Road Trips!

Bruce was off this week so we decided to take the kids on a couple of road trips. Tuesday we took them to Damascus, Virginia to ride the Virginia Creeper Trail. I always love that trip. It's one of my favorite things to do. I'm so glad Brother Ken and Mrs. Tammy introduced us to that place!! We had a blast!

Then Friday we picked Kelsey up and we all headed to Linville Caverns in Linville, NC, we rode the Blue Ridge Parkway, hiked up Mt. Mitchell, and finished the evening off at the Fatz in Marion. Again, we had another fabulous day. The scenery in both of the trips was just beautiful.
I took this at a lookout on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Isn't it lovely?


My darling hubby outside the caverns in Linville.


Kelsey and Justin waiting for our tour.


Someone was kind enough to take our pic on Mount Mitchell. We got tickled because nothin' do Bruce but to get to the top and then it was nothing but fog. No view. Oh well....at least we can say we were at the highest point, right?

And here are my lovies as we were just beginning the Creeper Trail. I have tons of pictures and I'll be posting them in a slide show as soon as I have time.

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Please remember the family of Ricky Baker in your prayers today. We will be leaving for the funeral shortly. This will be a very difficult time for our entire family.

Cousin Ricky

About a year ago, we received a phone call on a Sunday afternoon that Bruce's cousin, Ricky, had died from a heart attack and that he was found kneeling at the couch as though he had been praying. Which did not take us by surprise, knowing that Ricky was a praying man! Our hearts were heavy with grief. A little while later we found out that it was a case of mistaken identity. That the person who had died was also named Ricky, but not our Ricky. We were so relieved.

At the family reunion in December, Ricky got up and told his side of the story of that day. We laughed and carried on about that for months.

Today, however, that mistaken news became a reality for us. While preaching the funeral of his Uncle, Ricky stressed the importance of knowing Christ and making sure you were right with Him when you died. At the close of the service, six of his family came forward to accept Christ. Ricky was overcome with joy, as you can imagine. He began to shout and praise the Lord. And as he knelt over one of them to pray, the Lord did call him home.

I have no doubt there was great rejoicing in Heaven when he passed from this world to the next. Beholding the face of his Jesus, his Saviour, his King. All the things he has preached and believed became reality for him this afternoon.

It is hard for me to imagine our family gatherings without Ricky. He just always seemed to be the life of any gathering. Always having something funny to say. And yet he was also a humble servant of God. Telling others about Christ whenever he could. Pleading for others to accept Christ before it were too late.

Ricky may not have celebrities gathering in a large auditorium, or be immortalized by the media or millions of fans around the world. But he will always be remembered. And he will be waiting on the other side of Jordan until we meet again.

Our July 4th Weekend

I have been reprimanded by a few people, who shall remain nameless, because I have not been blogging as regularly as I have in the past. So I am going to make a conscience effort to blog. Maybe then, the nameless will GET OFF MY BACK ALREADY!!! ha haaaaaaaa....I'm kidding!

These pictures are all out of whack, but it doesn't matter......I'm blogging them anyway!
:)
Sunday night after church, we went to Don's Italian Restaurant with some friends. There were a LOT of laughs there!


Look at my Darlin'. Ain't he sweet? And the other guy, looking as though he is in deep thought, is Brother Mark. The newest member of our church and the father of a certain young lady who has captured the attention of my son.


And these are the squirts that giggled and fidgeted the evening away.

Nicole impressed us with her unique talent of touching her chin with her tongue. Can you do that? I believe she has Jersey Cows in her blood line.

Jeannie, the mother of said young lady that has captured the attention of my son, is also very talented with her tongue. I got really tickled that she had to warm up for this by stretching her tongue first. She could actually touch her tongue to her nose. I'm sure that comes in handy on a cold day. If you think about it, you'll get that! HA haaaaaaaaa Love ya, Jeannie!

And here she is touching her chin. I tell ya....these gals are impressive!

This is Brother Johnny and his beautiful little foster girl. She sure does love her Poppy. She is just a precious and wonderful child. Absolutely sweet.

