I Got a Bee in My Bonnet

Bathroom Makeover...

2010-06-21T19:55:00.001-05:00

I have been "gathering" things for months to use for a makeover of Norman's/the guest bathroom. My tastes have changed and to say it was a little outdated with it's "country" motif with sunflowers and green checked shower curtain that I made probably 8-10 years ago is an understatement. Norman has never really said anything about it, but I thought it was time to give him a more manly looking bathroom. So, with all my items bought (or most all of them) I decided that Father's Day weekend would be a good time to tackle this task. And what better Father's Day gift to give Norman.

I took all the old stuff out and started the taping. Then I enlisted Norman to help with the painting because painting is just not my thing. I usually get more on me than I do on the walls.

Before long he had the whole room painted and ready for me to begin adding all the new items I had gathered.

This is the way it looked after I got some of the new items in place. Once I got all the other items added I decided that the old ratty looking stained oak vanity needed a face-lift as well. So, I headed back to Walmart to by more paint and then to Hobby Lobby to get a few other doodads to give it that rich new look that I was going for.

The neat thing about this make over is that all the items except three of the pictures and the few things I got at Hobby Lobby all came from Walmart which helped to keep the cost down.

The two plaques on the left, as well as the one above the towel rack near the sink, were hand-me-downs from Andrea. The colors in each worked perfectly with the colors of the new things I am using.

This is the vanity after I painted it. I think it looks pretty good!

(Jacye wanted to get in on the pictures. LOL)

The shelf with all the new items from Hobby Lobby and the plaque with the scripture verse, "Be still and know that I am God." I figure with all the job stress Norman is under he needs to focus on that verse as he gets ready each day for work.

And here is the finished room. I really like it. It is more "manly" looking but yet still has female appeal. Next project...my Mother's bathroom. I have already purchased the new stuff and I am just waiting for some free time to get down to El Dorado to do it for her!

I just love older people....

2010-03-01T07:37:00.002-06:00

I had the opportunity to go down to El Dorado on Saturday to visit with my parents. While there I got to help Daddy with their taxes and just enjoy a nice afternoon visit with them and also some good "momma" cookin.' She still has it even at 84 years old. During the lunch conversation I was telling them about the people I had been in contact with on facebook and the different ones that were my friends who had also been former students of my mother when she taught school at Parkers Chapel. We were reminiscing about different people when my mother asked so seriously, "Are you friends with so-in-so (a former student) on your blob?" I just cracked up! Bless her heart! She was close but not quite there. All this modern technology and these new means of communication kind of all run together for her. It was a priceless moment!

Speaking of older people...if you haven't seen this video clip already, you need to check it out on youtube. It is also priceless and I can so see my daddy doing this. The gentleman really reminds me of my own granddaddy! Gota love their wit and spontaneity!
Go to youtube and in the search bar type:
Elderly couple of 62 years plays the piano. It is worth the effort and will make you smile!

Let the Dance Competitions begin...

2010-02-10T08:01:00.004-06:00

Camryn began another year of competition dancing this past weekend. She started the year off with the Showbiz Dance Competition held in Little Rock, AR. She is dancing in 6 routines this year: a solo, duet, Lyrical small group, Hip Hop large group, Musical Theater large group and a Jazz line group. She performed very well for her first competition of the new season. She received High 1st place points in all her dances and got a Diamond High 1st place points for the Musical Theater routine. She ranked 5th overall in the 8 and under group for her solo, 4th in her duet, 5th for the Lyrical number, 4th for the Hip Hop routine, 2nd for the Musical Theater routine and 1st for the Jazz line number. We did not get pictures of her in all her costumes this time. The quick dress changes prohibited that in some instances. Here she is in the ones we got:
This is her duet costume. I love that sweet smile!

Camryn and Callen at the end of their dance.

Running the routine before going on stage.

5-6-7-8 Poofy, Poofy

In this shot, Camryn is looking at her plaque for her solo. She was not real happy with herself because she did not receive a Diamond 1st place. (We found out from her teacher, she was 1 point away.) :o(

Here she is receiving her 5th overall plaque.

She is a proud as a peacock to have Ronnie come see her dance.

This was taken at Jason's Deli after we finished on Saturday night.

Here Camryn is receiving the 5th place award for their Lyrical dance.

The top ten dances in the small group category.

Here is Camryn again in Ronnie's lap. This is where she was the whole time unless she was dancing.

This is her Jazz Line costume

It is amazing how improved Camryn is in her dances from last year. She is becoming quite the little dancer. We are all so proud of her and look forward to another great year of competition for her at MKDS.

SURPRISE!!! SNOW DAY, THE SEQUEL...Feb. 8, 2010

2010-02-09T11:06:00.006-06:00

Imagine my surprise when I let Jacye out on Monday morning at 5:10 am!! You see, Sunday night before I went to bed, Norman said to me after listening to the 10 o'clock news,"You may not be able to go to school tomorrow." To which I said, "What?!" It seems that they were predicting rain turning to snow by the afternoon on Monday. I remember thinking, "Oh great, it will be a mess trying to get all the kids home if we have to call off school once we get there." So, I went to bed, not really believing we would have snow.
I wake at my normal 5 am and immediately received a text from Alison saying, "I hope you will be closed today too."
I sent back, "Why, is it snowing?"
She said, "Are you kidding?" No, I was not kidding because I had not even looked out the window.
Before I could respond to her text, I get a call from my superintendent saying we needed to send out the word, we were going to be closed. Wow! It must have really snowed for him to be calling me this early. I am now wide awake and shift into alert mode. I started getting the info out on Facebook, texts and through emails about our school being closed. Then I went to let Jacye out. What a surprise to see all this snow! I loved it!

Later in the morning, Jacye is sitting in her usual position watching for squirrels. She looks like she is wanting to go outside.

Norman decides to make a snowman

The finished product of his labor in the cold.

This is what it was looking like around 1 PM. Huge snowflakes and more snow piling up!

At this point we have 4 inches on our back picnic table.

Norman takes down my empty bird feeders so I can refill them. Look at how the snow is coming down!

Notice I said BIRD FEEDERS, but look who was hogging all the food! Yes, Mr. Squirrel
while the beautiful cardinal was waiting his turn.

What a wonderful surprise day off. Totally unexpected. Fortunately we had enough food and necessities in the house since we were caught off guard by this snow. And from the sounds of the predictions, we could be out again tomorrow because of the re-freezing causing icy, treacherous road conditions. Woo Hoo! Gotta love the weather in Arkansas!

SNOW DAY!!!

