Centerville, listening to the radio, and I heard a quote that struck me to the core... It was from John Newton, who wrote the hymn Amazing Grace. Here's the quote:

I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am
John Newton

I am so thankful that I am not who I used to be. Life could be so different now, and not in a good way, had things turned out differently. But I am what I am by the grace of God.

By His Grace, I hope to be better everyday.

03/06/2024

‭‭Galatians 5:14-15 CSB‬‬
[14] For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself. [15] But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.

But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.

01/09/2024

Well... The snow blower fired right up! Not that it did any good! It's not real good at moving snow this year.

We are in search of someone with a snowblower to clear our drive and sidewalks. Anybody out there know anybody?

Thanks !

01/09/2024

Latest road conditions from 511...

12/20/2023

One of Santa's favorite holiday tunes...

https://youtu.be/qEaCy-s5v1s?feature=shared

12/20/2023

We had Santa in the store today, and he said we’ve all been great this year! 🤗🎄🎅🏻🧑🏻‍🎄

12/19/2023

Tomorrow I'm going to Centerville to their preschool and elementary school! I love doing these types of events. As I was preparing for the visit, I noticed that I was short on those little candy canes that I like to share with all my short friends ❤️. So I went to my favorite grocery store to get more. Unfortunately, they didn't have enough of the little ones left on the shelf, so I got to thinking... Many of the short folks don't like the peppermint because it's a tad spicy. So I thought I would splurge and get some of the larger flavored ones, cherry, wintergreen, grape... A nice variety.

I bought 28 dozen in total. When I got to the register I ran into a great friend and we got to visit about what my candy canes were for while waiting in line. After my cashier rang me up, before I could get my card out of my wallet my friend plugged hers into the machine and said, "Merry Christmas!" Thank you, Cathy!

Here's a fun video of my reception last Saturday. Thank you, Officer Katlyn for inviting me to your family party!

12/16/2023

Well... The plan today was to be walking around downtown Ottumwa from 10 till 11:30, but it's raining! So I think I'll park myself inside Top Hat Coffee House and My Chic Boutique and float between the two and try and stay dry! LOL 🎅. Come see me!

12/15/2023

12/09/2023

12/08/2023

Full weekend of fun! Come see me!

12/06/2023

Don't forget... Thursday afternoon I'm at the at South Ottumwa Savings Bank for the Church Street Stroll, Friday I'll be at the Historical Museum from 3-5 and South Hy-Vee from 5:30 till 7:30. Then, Saturday's events include Chanelle's Dog Boarding from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m., the Canteen in the Alley from noonish till 1:15, Penn Central Mall from 2:00 to 4:00, and Menards in Ottumwa from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

I'd love to see you then!

12/06/2023

Come see me this week!

11/29/2023

My Head Elf wants to help!

11/27/2023

A busy weekend coming up, but first... I'll be at Penn Central Mall on Wednesday from 5-7, then on Saturday December 2nd, I start my day at 7:30 at the Bridge Church Christmas store from until noon, then back to Penn Central Mall from 2:00 until 4:00, then the Saddle Club is having their party (private event) at 7:00 p.m., after which I'll be going to the Wapello County Fire Department (private event). Then, Sunday December 3rd I'll be back in Penn Central Mall in Oskaloosa from 2:00 until 4:00...