Brother John O' preached a wonderful message Sunday morning for us. I have the notes and I'll share those soon.

I don't think he was trying to touch his nose or his chin, but it sure was a funny picture so I had to add it to this post. Hehehe

Last Friday, the mother and father of the certain young lady that has captured the attention of my son, and Bruce and I, took the youngsters to dinner at the El Titanic Restaurant. It was a really fun evening followed by beautiful fireworks set off at our local mall.

This is that certain young lady, Kelsey, and Justin.

Saturday, we had a family gathering at my brother-in-law's home. We had a good time. It's always great to see our family. Uncle Bruce was blowing bubbles for Mackenzie. That child loved the bubbles!

Bryan was being goofy here.

After a time of food and fun with Bruce's family, we stopped by my parent's home and had a great supper of mom's homemade BBQ. Mmmm! This was the hamburger cake she bought at the bakery. It was really good!

We enjoyed quite a feast with my parents and enjoyed the time we spent with them.

My mommy!

My daddy and mommy!....and Dolly. We left their house and took the kids uptown for more fireworks. They were great!

It was a truly wonderful July 4th weekend!

Happy Birthday To Me!

This is my birthday post, but I'm sharing it with Hannah's friend, Kendra. :)
Kendra is a younger model of her mother. She is 13 and sassy. And we love her!!!!!

We celebrated her birthday at Fatz last week and had a great time!


Hannah


Kendra's mom, Mrs. Janet!


And Hannah's mom, me. LOL I kept looking at this picture trying to figure out what that hair ball was on my head. It was actually the waitress walking behind me. HA!

We had a great lunch and from what I understand Kendra had a long, several days of celebrating. One day with her mother having her nails done, a day with me and Hannah, a great meal with all of her family on Sunday....and who knows what else. Now that's the way to celebrate!!!

Kendra, you're a sweet girl and we love you bunches. Hope you had a wonderful birthday!!

My birthday is today. Yep....I'm thirty-eight.


Besides a wallet full of cash (yippee) Bruce gave me a birthday dinner Saturday with my parents and his mom. It was really good! Steak, loaded taters, and salad. He grilled the steaks to perfection!

My dear mother-in-law, Marie.

My darling hubby cutting my cake.

My darling hubby eating the cake.

And of course he said we needed cheesecake. He said to enjoy it because not every year would we see cheesecake and birthday cake....this year he was just feeling saucy. hehe

Marie gave me this great pocketbook and some spending money. (Yippee!)

Me and my parents....they gave me some personal items and more cash. (Yippee!) And today they're bringing me some of my dad's most awesome bbq chicken wings. Oh mercy....they are soooooo good!

And a little kissy-kissy with my hubster.

After dinner and gifts, we sat down to watch the picture video Bruce did for me.

It was so sweet, the pictures he had on the video.

This morning, I received a phone call from my dad at 5:15, on his way to dialysis, wishing me a Happy Birthday. Wasn't that thoughtful. *rolling eyes* lol

And then Bruce woke me up to these beautiful mini roses, a couple of my favorite snacks, and a very sweet card with one of his Brucey poems written inside.

Bruce's Poem:

She walks in pure beauty and light....

...she's made this way.

Her visage springs forth upon an inner sight...

...it's her I need every day.

She flies upon thoughts only I know...

...mine she is forever.

Where she is, I am, or there I'll go....

....without her I can be - never.

A day upon days as special as this....

...a celebration of her life.

Eternities I wait between each kiss....

....my life, my love, my wife.

Now how sweet is that????

Need Furniture?

This post is for those living in the area here. If you are interested in the following items or know someone that would be interested, leave me a message and I'll give you the number to contact my friend, Anna. She'll be happy to speak with you!

1 dining room table with two chairs

dropleaf in cherry; nice for a small area and a small family

I love the set, but we don't need it anymore. Both chilluns used it as starter pieces for

their homes. We used it to work jigsaw puzzles on! Know anyone downsizing? This would be great! No scratches or dents. (How can you dent wood???) Katie made biscuits on it once. Hey, that makes it a collector's item! Ha!