2010-01-30T13:04:00.004-06:00

YEAH!!! THE WEATHER MAN WAS RIGHT!
They had been forecasting all week that Thursday night into Friday was going to bring a pretty strong Winter storm for most of the northern half of the state of AR. I stayed up late Thursday night (10:30 PM in hopes of things starting early so I would not have to wonder and wake up early on Friday to see if indeed we were going to get a Snow Day.) But, to my dismay, nothing was going on or at least nothing significant. Since Little Rock is right in the middle we are always on the edge of the line of the snow. Most times we get the ice and sleet and only a minimal amount of snow. This storm was to be no different. So, I went to bed to dream of snow and getting a day off. I got up at my normal time, 5 AM and looked out the window..nothing! Aghhh! So, decided that I may as well go on and begin the readying process for the day because my superintendent usually doesn't call before 5:45 AM and if I waited that long, I would be very late getting to school. However, at 5:05 I got a call from him. He decided it was just too risky. Even though nothing was happening at that point, the temp was hovering at 31 degrees and it was raining. The forecast was for the temp to continue to fall and precipitation was to be 100% for the day. So, he decided WE WOULD NOT HAVE SCHOOL. Oh yeah! wonderful words to my ears. Now, it was my responsibility to get the word out to my teachers and our families through emails and text messages. By the time I did all that, I was wide awake and could not go back to sleep. Oh well, I still got to enjoy a quiet day inside my warm house doing a little card making, watching of TV, and washing of clothes. In the following pictures you can see how things progressed at my house over the course of the day and into Saturday morning. Not a tremendous amount of snow, but enough to make everything white. I am thankful for my warm home and that I got the day to do what I wanted as I watched God's orchestration of the weather.

The sleet begins to cover our street around 1 PM

Our back patio and deck covered in sleet

Saturday morning when I let Jacye out. This was so crunchy and sleet covered that her paw prints did not even show.

You can tell a little difference...more white coverage than before

Looking out our front door

Norman's company car and his truck

Water frozen as it ran out of our hose.

Jacye's favorite place on snow days!

A very Special moment in life...

2010-01-27T18:23:00.007-06:00

There are some moments in life that are just so special that they are plain indescribable. Camryn's acceptance of Jesus Christ as her Savior and then her being baptized in obedience to God's leading was just such a moment. The knowledge that she will now be in heaven with all of us when God sees fit to call us home is such a comfort. Knowing that she will forever be in God's protecting hand as she lives her life is a wonderful assurance for this Nanna.
This occasion was also special because her Papaw got to perform her baptism. Her Pastor, Wayne Kocourek preached a wonderful sermon and then she was baptized. She smiled through the whole process. Her Papaw, who is very emotional, was able to hold it together and make it through. David and Billie sang her favorite song. Our whole family was in attendance along with Barbara and Ronnie. Just an all round super day in our lives.

Somehow I missed getting Alison and John in the pictures. They were talking to some old friends and we didn't get them in.

Christmas..2009

2010-01-04T19:38:00.006-06:00

This was a very special Christmas for Camryn. She had told everyone that she wanted a Yorkie puppy for Christmas. She and her mother had already picked out a name if it was a girl (Gabriella and they would call her Ella)and an alternate name if it was a boy (Gabriel Austin and call him Gabe). Well, Santa was listening and she got her wish. She got Gabriel Austin.

Here is Camryn with her puppy, Gabe.

In this picture, Jacye and Gabe are checking one another out.

We had a great day enjoying one another's company and opening our gifts. Then we had our traditional breakfast casserole.
Saturday morning, Andrea, Camryn, Gabe, Norman and I headed out to Birmingham, AL for Christmas with his side of the family. Andrea had not seen her grandparents and cousins for 6 years. After a meal at Lloyds on Sunday afternoon we all went back to the house to have desserts and enjoy one another's company. Below are a few of the pictures I took of each family and then the kids with Memaw and Papaw.

This is Paul's group. Angela and Nick were not able to be with us. They were at a wrestling match. We missed seeing them and hope we can catch up with them another time. Anyway, this is Paul, Norman's younger brother, with Jake, Ashley and Josh.

And here is our family. Camryn is holding Gabe, our newest grand-dog.

This is Tricia's family. Seated on the couch: Christiana, Anthony, Tricia, and Anthony Jr. (Ant). On the floor: Benjamin and Joseph.

Mom and Dad with the kids

The grandkids and one great-grand-daughter with Memaw and Papaw.

Little Gabe

Isn't he a doll?

(You can see her open her presents on Youtube. Just type in, Camryn gets her wish... in the search bar. It should come up.)

We also had an opportunity to get with two of my college roommates from my freshmen year. Here we are looking as good as ever...me, Jackie and Linda.

Each of us with our husbands and daughters.

The 3 couples....John and Jackie Wise, and Laura; Norman, me and Andrea; Glenn and Linda Miller and Kara. We all met at Souheastern Bible College, dated during our time there and all but me graduated from there. We had a great time renewing our friendships. We ate at Cracker Barrel and then went to Jackie and John's for delicious desserts. It was so good to be able to visit with all of them and recall our great times at SBC, freshmen initiation, choir tours, doctrine class, library times, dating...etc. We have all vowed that we must do this again before another 36 years pass by. Although it had been almost 4 decades since we had seen one another it was like we had never been apart. Great memories and just an inkling of what it will be like when we all gather in Heaven together. What a reunion that will be!!!

Our Christmas Card to you!!!!

2009-12-19T10:06:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas to all our Family and Friends!

We sincerely hope that all of you are doing well and that you are enjoying the blessings of God in your lives during this holiday season. What a special time this is for all of us as Christians. As we draw nearer and nearer to His return, it is a privilege to be able to worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We are grateful for all He has given us…much more than we deserve. Our health is good (although we are both seeing a little more around the mid-section these days); we still have jobs (which is saying a lot in this economy); we serve in a wonderful church that has a burning desire to see others come to know Jesus, in our community, city, state, nation and world; we have super friends that add to our joy; our girls are doing well and our granddaughter is simply our pride and joy AND both sets of our parents are alive and doing well.

My Mother and Daddy are both 83, and Norman’s parents are 86 & 82. Although they have each had some health issues, it is such a blessing to still have them around. My mother had an aortic valve replaced a year ago and after a pretty long recovery period, is out and doing well. However, she fell in October and crushed two vertebrae in her lower back and had to be placed in rehab. She was able to leave the rehab facility the week before Thanksgiving and continues to improve daily. Daddy is doing very well. He did not get to go deer hunting at his camp this year due to the high water, but did get to hunt on opening weekend in Blevins, AR with Mother’s cousin. Norman’s Mom has had a rough time of recovery from her shoulder and neck surgeries over the last two years. In fact she has had a total of three on her shoulder and one on her neck. Hopefully, this last one is going to do the trick. His Dad continues to do well, but is slowing down a little. At 86 he deserves to but believe it or not..he is still preaching each Sunday!

Norman continues to work in the ink business with Flint Ink Group. We are holding our breath that the cut-backs the company is experiencing will not affect him, but know it may happen in the near future. We also know that God is our provider and if He takes away the job we are confident He will provide another. I am still at Abundant Life School as the Elementary Principal. In August I began my 16^th year there and my 14^th as principal. I feel very blessed to have that position and I count it a privilege to work in a place with such Godly teachers and staff.

Alison & John still live in Conway…about 35 miles from us. She continues to work at Blue Cross & Blue Shield as an analyst. They have no children but are the parents of our grand dog, a cute little fellow named Gus. They are active in the Celebrate Recovery program of their church.

Andrea and Camryn live about 7 miles from us in Sherwood. She is still working for the AR Municipal League as a Claims Examiner in the workman’s comp area. Camryn is a second grader in Abundant Life which gives me the opportunity to see her on a daily basis. She is a very active and very smart little girl. She continues to dance competitively with Ms. Karen’s Dance Studio. This year she will be dancing in six different routines. It never ceases to amaze me how she can remember all those dances and get her body to do those moves!

