Vacating together (phase 2)

Secret gardens!

The Honorable John!

Me and Barbara

Jim-the baby

Me and Marty

Steve and parents

Me w/family and Mom

Beth and Mom

Golfing Buds: Steve, mom and Beth

We love you all!

Vacating together....

We took some time to vacate jobs and visit w/our parents. We had a great time, busy but great! Now that we are older, naturally our parents are older and this brought to my mind something that Jill had said when she was only 5. We met a very old man at the grocery, he stopped to talk to our daugthers and went on his way. Later that night as the girls were getting ready for bed, Jill spoke up and said "You know mommie, that man must of really loved his parents." "Why do you say that Jill" "Because the Bible says that if you love your parents you will live a long time."
Ephesians 6:1-3
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.(v2) HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise), (v3) SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH.

We had so much fun: eating, golfing, walking thru what I call "the secret garden" at Annie's and the quaint garden at Dot's. I stopped in on my 2 aunts/uncles.It amazes me that they live in the same houses I grew up visiting all the time.(understand I have moved at least 10 times in my married life) so I loved seeing those homes again! Aunt Velma, Steve is still talking about Millie and her food bowls! I visited my brother at his worksite and took a picture w/o children or spouses or animals. He looks good and memory took me back to summer days on Woods Ave. (although he is 8 yrs younger than I am) Hush Jim, I use to change your diapers!
I so enjoyed laughing with my mom! Mom and I really tried to pull a joke on Steve at the hospital but he knows not to trust us when we say "we have a surprise for you, just close your eyes."

I got to meet high school friends from 1972! Funny how quick we can loose our memory but then gain it back! HAHAHAHA! Marty, congrats on your newest quest in real estate and I can so remember your long beautiful hair in school. It was so good to see you, you look great! Barbara, I was so thankful that we made time to meet after all these years. I have your back in prayer and I loved sharing grandchildren stories w/you. Girls, lets keep in touch. (BTW, I got permission to post their pictures here-TeeHee) Although we have all changed since age 18...we have stayed the same where it matters most-inside the heart!

Steve, his mother, sister and myself took a trip to visit Steve's best friend since kindergarten. John had suffered a stroke last winter and is rehabiliating in a nursing home, for 3 more weeks! He is doing well and we really do praise God for the improvememt he has made. Steve has decided that John is the Honorable John, b/c he seemed to be the mayor of the home, all the ladies love him! But then John has always been a loveable teddy bear.

Enjoy the pictures above...my favorite is "Grandma's Garden Hat" I love taking pictures of these type of things! Good thing I have a digital camera, just delete and go!

Joy for your day!

More pics of the 3rd!

Greer Stadium Home of the Nashville Sounds AAA Team.

Great friends....great night!

Thanks for a great night out! We must do this again!

The 4th, well actually the 3rd....

Have I ever expressed just how much I love fireworks? I remember as a kid going w/my family to the Valley Drive-In on the 4th of July. My brother and sister were very young 2&3 and I was 10. My mom would busy herself making popcorn and snacks for the drive-in, prepare my younger siblings w/baths and PJ's, make sure we had a blanket to lay on top of the car and off we would go. Our parents would take us up to the playground right in front of the huge screen to occupy our time till the cartoons started. Then we would rush back to the car and get settled for the cartoons and movie knowing full well that after the movie (if we were awake) we were going to watch the firework display.

The movie ends and then my dad would lay out the blanket and I would get to sit on top on the car hood to watch the fireworks. My brother and sis were asleep most of the time. But I would be as excited as Christmas morning to watch the fabulous display of color that seemed to rain down on top of me. The BOOM sounded like it would vibrate thru my skin and bounce of off my bones!

Last night we went to the Nashville Sounds BBall game with friends Dennis and Beth. And I took myself back to the drive-in...once again. It got to be bottom of the 6th and I was getting excited about the upcoming fireworks. We witnessed a proposal of marriage and the announcement to a husband of the expected arrival of their first child! Then the Fireworks! Splashes of color! Booming in my chest! Right below us was a young family w/2 cute curly redheaded boys they went thru the gamet of snacks, we gave them one of our baseballs, mom had melted icecream all over her and in the bottom of the 9th, their 18 month old fell asleep and slept right thru the fireworks. Even though 44 yrs had passed from my memory and this young families memory of the 4th...things pretty much stay the same. Moms and Dads do alot of preparing for special memory making, kids eat and play and watch in wonder at the fireworks and babies still sleep thru it all!

I hope your 4th was a blast, that you took time to remember family and country and heroes long past. This life we are given goes so by so fast, don't forget to "stop and smell the roses" along the way. Joy to all of you out there in blog-land.

From the mouth of babes....

Please allow me to share a conversation my daughter had with her oldest daughter who is 5 1/2 yrs old. Shana spent the weekend w/o kids at her sister’s new home just 1 hour away. They were shopping at Hobby Lobby and Shana found a really nice cross to hang on her living room wall.