Asking price: $150

1 queen-size bedroom suit: oak; one end table with two deep drawers and one chest of drawers with five drawers

We no longer need this either, and both chilluns have no need for the set either.

Again, no scratches or dents. :)

Asking price: $200

This weekend we celebrated my birthday, which is actually this Wednesday. Bruce invited my parents and my mother -in- law over for steaks off the grill, loaded potatoes, and salad. It was so good! He did an excellent job on the steaks!!

I opened my gifts, which were some personal things from my parents, plus cash (yee haw), a beautiful pocket book from my mother-in-law and some cash (yee haw), and a bundle of cash from Bruce (yee haw!!!!) I do believe a shopping trip is in the making, folks!

Dessert, of course, was a birthday cake with my favorite ice cream...cookies and cream. And cheesecake was optional.

All of this was followed by a picture DVD my darling hubby made for me. It was so sweet. It had pics of me with my family, children I've babysat, friends. It was great! I have pics, but we'll have to wait on those. No time to upload right now.

Then Sunday night we had a fellowship after church, eating up all the leftovers from the Patch Bowl, which was the older Patch Class's awards banquet. Harrison will be moving up to this class in the fall so we'll be able to attend the Patch Bowl again. It is always an interesting time to see the children go against their parents in Bible questions. Anyway, the fellowship Sunday night was great. We were able to get to know another family, that has been visiting, a little better. It's really almost scary the things our families have in common. I knew the mother and I were kindred spirits when she said she loved the show Snapped.

So that was my weekend. I have a feeling this coming weekend is going to hold some great things also!

Saint Michael? I Don't Think So

I've been really shocked at the amount of people, not the amount of unsaved people, but those who claim to be Christians, that are saying how sad it is we've lost the great "legend" Michael Jackson. And how we shouldn't judge him.

We don't have to judge him. A couple of my facebook friends posted on their status updates this verse, Hebrews 9:27 "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:"

I started thinking about the word legend and there are several different definitions. The one that jumped out at me was this: a story of the life of a saint.

Hmmm.... I do not know all that his childhood held. Or what was going on in the man's head the last twenty years. But I do not believe the story of Michael Jackson is that of a saint. Taking care of monkeys and having a ferris wheel in your back yard for special needs children does not make you a saint. And MOST definitely the scandal after scandal he was involved in does not make him a saint.

What makes a saint is when one repents of their sins and accepts Christ as their Saviour.

Bruce and I were talking today about all the money he had and all the good he could have done with that money. We talked about how someone with his bank account could have had doctors on standby for such an emergency situation as he faced today. But the truth is, when God wants to stop your heart, your bank account is useless.

Matthew 6:19
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and
rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

Lots of Pics

We've had a lot going on the last several days and so I've loaded all of my pics up to my facebook albums. Here are the private links to those albums if you would like to see them. I like using the fb albums because it's so much faster than trying to upload them all to blogger. I won't do that all the time, but since I have so many to share, it just makes it a lot easier.

We had a great time at the Greer Baptist Camp Meeting Monday night. It's always a blessing to go. I wish I had not worn a long denim skirt since it was quite hot, but I was very thankful for the small fan Mrs. Diane let me borrow to wear around my neck. Harrison and I both were! lol Click here for pictures of the Greer Baptist Came Meeting.

Father's Day was good Sunday. We had a great service Sun morning and then mom and dad came here for dinner. I cooked a roast, potatoes with different toppings, green beans, biscuits, and cheesecake. It was quite tasty.

Saturday we spent the morning at the church. The kids were doing their thing in bus ministry and I was helping with the last minute touches for the Sigma banquet. Then Saturday night was the banquet. Click here to see the Sigma pictures.

Friday morning I waited for mom to call so I could pick daddy up from the hospital. He was ready as soon as I got there. When we arrived to his house, mom wasn't there and I had no key...neither did daddy. Justin had my key to their house and mom had daddy's key in her purse. So we waited and waited about thirty minutes or so when mom finally pulled in. We didn't know she had left the door unlocked for us. Silly us.