I got the opportunity to go to Greece again this year with a team of ladies from our church. We went to work with the school age children of the missionaries who were there for the East European Conference and Retreat. The retreat was held on Aegina Island off the eastern coast of Greece. It was such a joy to work with the MK’s during the mornings and then have the opportunity to spend extended time with their families in the afternoons. We also got to visit the Acropolis in Athens and the ruins of Corinth while there. Seeing the places where Jesus and the apostles would have walked was an awesome thing. Norman works in our Kid’s Town program each week as Pastor Leon and with the Jr. High Trek Program on Wednesday nights. He is also working hard to complete his degree in Christian Education through a correspondence program from Trinity Baptist College. I use what little voice I have left singing in the music ministries of the church: Celebration choir, the church Praise Team and with Norman occasionally as we sing specials.

Well, that about catches you up on our lives.

We sincerely hope that all of you enjoy this “Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” As you are rushing around trying to finish up your shopping and then get to all the Christmas programs and parties, we pray that you will set aside some time to remember our Savior who was born in a stable those many years ago. Let’s not forget the reason for the season…Jesus Christ

Merry Christmas to all of you!

Norman, Alicia & Jacye

My 25 Christmas Memories...

2009-12-05T08:17:00.004-06:00

I will add the pictures of my house soon but until then, I thought I would do what my girls have done. Here are my 25 Christmas Memories

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
I love both, but have started using bags over the last years.

2. Real tree or Artificial?
Really always loved the process of our family going out to select the tree, thinking it will not be big enough, cutting it down, bringing it home to find that is is way bigger inside my house, the pungent smell...ah I love it until it is time to take it down. Needles everywhere because it had gotten so dry. For the past 8 or so years, I have changed to a prelit artificial tree because it is to much easier! I just add pine scented candles to bring that holiday smell into my house.

3. When do you put up the tree?
I usually put it up on Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend.

4. When do you take the tree down?
I at least wait until after Christmas, but most of the time I have it down by New Year's.

5. Do you like eggnog?
Yes! I love, love, love the taste of eggnog. It is just way to fattening to drink it as much as I would like.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
I think it would be my softbodied baby doll, which I still have.

7. Hardest person to buy for?
My parents...they can get whatever they need, and do not ever ask for anything.

8. Easiest person to buy for?
My granddaughter

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
Yes, I do...actually two.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
My choice is to make my own cards and I have done that for years. However, the last few years I have had family emergencies that have kept me for getting that done. So, I am having to deal with the guilt I feel for not making my own. I may design one and send them out through email as a pdf. file. Postage has gotten so expensive, it is very costly to send out 60 cards anymore.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
An alarm clock from my husband. And then the following June, for my birthday, he got me another one...with a lighted dial. And I am not even one who is a late sleeper or who doesn't get up easily. He has since learned to ask what I want or ask the girls what to get.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
Goodness..there are so many, but I suppose it would be a tie between "White Christmas" and "It's a Wonderful Life."

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
I shop all throughout the year and hide the presents in a "safe place." However, I inevitably forget to put some of them out until everyone starts opening presents and I suddenly remember I had gotten something else for them that is not showing up. lol I hate getting older and losing my memory!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
No.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Breakfast Casserole on Christmas morning.

16. Lights on the tree?
Oh yes, lots of them...all white!

17. Favorite Christmas song?
“Oh Holy Night”

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
We always try to be home on Christmas day but usually travel either before or after to Birmingham to be with Norman's parents and siblings and to El Dorado to be with my family.

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?
OF course, You know, Dasher and Dancer, Prancer, and Vixen, Comet and Cupid, Donner and Blitzen...but do you recall, the most famous reindeer of all...Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer...LOL

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Star

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
I always wanted to open at least one on Christmas Eve, but never could convince my husband to start this tradition. So, Christmas morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
The commercialism and the stupidity of all this "political correctness" in calling this season, "Winter Break." Come on, if it wasn't for Christmas, I sincerely doubt the economy would be boosted in the least by people going out to buy "Winter Break" gifts! AND more importantly the insane idea of trying to take Christ out of Christmas and everyone being instructed not to say, Merry Christmas! for fear of showing preference to one celebration over another!!! OK...I will get down off my soap box now.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
Right now, I have red and silver...I have used for many years a collection of ornaments old and new, that were given to me.

24. Favorite memory of Christmas?
I think as a child and young adult, it would be all gathering on Thanksgiving weekend at my grandparents to have Christmas. We would draw names the year before and then bring a present for the person whose name you drew. Lots of great memories!
Since my grandparents are no longer with us...I think it would be any of the Christmases with my girls and now with Camryn. It is so exciting to see her excitement! This year should be a very memorable since we have all gone together to get her a Yorkie!

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
I really don't want anything, however, I have already purchased my gift and will put it together after I take all the Christmas decor down...a buffet with a hutch.

Our Bean Fest weekend...

2009-11-08T13:22:00.008-06:00

Last weekend was the annual Bean Fest in Mountain View, AR. Since we had never been before and since Fall was in full force in the northern part of the state we decided to get out of NLR and take in the sights, sounds and tastes of the mountain folks of AR. So, Norman and I and two other couples (Betty & Terry Reese and Judy & Danny Douglas) headed up there on Friday around 3:30.( Side note * This was the day after we had torrential rains in our area. We had to reroute our trip due to some of the roads being closed because of flooding.)
Danny had arranged for our lodging and we were to stay in the American Eagle Cabins about 8 miles outside of Mtn. View. None of us had seen these cabins other than on their website. So, armed with our trusty Google directions and maps we head for our destination. Originally, we thought we would eat before we got there but with the evening hours approaching quickly and darkness descending on us, we all agreed we would like to find our cabin (which was actually a 3 BR 2 bath log house) before it got dark.
The scenery along the way was gorgeous. We get to Mtn. View and turn onto Herpal Rd as the directions said. This was your typical two lane curvy road which was not too bad. However, the farther we went the more narrow the road became until it evolved into a very narrow, deeply rutted gravel road. Norman said that it was worse than some of the roads at their deer camp. It would have been good to have had a 4-wheel drive for parts of it but we were able to maneuver it by going very slowly. The previous day's rain did not help the situation. We went through some areas that were pretty deep and all the advice the weather men give about "not going through deep water if you can't see the bottom" kept running through my head. The good thing was that these roads were not gooey mud, but hard gravel roads.

Scenery along the way to Mtn. View

We get to a fork in the road and could see cabins down below so we figured this was the place. Below is the picture of what we had deducted was our cabin.

We drive up and there are two bulls with long pointed horns standing in the yard.

We have finally arrived! We all pile out and start looking around. Wow! This was a really neat cabin. Pretty soon we begin noticing some strange things about this cabin...like a back pack was sitting in the carport, a boat and motor was also under the carport, the back screened in deck looked a mess with buckets and mops on it. We decided to check the doors because the lady told Danny that the door would be open and the keys on the table. So, we all go streaming into the house. Immediately, we were taken back by all the personal stuff that was in the house and the mess that was in the sink and on the bar. Norman goes to look in the bedrooms and bathrooms, and Danny wonders farther into the house.
It quickly became very evident, we were in the wrong house!!! Thankfully, no one was home and we didn't get shot. Judy said, "I can hear it now, the neighbors are going to call the sheriff and report at B & E in progress." She works for the NLRPD and could just imagine what her co-workers would think. We all got back into our cars and had many a laugh the rest of the weekend as we thought about the fact that we just walked right into someone's house and what the ramifications would have been if someone had in fact been in there! Visions of the story of the Three Bears comes to mind.