Monday morning, she was getting ready to hang the cross and KK asked her why she was hanging it up. “So when we look at it, we will remember Jesus.”

“But mommy we already know about Jesus in this house.” said KK. Well mommies have to think quick sometimes, so Shana said, “That is right, so what if every time we think about being thankful, we look at the cross and be thankful to God for all we have.”

The day progressed and evening came. Billie was clearing the dishes after dinner. He was complaining about having to handwash the plastic dishes. (Strawberry Shortcake, etc.)

KK was watching him. Billie noticed little eyes, so he stooped down to apologize. He was sorry for complaining. He told her that he should be thankful for the plastic plates and then KK said, “That’s ok Daddy, if you can’t find anything to be thankful for just go look at the cross.”

WOW! “If you can’t find anything to be thankful for just go look at the cross.”

Are you thankful for the cross? Does it just represent a story from a book or has it became real to you! Are you thankful for the pain and blood and sweat and tears that the cross instills in each of us. Knowing that Jesus took what was deservingly ours, so we did not have to endure that kind of death. Whether you are a believer or not, the cross speaks to you! Are you listening? I ask myself the same questions.

Corny...is it?

Corn...Corny, Corndogs, 'Jimmy crack corn and I don't care', Corn husk dolls, 'Knee-high by the 4th of July'..... Sweet corn, shoepeg corn, white corn, grilled corn, cream corn, corn bread....

Why is she talking about CORN, you ask? Well, I was listening to Rush Limbaugh Show today and heard some discussion on ethanol use. Now, mind you, I like listening to Rush b/c he makes me think about where I am on the issues.. sometimes I agree w/him sometimes I do not.

Ethanol gas as a different source of fuel has always sounded good to me. Get us out of foreign oil, the quicker the better is my motto. Ethanol sounds like a good way to do just that. Until the discussion today.

a. the government will have to subsides ethanol by 45 cents per gallon- where will that

money come from? Why you and I of course.

b. corn is used in so many ways the cost of corn WILL go up in

price - simply economics supply/demand.

c. cost of EVERYTHING ELSE will go up - b/c corn is used in so many

things .

d. IF we go to ethanol as an alternative, we then have to

import our food - if so, do you want our food imported?

The last remark(d) was made by a farmer who produces corn and other items, he spoke about how many farmers are producing more corn and less soy and other vegetables. Why, b/c that is where the money will be. A well known economist has written a book on the dangers of ethanol use. (I wish I had written down his name)

Why did she write on this in her blog, you ask? Just to get others to question and to look at the bigger picture.

I personally would rather import my oil than import my food supply. I personally would choose to conserve more gas in my vehicles. I personally would like to see us drill in Anwar (the 1/10th we were planning on using) or start using our off-shore wells more, than go for the "Corny" alternative.

A Father's Day Story

The local Christian radio station had people calling in w/stories of their fathers. Well, I had to call in and actually got on the show!

This is what I shared:

My story...(my father who passed away 5 yrs ago) About 27 yrs ago, my parents were building their very first home. (we rented all my life)
It's spring time in Ohio and my dad and uncle was clearing the land, noticing a lot of snakes in the woods, they were taking precautions. Well, my dad felt a snake on his leg, grabbed his pant leg..had my uncle cut into the pants to what my dad thought was it's head. My uncle cut a hole in the pants to find MY DAD'S WHITE HANKERCHIEF! It had fallen out thru a hole in his inside pocket..
To this day we still refer to that story as the "Tale of the Great White"

My dad was a short, stocky guy who loved life and kids! In our old neighborhood, he was the "Pied Piper of Woods Ave." To just catch a glimpse of he and my mother walking the neighborhood kids down to Lawson's story to buy them all a popcicle was a real hoot! Or how about the day he stopped long enough to hit one ball and run around the bases w/those short legs of his,(our side yard was the playgound for the neighborhood kids) before he went off to work.

He always took time to listen to you! And his laugh was contagious!! I think I miss his laugh the most! Saturday night I was ironing clothes for church and watching a HGTV show...they were rebuilding a couples back yard. At the "reveal" the wife was totally surprised when she saw her aging father walk through the back yard. Her surprise gave me away to tears when I heard her say "It's my dad." and she ran to him! I was so happy for her but I cried for 15-20 mins thinking, "how I wish I could say that, It's my dad!"

Then as I think of my heavenly dad (Abba Father) I will have tears again as I see Him face to face and say "It's my dad!" This time the tears will be joyfilled!

I wish my dad could have met his great grand daughters, saw "short-stuff Jilly get married, or seen my sisters kids graduate from high school, or enjoy time with my brothers little ones. But it was not in God's plans. I am just thankful that I had him as long as I did!

IF you dad is still alive, call him! Let him know how much you love him. Show off his picture to others and say proudly "It's my dad!"