So anyway, that's the update on the last several days. Oh, I don't think I told y'all that daddy was in the hospital. Yes, he was in last week. Last Wed, his blood count was low after dialysis so they sent him by ambulance to the hospital. After a blood transfusion and cauterizing a stomach ulcer, he was able to come home Friday afternoon. Click here for pictures of the hospital stay.

NOW! That's the last of the updates. Enjoy the pics!

Quick Post

FRIDAY:
*My dear daughter came home from camp. Click her blog at Sugar and Spice to see her pictures.
*Picked daddy up from hospital and took him home.
*Cleaned mom's bathroom and ran the vacuum for her.
*Outback and Krispy Kreme with my beloved.
*Dropped mom and dad off a KK doughnut on the way home.
*Slept good!

SATURDAY:
*Made DVDs for the youth group.
*Cut out some race cars for the banquet decor.
*Covered a door.
*Cut up onions. (I dislike that, by the way.)
*Helped Mrs. Janet with the covers for the DVDs.
*Took Mrs. Pam home.
*Went Father's Day shopping for my hubster.
*Instructed my kids on getting my car washed and cleaned out!!!!!!!
*Getting ready for Sigma Banquet tonight.

I'll have pics later. Sometime between now and Monday. Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Justin's Birthday

Justin had classes yesterday at the college but when he got home I took him out to lunch at Mi Pueblito. It was really good and we had a great time. I'm still shaking my head that he's seventeen. *sigh*

Anyway, we stopped at Wal Mart to pick up a few things he wanted for his birthday dinner. It was so hot yesterday and I was thrilled to know that he wanted hoagies and I wasn't going to have to cook.

Since daddy is in the hospital it was just mom and Marie that made it last night. But it was still a nice time. We missed having daddy there. And I know he missed being here. You know, we got to thinking....daddy has been in the hospital more on Justin's birthday than at any other time. June is just not a good month for dad.

You can click here to see Justin's birthday pics.

Hannah will be home very soon. Like within the hour. It will be so good to see her sweet little face!!

June 18, 1992

What a day that was!

Bruce and I were living in Germany while he was serving in the Air Force. I was expecting our first baby and scared out of my mind.

It was a Wednesday afternoon when I suspected our little one was about to make his grand entrance. I didn't tell Bruce of my suspicions, just in case I was wrong. Plus I thought it would be fun to surprise him.

We went about our afternoon as usual. He sat in the living room reading and listening to music while I cooked supper before we left for church.

Bruce was teaching the RA's class at that time and I sat up in the service. Two of my church friends were sitting with me when my contractions started. We timed them through the service and at 8:00 sharp, they were five minutes apart. Pastor Hill said the closing prayer and I went to find the expectant father.

He was standing in his class room saying goodbye to a few of the little boys, "Bruce, are you ready" I asked?
"Yeah, I'll be done in just a second."
"No, honey......are you ready?"
"Ready for what?"
"Ready to be a daddy. It's time."
The look on his face was one I'll never forget. Sheer excitement mingled with sheer fear. That makes a funny expression.
We gathered our things and got on our way to Wiesbaden...a 45 minute drive. Good thing we took the autobahn, huh?

When we got to the hospital, we were checked in and put in a room where they took my vitals, hooked me up to fluids and monitors, etc. The nurse came in and stuck me several times with the IV. I looked up at Bruce, who had turned a very pale shade, and watched as he slightly swayed back and forth before falling straight to the floor. I'm pretty sure he tried to talk, but it came out like a mumble in another language. "Oh, we have a dad down, guys" I heard one nurse say. Several of them helped him up and into a chair. He sat there with a glaze covered look in his eyes for a few minutes while his brain reset.

It wasn't long before it was time to start pushing. They wheeled me into the delivery room and after a few pushes, I heard the sweetest sound I had ever heard. The faint, wee cry of my firstborn son. He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. So precious. He weighed 7 lbs 13 ounces.

And so a new life had started. It's been seventeen years and he's been a joy from day one.

Happy Birthday, David Justin! We love you very much!