So we load bacl up and get out our directions one more time and re-read where we were supposed to go. As it turned out we needed to go farther down the gravel road. Finally we see our cabins! Then we see the road to the cabins...it looks like this....

Ours is the second one from the right. Norman and I waited until we made sure Danny could make it through the high water before we launched out into the deep.

They made it!

And so did we!!
We unloaded and decided that rather than go back in to town to eat and then have to find our way back in the dark, we would just have the grilled hamburger meal we had planned for Saturday night. We thought we were in good shape because they had a grill on the back porch and we had the charcoal... but then we realized we had no lighter...not even a match. (That is what you get when you have three non-smoking couples.) Thank goodness we had a nice neighbor who helped us out!
After we ate we tried to get our Scene It game to work but again had technical difficulties in getting the TV to work with the DVD player(this same situation happened when we tried to play it at Danny and Judy's). WE couldn't find the remote control for the TV which was necessary to make it all work. So, we pulled out our Spinners game (a fancy domino game) and enjoyed an evening of dominoes.

Below is a beautiful picture of the sunset which was out our front windows.

This is what the river looked like out back...it was way out of it's banks.

The next morning, the water is still deep.

This is looking off the front porch across the valley.

It was beautiful inside...hardwood floors with the rustic log motif.

And a fireplace, which we got the neighbor to light and then had to turn it off when the smoke alarms began going off!! Oh yeah!

This is a little blurry but you can see what a gorgeous place it was. We had plenty of room and didn't feel on top of one another.

Here we are at the Bean Fest sitting around enjoying one of the groups of pickers.

It was a beautiful day...temps were just right!

There is a video down at the bottom of this group of men picking and singing just to give you a little taste of the music we got to hear.

This is Sunday morning waiting to leave for church at Flatwoods Baptist.

The water had receded about 5 feet but still had a long way to go until it was back to it's normal level.

Our crew checking out the water level of the river.

This was a wonderful weekend of rest and relaxation with some great friends! So glad that we were able to have the time away.

Greece Mission Trip...Sept. 3rd-11th

2009-09-16T20:13:00.007-05:00

I got the opportunity to go to Greece again this year with a group from our church. This time we flew in to Athens, Greece and then ferried over to Aegina Island. While in Athens, we got to take a walking tour of the sights of Athens....the Acropolis, the Parthenon, ampitheaters, etc. While on the island of Aegina, we got to experience a Greek wedding reception and a baby dedication. The time with the missionaries and their children was awesome. During the mornings (9-12)we held a 3 day VBS for the kids while their parents went to their sessions. We had a wonderful time with them and just basically fell in love with all of them. They are some very special kids. In the afternoons we would eat at some of the local restaurants and then take in some of the sights. In the evenings we all got to attend the preaching service.

The highlight of the trip was on the last night of meetings. They called all of the children's workers in and had a prayer time for us while laying on hands. It was a very meaningful and touching time. When two of the kids began praying for us, I just lost it!
This trip was one that I will never forget and the memory of it will be one that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

This is our group ready to leave from Little Rock, AR

Hotel Danae where we stayed while on Aegina Island

The view from our motel meeting room

See the next post for the rest of the pictures.
(There are also more pictures on my facebook page. Check them out!)

Mission trip to Greece part 2

2009-09-16T18:48:00.010-05:00

Our view from our meeting room

Sitting at one of the restaurants

Outdoor fruit stand

Octopus hanging out at one of the markets

My swollen left foot.

Standing in the Aegean Sea

Me standing on top of Mars Hill where Paul would have stood to preach.

Our group standing on Mars Hill overlooking Athens

The modern city of Athens

The Acropolis with the Parthenon on top.

Me sitting near the acropolis

The Parthenon

Me in front of the Parthenon

Roslyn, me and Chelli with Parthenon behind us.

Us again

The temple of Athena

Me and my monkey puppet, Spice, speaking to the children.

The kids liked Spice

Us with our group of kids

Me with the ruins of Corinth in the background.

The ancient ruins of Corinth

Me again with the ruins of Corinth in the background.

Me standing where Paul would have stood to preach in Corinth.

The group from Faith Baptist who put on the retreat standing on the Lechian Road in Corinth.

Let's hear it for Air Conditioning!!!

2009-08-26T14:08:00.003-05:00

Yep, that was the inside air temp a little over an hour ago...and that was after the new unit had been running for about 30 minutes. It has taken a day and a half to get it in but this Bryant 3 1/2 ton unit is working like a charm. I am very grateful that God allowed the weather to stay cooler until the installers could get this unit in and running. It is a shame that we are so spoiled to the cooler air conditions. But as one of my teachers said, "I am not ashamed to say, I need refrigeration. " I am looking forward to sleeping in the cool tonight, although with the windows open and the cool nights we have had, I have not been uncomfortable. But with the forecast of humidity coming back by tomorrow and with that the temps will rise...it is good that they are getting this finished up today! As and added bonus they also say that we should run more efficiently too. AND, on top of that....we are supposed to get a $1500 tax credit for upgrading to a more energy efficient system! So, I say again,

LET'S HEAR IT FOR AIR CONDITIONING!!!!

JUST LOOK AT THAT BAD BOY!

Enjoy the moments....

2009-08-25T14:08:00.002-05:00

With school starting my thoughts go back to how quickly this summer has passed and also how quickly time in general passes us by. I suppose Dr. Dobson was having these same thoughts because his newsletter for the month addressed just that thought. I have just read it from front to back, (something I do not always do but did this time) and found a few things I thought were very timely and appropriate for those of you young mothers that read my blog.
So, if you will indulge me, I would like to quote Dr. James Dobson...a man who has had an enormous impact on my life through his videos and books. He writes:

"Addressing myself now to mothers and fathers of young children. I urge you to keep this eternal perspective in view as you race through the days of your lives. Don't permit yourself to become discouraged with the responsibilities of parenting. Yes, it is an exhausting and difficult assignment, and there are times when you will feel like throwing in the towel. But I beg you to stay the course! Get on your knees before the Lord and ask for His strength and wisdom. Finish the job to which He has called you! There is no more important task in living, and you will understand that assignment more clearly when you stand where Shirley and I are today. In the blink of an eye, you will be hugging your children good-bye and returning home to an empty house. That is the way the system works."

And then this was a prayer Dr. Dobson's father prayed for their family after they had been together for a short visit:

"And Lord, we want to thank You for the fellowship and love that we feel for each other today. This has been such a special time for us with Jim and Shirley and their children. But, Heavenly Father, we are keenly aware that the joy that is ours today is a temporal pleasure. Our lives will not always be this stable and secure. Change is inevitable, and it will come to us, too. We will accept it when it comes, of course, but we give You praise for the happiness and warmth that has been ours these past few days. We have had more than our share of good things, and we thank You for Your love. Amen."

Dr. Dobson writes that shortly thereafter they hugged and said good-bye then boarded the plane for home. A week later, his father suddenly grabbed his chest and told his mother to call the paramedics. He died on December 4th of that year. His mother has also gone to be with the Lord now. His last statement in this section of his newsletter grabs me. He said, "How quickly it all unraveled."