Hello Mother, Hello Father, Here I Am At Camp Grenada!

Janet and Kendra picked Hannah and me up this afternoon so that Janet and I could drop Kendra and Hannah off at camp. Wow....that was a big sentence. Anyway!


We stopped at Olive Garden on the way for lunch and it was good. The fellowship was nice and at least we knew the girls had at least one GOOD meal before we see them again Friday. hehe....
When we got there we found out the camp was on the church property. So we got them checked in and registered in the main building.

Mrs. Janet bought the girls a camp shirt. The front said, The Race is on........09. It also has the name of the camp and location, but I blocked that out...in case you're wondering what the smudges are. lol

They were given wrist bands to tell what teams they were on and if they had permission to go down the zip line.

Hannah and Kendra were put on seperate teams. Should inspire some friendly competition.

Next we....or rather they....retrieved their luggage from Mrs. Janet's van.

We took the girls to their dorm and were tickled at the rows of bunk beds. I can't imagine this many girls in one room. We'll have to pray earnestly for the dorm mother. lol

There was a laundry room in the girl's dorm so that was nice to know in case the girls ended up needing to wash something.

The girl's bathroom....

...one of the shower stalls.

The church has a printing ministry. They were busy printing away when we walked the facility.

This is the church's main auditorium.

I noticed they had a lot of lions in their decorations. I liked the gate on their fence.

This was the dorm. Boys on one side...girls on the other.

Another building on the property...not sure what they do there.

Hannah and Kendra were bubbling over with excitement. I really think they're going to have a good time.

LOVE YOU, GIRLS!!!!

She's One of Us

Amy and the boys were in town this weekend. Brother Mark had to be back in Ripley for his church, so we missed seeing him here. But it was so good to see Amy and hear her sing. I know she doesn't come here to sing, but it's always a blessing to hear her and since she's still considered a part of our church family, the piano bench and microphone are always open to her.

Look at her........she's just one of us. :)

Tex Mex at Greg and Janet's

Last night we went to Greg and Janet's house for Tex Mex. As usual, Janet outdid herself on the cookin'. We LOVE El Titanic, but I gotta say that Janet's Tex Mex is so much better! YUM!!

Bruce and I had arrived at their home and were waiting for mom and the boys to get there. When they finally did arrive, we were informed that mom needed help into the house because she had fallen at the gas station on her way over.

Poor thing...she was so pitiful.
The knuckle on her index finger was swelling.



And she bruised up her leg pretty bad.


Lying in the chair was good for her for a little bit. Her injuries didn't hinder her from being part of the Friday night fun.



She wasn't going to let her fall keep her from playing Mexican Train and Prison Rummy.


My sister, Janet....always going like the Energizer bunny. I love her.

And then, of course, we can't forget Greg. He had worked all day out in the heat and since he's still on blood thinners from his accident (which make him sleepy) he just couldn't hold his little eyeballs open.

Other than mom's fall, the night was good. The fellowship was good. The food was good. The games were good. It was all good!

A Flash From The 70's and 80's

Think I'll get up and clean the kitchen. There's nothing in there but dirty cups, glasses, and mugs. Five people in the house and forty-eight*slightly exaggerated* cups, glasses, and mugs to wash. What is up with that? I think I'll start making the kids drink from the water hose. Oh come on....y'all know your mama made you do the same thing when you were growing up. There was no such thing as filtered water or Dasani. They'd lock us out of the house and make us drink from the spiket when we were thirsty. Most of the time, we'd get peanut butter sandwiches passed through the kitchen window. On a good day, there would even be jelly on it! But don't leave it lying there. You'd come back to ants. And then we were told our plates better not be left outside. Hello, mom???? The door is locked!!!! So you knock on the door in hopes of getting in the cool house for just a moment, sneaking to your room to play quietly, only to be rejected by mother's hand slipping out to grab the plate just before shutting the door again. Followed by the sound of the clicking lock. You'd whimper, mosey on over to your swing set or tree house, wipe the sweat off your little red face, and think to yourself, Do striped shirts REALLY go with plaid pants?