I guess that is what has also grabbed my heart today...how quickly our lives can unravel...one minute everything is fun and you are enjoying wonderful times together. Then in a blink of an eye or in the space of a heart beat...all that can change. We should all be living with Dr. Dobson's father's philosophy in mind..."Thanking God for what we have...which we cannot keep." As Dr. Dobson says, "We all need to capture that concept."

So, my charge to you who read this is...Enjoy the moments, for too soon they are gone!

First Day of 2nd Grade for Camryn!

2009-08-25T08:43:00.005-05:00

This post is a little late...a week and a day to be exact, but I have been very busy with getting things going at school. So better late than never I say.

Well, it is very hard to believe that my granddaughter is in 2nd Grade! It seems that she was just a baby yesterday. Now she is so grown up and such a big girl with lots of personality and sass! I feel very fortunate that I get to see her everyday at school. It makes my day when she comes slipping into my office to give me a hug when she is on her way to the restroom. I definitely do not take that privilege for granted.

Here are a few pictures of her on the first day of her second grade year:

I don't know why this is showing up as underscored, but it is!
Here she is as Andrea pulls up to drop her off. No more need for Momma to walk her in. *sigh*

Walking up to the front door and obviously feeling so cute and sassy with her new hair cut.

Pausing for Nanna to take a picture

Hanging her bag up (she is behind the little boy in white)

That is her desk in the foreground with all the supplies piled on top.

Here she is with papers for Mrs. Young

Sitting at her desk ready for a new year!

And finally, a picture of her and her teacher, Mrs. Young.

I believe this will be a great year for Camryn. Mrs. Young is an awesome teacher who will take her far in her elementary education!
Happy Second Grade to you, Camryn!

A YaYa Weekend!

2009-07-29T19:17:00.004-05:00

This past weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Centerton, AR for a weekend with my YaYa's. You see, one of us (Christine) and her husband have moved to Centerton where Russell is working in the corporate offices of Walamart. We decided to go to their new house to celebrate all our summer birthdays. So, on Friday, Annette, Christine and I headed toward NW, AR while Norman and Russell waited on us to get there. It was so much fun to be "On the Road Again" as Willie would say. We have traveled on many occasions but have not gotten to do so in a while. We had a wonderful time of chatting and laughing on the way. We also enjoyed getting to visit with two other friends who live in that area, Lara and Lela. What a lively time we had at Panera Bread on Saturday where we met for lunch. We la ughed and talked for about 2 1/2 hours! It was great to catch up on all that is going on in each of our lives.

Christine and Russell have a beautiful home. We loved getting to spend some extended time with them in their new location. They are wonderful hosts...the food was great and the time together was sweet. We hope to get to make many more trips to that part of our state to visit with them.

Here are a few pictures of our stay.

The YaYa's...Christine, Annette, and me.

Their cat, Fonzie, loves to sit on the back of the chair. I look like I have a fur collar.

This is little Kenzington, Russell's new kitten.

He is a Persian/Himalayan mix.

This is what we did a good bit of our time there...sit, talk, and watch movies....oh, and eat!

This is going to be a tough year for Christine and Russell...both their daughters will be entering college...Lindsey will begin at the University of AR in August..and Ashley will be a Freshman at UCA. Christine will be living in Little Rock while continuing to be the band director at Little Rock Christian for one more year and Russell will be living in Centerton and working at Walmart corporate offices. Although, they will be scattered in all directions and experiencing a new family dynamic this year, their connection to the YaYa's will remain the same.

The three of us have been through good times, bad times, happy times, sad times, depressing times and times of great joy....through them all we have formed a very strong bond. When any one of us has a need, the other two are always there to love, support, encourage and yes, sometimes to say the hard things. We are very grateful for the friendship God has given us...a cord of three is not easily broken.

Peaceful Innocense

2009-07-23T14:42:00.004-05:00

We got to keep Camryn this past weekend while Andrea was out of town. I took these pictures of Cam on Sunday morning right before I woke her up to get ready for church. I did a little editing but it just helps to emphasize her pure innocence. When you look at her like this you just want to stop time so she will always be sweet and innocent. But that is not what God has planned for us or her. Seeing her asleep like this takes me back to when she was a baby which was not so long ago. These pictures scream to me, ENJOY THE MOMENTS because she is quickly growing up right before my eyes. I don't know what lies ahead for her, but I hope and pray she will always stay close to God; that she will grow up to be all He wants her to be and that she would always bring honor to Him with her life. I pray that the peaceful innocense shown in these pictures will always prevail in her life. Precious little angel face

Sweet dreams my little sunshine!

My New Favorite Kitchen Appliance

2009-07-23T09:45:00.004-05:00

This is my new "favorite" kitchen appliance. It is called a Flavorwave. About a week or so ago Andrea came in telling me about this appliance that her boyfriend's mom has that she wanted. I got the scoop from Zac as to what it was and where he got it, because he also has one. He told me I could find them at http://www.thane.com/ . So, of course, I got online and checked it out. After reading all about it, I ordered me one. It is wonderful in that you can cook a whole meal in it at one time if you plan well. It will also cook things from a completely frozen state, thereby reducing the from the freezer to the table time, when you come in from work and have forgotten to leave something out to thaw that morning before you left for work. As it says from the instruction manual: "It improves on traditional convection ovens in the following ways:

1. The Flavorwave Oven Turbo bowl is made of glass, not metal, so that you can clearly see what you are cooking from all sides
2. The Flavorwave Oven Turbo combines a circular bowl with a fan mounted on the lid so that hot air currents move down over the food, around the bowl's sides, and then back up to the fan. This creates a tornado-like flow of constantly moving, super-heated air that cooks and browns food quickly and thoroughly.
3. The Flavorwave Oven Turbo uses cooking racks that allow you to cook two levels of food at once. In addition, when meat, poultry, or fish is cooked on the lower rack, fats and oils are blown away through the grating. You will cook lighter, more nutritious meals. "

This is what it looks like.
Here I am cooking a pork chop (from a frozen state) and a baked potato.

I sprayed the pork chop with "I Can't Believe it's Not Butter" then dipped it in crushed Ritz crackers then cooked it for 20 minutes.

It was browned on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside.
So far, I have cooked, chicken breast, steamed potatoes and carrots, Garlic Bread, pork chops and a baked potato in it.

I will most likely not use the Flavorwave for baking potatoes because it takes alittle longer. I will continue to use my microwave for that. But the meats are wonderful when cooked in this appliance. I am looking forward to trying many other things in it. Basically, anything you can cook in a conventional oven, you can cook in the Flavorwave, without heating up your kitchen and it is done in approximately half the time and all in one bowl! So less mess to clean up!

They are not paying me to say this or to plug their product. I just wanted my friends to know about it.

Hurricane Harbor

2009-07-11T17:50:00.010-05:00

Fortunately for us, Camryn only danced on Tuesday and Thursday, so that left us two days to do what we wanted. On Monday, we just played in the pool at the motel. Although, it was a bit foggy (Camryn said it was green and dirty) in color we still gave it a shot. Camryn was not too happy about it but she finally got in since the rest of us did. Then on Wednesday, we spent the day at Hurricane Harbor...a huge waterpark that is affiliated with Six Flags. It was a lot of fun, although Camryn was afraid to go on most of the slides or fun stuff. She loved the Wave pool and just wanted to stay in that the whole day. Of course Andrea would hear none of that...so the fight was on.......again. Finally, her Papaw got her to go down one of the slides with him..she loved it. So, she did it one more time by herself. I can't say that I blame her for not wanting to slide because the lines for all of them were so long and it was so hot while you waited that it was not that appealing especially when you could be in the wave pool the whole time and stay cool. Later in the day Norman ventured around the place and found Captain Hooks Lagoon for younger kids that was a lot like the kids place at Silver Dollar City. This was right up Camryn's alley. She loved it. We stayed there the rest of the day...that is until they made everyone get out and they closed that section down. Evidently some little kid had pooped in one of the pools at the end of the slide. So, they had to get the floater out and re-chlorinate the pool. By then it was so near to closing time that we decided to call it a day because we were pretty wiped out from all the sun and swimming. All in all, though, we had a super time at the water park.
Also, kudos to Coppertone 30 spf sunscreen, none of us burned!
Enjoy the pictures of our day!

Camryn and Andrea at the motel pool.
You can tell the water is not clear because you can barely see Camryn's legs.

Doing a hand stand.

Here they are in the wave pool at Hurricane Harbor

This was Captain Hook's Lagoon...an area for the younger kids. That big huge bucket fills up with water about every 5 minutes or so and then tips over spilling water on those standing below. They also have slides that go off the play house. Camryn loved this place.

This is what it looks like before the bucket tips.

They also had this area where kids could walk across the water on logs and rocks while holding on to the net. Camryn is watching how the boys are doing it and planning her tactic for getting across. I might add that all the boys in front of her fell into the water before making it across. But our little dancing girl...dogged em, because she made it all the way across without falling in. Go Girl! Show those boys how to do it!!

Away she goes!

The stomach muscles she has built up as a result of her dancing proved to be a great asset to her in being able to accomplish this task.

Look at that determination...she is almost there!

Success!!! Way to go, Camryn!

That is Andrea with her hand on her head...Camryn is behind her.

They got completely soaked, but loved it!

Momma and daughter

Nanna and Camryn

And finally....Papaw with her.

This was a great place and we had a super fun time at the water park!

Showbiz National Dance Competition in Arlington, TX

2009-07-11T16:25:00.012-05:00

On July 5th we traveled down to Arlington, TX for a week of dancing at the Showbiz National Dance Competition. This was Camryn's second year to perform a solo. She has really improved so much in this second year of working with Ms. Marisa. It is amazing the things she can do at the tender age of seven. She also has a duet with a little girl who is a year older than her. They are like dynamite together...one spurs the other on to do better and the enthusiasm they both have for their dance routine is infectious. It has been a great year and Nationals should prove to put the icing on the cake for our little dancer.
Below are some pictures of our room and the first day of competition.

Camryn and Andrea playing in the room.
Our rooms were not what you would call plush, but they were comfortable.

Norman unloading our ice chest.

Camryn doing a little stretching while watching TV.

Time to apply the makeup for the first day of competition.

The pictures don't really show it but the tension runs high about this time between Andrea and Camryn...lots of whining on Camryn's part and irritation on Andrea's.

You can tell by the looks on their faces...they are not too happy at this point.

Camryn is in a stare while her hair is being rolled.

All dressed and ready to go!

Dance Mom and daughter

What a beautiful face and smile!

Camryn, sporting her cool shades, is ready to rock!

Walking in to the convention center

Ready for a run through of her routine

Practice before she hits the stage.

A kiss for luck from Momma

Camryn enjoys chatting with the other MKDS dancers while waiting on the awards to be given out.

Camryn gets High1st place points.

She ranked 7th overall! Woo Hoo!!! We were so proud of her!

Here the announcer was asking her who choreographed her dance. Of course she said in her sweet southern drawl...Ms. Marisa Kirby.

Here she is waiting on the duet/trio awards to be given out.

She and Callen received High1st place points on this dance as well.

Way to go, girls!

And they were ranked 4th overall...just one place away from receiving money!

Again, she tells the guy that Ms. Marisa Kirby choreographed their routine!

Here they are with their plaques...all smiles!

Ms. Karen is loving her little "Holly Rockers!"

And here they are with their awesome teacher, Ms. Marisa Kirby. She was so proud of them!

The long hot walk back to the car...this ends day one of the National competition.

This has been an awesome year for Camyn. I am really a little sad to see it end. I have loved her dances and it will be hard to get used to a new routine. However, next year we are going to let her add another solo (totaling two) and a duet as well as the two large group dances she is required to do. She will be working with a new teacher, Ms. Kristen Sadler, this year on a lyrical solo. She is really excited to be working with Camryn and Camryn is excited to be doing another solo. She really loves being on stage with all the people watching her!

Now, I just wonder where she got that trait....hmmmm????

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!

2009-07-04T10:25:00.010-05:00

I am proud to be an American and very grateful today for the privilege of living in the United States of America. I am grateful to those who both past and present have sacrificed unselfishly to give us our freedoms. I am thankful that I have "certain inalienable rights" that are provided for and guaranteed by the Constitution of this United States. I love this country and pray that God will continue to show us grace and mercy. I pray that we as a country will turn from the wicked path we are headed down and back to God. Although, I feel sure we are living in the end times and I know what the Bible says regarding that, it still frightens me as to what we will all face in the near future before God sees fit to take home with Him.

May we all find time today to reflect on how God has blessed us and to thank Him for the opportunity to live is this great United States of America...home of the Brave and land of the free!

Below is a link to a wonderful video. You will need to pause my music before watching. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdInwZQ2eFA

MKDS Dance Recital...June 26 & 27

2009-06-28T18:49:00.004-05:00

Camryn danced in her 5th recital with Ms. Karen's Dance Studio on Friday and Saturday....wow, that is hard to believe. It is amazing how far she has come since that first dance class. She is now doing her second year of a solo, a duet, and two large group dances. I had the opportunity to get her ready for Friday night's performance because Andrea would not have had time when she got off at 5 PM. When I look at these pictures of her in full makeup, it takes my breathe away at how beautiful she is...(I can say that because I am her Nanna) and how grown up she is. When I watched her dance on stage Friday night in her large group tap and then later in her solo, I was amazed at how much older she is looking. She is an amazing little dancer and I feel we will see great things out of her for many years to come. We have been approached by one of the teachers at the studio about putting her in another solo next year. This teacher (Ms. Kristen Sadler) does most of the lyrical choreography and has choreographed and danced with a company in New York. She was basically saying she would love the opportunity to work with Camryn. Talk about making a Momma and Nanna's hearts swell with admiration and yes, pride...it sure did. We have talked it over and plan to let her do a lyrical solo next year. This style dance will enhance her technical abilities and will strengthen her core for all dances. Camryn has always wanted to do a lyrical dance and in fact according to her mother, makes up lyrical dances in her room all the time. So it should be an exciting year for her next year.

I have to share a little funny about Camryn. She was talking with our friend Hannah (who is also a dancer at MKDS) at the pool the other day about the recital and Hannah told me that Camryn said, "Yeah, I am pretty confident about getting lots of points on my solo at the recital because I have added a back-bend walk-over to my routine."

Hannah told her that they do not give points at recital, just at the competitions.

To which Camryn replied in a disappointed tone, "Well, they could at least say something nice about it when I do it." LOL She has not quite got the whole concept of competitions yet.

She asked me the other day what the National Competitions were. I told her that it was when lots of dancers come from all over to do their dances and this is the time to try to do your very best. She thought for a minute and then said, "So, I need to do the best I can so I will get lots of points and maybe win something." I said, "Yeah, that is it." She said, "Well, I will just try my best and that is all I can do." I said, "Exactly! That is all we want you to do."

We have purposely not talked about what competitions are so she will not put pressure on herself to win. We want her to continue to enjoy dancing and not feel that she has to score a certain amount to win! So, far she has done very well and has been totally oblivious to how she has done.
This is her large group tap costume. The dance is "We Rock!"

Striking a pose for me.
And again....

A closer view

Such a pretty smile!

I love this one even though it is a little blurry.

This is her Hip Hop large group costume. They dance to "Boom! Shake the Room!"

Here she is in her hip-hop costume...no lipstick

And another shot...look at that little belly.

Camryn did awesome on all her dances at the recital. It was so much fun to watch her because she loves what she is doing. We are really looking forward to the National Competition in Dallas/Arlington on July 5-10. Should be a great week for MKDS dancers!

PA Trip cont'd

2009-06-22T21:10:00.000-05:00

Our second day on the road...at a rest stop eating somewhere in Virginia, I think.

Any way it was nice and cool there.On the road again...this is the Shennandoah River...it took us 45 minutes to go about 3 miles at this spot on the trip. Norman was not a happy camper. We decided to look for a different route to take home to avoid this delay.Finally crossing into Pennsylvania!!!

I had Googled our trip for directions and they were great...right up until the last 3 miles. Actually, the directions were not at fault...a road sign had gotten turned so it threw us off. We drove around up and down country roads for a good 30 minutes with me calling Jim and Phyllis' number every few minutes before we finally got Phyllis to answer the phone and give us directions. Anyway, as we topped the hill we saw Aunt Claudia and Jim standing near the road with waving arms and smiles on their faces! What a great sight!

Aunt Willa Dean thought she would never get to see Aunt Claudia again when she moved from Benton, so this was a sweet reunion of sisters.

Hugs for Mother

And Daddy is moving in position to get his hug!

Another sweet reunion for baby brother and his oldest living sister.

Time to take a look around. They had a 10 acre place with a huge red barn that had lots of country charm. They have 4 horses, a mule and a goat.

Phyllis's horse Beauty giving her a nudge in appreciation of the belly rub.

Daddy, Norman and Jim talking it over at the fence.

This was our view from the front porch..two swans on the pond across the road.

This is Phyllis and Jim's house...such a sweet peaceful place.

Here is where we spent most of our first day just talking, laughing and catching up...

out on the front porch in the nice cool breeze. Temp was in the 70's. Aunt Claudia said she had prayed for the weather to be cool while we were there...and God sure anwered her prayers!

Mother and Daddy enjoying the peaceful porch and the swing.

Aunt Claudia and Aunt Willa Dean in the glider on the porch...

(she is not asleep...just caught her with her eyes closed.)

This is where the men sat and talked while we women were on the porch.

We also spent a lot of time in the living room looking through the Curtis Family scrapbook and remembering old stories and funny tales. I thought I had heard all of them over the years, but alas they came up with some new ones that I had never heard shared. Oh my goodness, at the laughing and sometimes crying that went on in that room.

Tuesday, Dick and Debbie came to eat with us. Jim grilled T-bones for everyone.

They were yummy!

After dinner we sat around the table and heard more stories and enjoyed more laughter!

The next day we headed up to Dick and Deb's in Etters, PA for the afternoon and evening. In this picture we are enjoying some great homemade soup and cornbread...and it rained while we were there and was even a little chilly. We also got to see deer feeding in their back yard.

Here we are watching the Razorbacks in the college world series...at least some of us were watching...Aunt Claudia was "resting her eyes."

The crew in their kitchen before we left for the evening.

The last remaining children of the Curtis clan...only 3 left of the 14 kids. Aunt Claudia, who just turned 88, Aunt Willa Dean who is 79 and Daddy, who is 82 almost 83.

Norman and Jim listening to the stories being told.

This is the morning we left...it was very hard to leave, because at the ages they all are, the thought most prevalent in their minds was "this could be the last time we will see one another on this earth." There were some tears, lots of hugs and lots and lots of kisses.

Thankfully, we are encouraged by the fact that they each know Jesus as their Savior and even though "we may never meet again this side of Heaven, we will meet on that beautiful shore"...someday.

This was a wonderful trip. I am so glad we got the privilege of taking Mother, Daddy and Aunt Willa Dean to see Aunt Claudia. And Praise the Lord, no one got sick, we had no accidents, Renee's suburban ran beautifully and Norman did a wonderful job of driving. Of course he had excellent guidance by his trip navigator who sat right behind him feeding him the directions, exits, and rest stops all along the way! Maybe if everyone stays healthy we can make the trip again next summer!

Trip to PA with the Golden Agers...first day

2009-06-13T19:52:00.005-05:00

We began our trip to PA for our visit with Aunt Claudia at 8 AM this morning. We departed with all on board in good spirits and in great frames of mind...ready for a good trip. We had a great day for traveling...partially cloudy with sunshine and a little haziness. Norman did all the driving with Daddy riding shotgun. Mother and I sat in the seats behind Norman and Daddy and Aunt Willa Dean sat in the middle on the back seat. We talked for a while, then listened to Dennis Swanberg which brought quite a few laughs. Then we played several of the Gaither Homecoming CD's singing along the way. Around 11 AM Aunt Willa Dean asked the driver if we would be eating soon. We pulled out the snacks which helped to hold us over until we found a good place to stop. We stopped at a beautiful roadside park to have our lunch consisting of sliced ham, potato salad, cheese, crackers and chips.

As we continuted on the trip Norman, Daddy and Aunt Willa Dean were interested in listening to the Razorbacks Baseball game. However, we were not able to find any stations airing the game on the radio. So, we had to rely on Blake and also Vicki to send us the score. Everyone was excited to get the message that they won their game 10-6.

We had set our first days destination as Knoxville, TN and planned to drive on in the rest of the way tomorrow. We felt that going much farther would tire out our passengers too much. We arrived in Knoxville at 6:15 EST, unloaded our bags, freshened up and went out to eat at Famous Dave's Barbeque where we all ate way too much.
Here are some of the pictures taken along our way.

Daddy resting up on Friday night
Mother, Norman and Aunt Willa Dean kicked back relaxing on Friday evening.

Aunt Willa Dean in her spot

Daddy riding shotgun

Mother right behind him

Norman doing the driving

And here I am behind Norman (no I am not back seat driving. lol)

Breaking out the picnic goodies

Aunt Willa Dean had prepared our meal

Norman and I at the picnic table (I had to take a picture of myself otherwise I would not be in any of the shots.)

Aunt Willa Dean taking her a little power nap.She is totally relaxed...

Unloading at the Microtel Inn in Knoxville.

Norman helping Aunt Willa Dean get out of the vehicle.

It is a little hard to get the legs working again after riding for so long.

Norman guides the cart in while Mother and Daddy push it.

And so we end our first day on our PA trip. More to come tomorrow.

Camp Victory Family Weekend with Camryn!!!

2009-06-10T19:14:00.009-05:00

Victory Bible Camp Family Weekend is something I always look forward to. This place holds such precious memories for me because it is where my spiritual roots began. It was here that I made some of the most important decisions of my life that have shaped who I am today. I always love to go back to this place at the beginning of the my summer break to get my "battery recharged" so to speak after a long school year.

This year Bro. Sam (who was my pastor from age 15 until we moved from El Dorado in 1988) called on Norman and I do be in charge of the music for the weekend. Although we are certainly not musicians or of as high quality as some of the groups they have had in the past, we both have a deep love for Camp Victory and Bro. Sam so we agreed to do this. It was a tremendous blessing to be able to sing for and lead the music for the weekend.

Another blessing was getting to have our granddaughter go with us for the weekend. Her first reaction when we drove in the gate was, "Is this it?" Said with some apprehension and disappointment because all she was able to see at that point was the old "Big House" as it is called. We told her this was only the front, that there was alot more to see. As we drove on into the camp and parked in front of the dining hall, she said, with awe in her voice, "I think I am gonna like this place!" We had hardly gotten out of the car good til she was climbing up in the Beaudart tree that is there.

We checked in and found out that we were getting to stay in one of the front rooms of the Big House, which was a real treat. Not only that, they said we didn't have to pay for our weekend since we were providing the music. Now, I am sure you are thinking what is so special about the Big House. WELL, in my days as a camper, it was reserved for the camp director and the special speakers. I was in awe of the fact that we were getting to stay there following in the steps of some really super people.

We hardly got our things unpacked til Camryn wanted to go back down to the dining hall area. We said sure, because one of the neat things about Camp Victory, is that it is a safe place and you can let the kids run and play to their hearts content. I told Camryn there was only one rule she must adhere to...and that is when you hear the bell ring, you must come running to the dining hall because that means it is time to eat! Within minutes, Camryn had made friends with 3 little girls who were grandchildren of one of the cooks. From that time on, they were together all the time. As the weekend progressed, their friendship grew and it did my heart good to see Camryn love Camp Victory as much as I always have. She even said on Sunday that she did not want to leave...she wanted to stay as a camper. However, that will come when she has completed 3rd grade. At least she will know what to expect when the time comes.

Saturday they had meetings and then free time and that meant....Swim time! Camryn was a little unsure about getting into the pond and it took her a while to decide to get in, but once she did, she loved it too. Side note..it is a pond so they did have to get out at one point because the lifeguard spotted a water moccasin swimming off in the distance. It was quickly shooed into the brush by rocks being chunked at it. Here are a few pictures of the pond and Camryn swimming with her friends.

Camryn and Tenekias
Break time for the life guards...everybody out!

Camryn made friends with a dog of one of the campers.

A view of the pond

The dock

Camryn trying to make up her mind to get in again.

Finally in!!!

Love that sweet smiling face!

Camp would not be camp without game time with Vicki!

Norman and Chris attempting to catch the water balloon Leah threw to them.

And then there was the water cup relay.

They won! Filled up their can first!

Our dream is to own a Trike and take trips around the country with some of our friends who have bikes. One of the men at camp came up on his Harley Trike and we were both in awe of it. He asked if I would like to take a ride on it and of course I said, Yes!!! So, he took me for a short ride down to Princeton. It was great! Later, he also took Norman for a ride. Now, we (or at least I) have a real craving to have one. I am starting to save my money!

Don't we look good!!!

Papaw helping Camryn get off the see-saw so she could go see the horses.

She said, "He is blowing his nose on me!"

Bro. Sam and Ms. Dot sitting out in the yard of their cabin, visiting with friends.

Saturday night after the meeting is always special because Bro. Sam leads the group in some silly songs and Vicki has some crazy games planned. Camryn got to be in on one of them.

Spaghetti in the hair!

She is loving it!

Tenekias and AnTonyia are in charge of putting it in Camryn's hair.

How lovely you look!

She looks pretty pleased with her new do!

Bro. Sam asked she and her three friends to do a little hand clap rendition they had been doing earlier. Of course they agreed.

We found out that Bro. Sam and Ms. Dot celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary back in March. So, of course Sonny and Cher had to make a surprise apprearance and sing, "I Got You Babe" for them. They were very shocked and loved it.

Vicki with the duo

Sonny and Cher at their finest.

No Family Weekend would be complete without Bro. Sam taking a group of people to Paris. I felt we needed to capture some of the hilarity on video for others to enjoy.

It was a great weekend of fun, fellowship and relaxation. I forgot to mention that Al and Connie Areheart were the speakers for the weekend. We were so glad to get to catch up with them again. We had shared 7 or 8 years together as friends back when our kids were little. Al was the Youth director during that time. What a blessing to re-connect with them and to have him speak to the group again.

God has truly blessed the ministry of Camp Victory and as Zac Shepperson was sharing on Sunday before we all left, there is something special about being there because God visits Camp Victory. He has called many a young boy and girl who had a willing heart to be used by Him. I am sure there are untold thousands or hundreds of thousands of people who have been reached with the Gospel as a result of the numerous kids who have given their hearts to God to be used by Him while at Camp. We won't know until we reach Heaven! What a glorious day that will be!

School is out for the summer!!!

2009-05-29T15:34:00.002-05:00

Woo Hoo!!!
Another year behind me and another group of kids have passed through the halls of ALS. It has been a good year although trying at times, but for the most part very good. I know I must be getting older but I swear we just got this year started a week ago. The years seem to go by in a blurr. I am grateful for the opportunity I have to work with a wonderful group of teachers who love their job and are dedicated to excellence. It is also my great pleasure to work with the students and families that God sends our way. What a joy they are. We have all said it many times, we are all just like one big family at ALS which is truly a blessing. It has been a terrific year, but I am ready for my 7 weeks off to enjoy some family time, friend time, patio time, yard & flower time and some scrapbook time.

The Price of Children...

2009-05-19T10:09:00.002-05:00

A freind sent me this. It was just too good not to pass on to all. Here is something absolutely positive for a change.

I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way. It's nice.The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle income family. Talk about price shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.But $160,140.00 isn't so bad if you break it down.
It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month,
* $171.08 a week.
* A mere $24.24 a day!*
Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is: don't have children if you want to be 'rich.' Actually, it is just the opposite.

What do you get for your $160,140.00?
* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up. You get to:
* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs,
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and
* wish on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodlewreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck.
You get to be a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and
* coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat in history to witness the:
* First step,
* First word,
* First bra,
* First date,
* First time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great-grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match...

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost.
That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!

Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren & great-grandchildren!!!!!!!
It's the best investment you'll ever make!!!!!!!!!

This is why I am a great fan of Kris Allen...

2009-05-18T10:03:00.003-05:00

I got this note from my daughter, Andrea, this morning....I think it says it all as to what type person Kris Allen is:

The pastor at NLC talked to Kris after he made it to the finals and told him we were all praying for him and praying that he wins etc. Kris told Rick not to pray for him to win, just pray for Adam’s soul because he has one more week. Adam is opening up and open to the idea of Christianity. He has said that he never knew what a Christian was or what they were about until Kris. Kris and Adam were roommates. So, let’s pray for Adam’s soul. God works in mysterious ways. I love Kris to death and think he can sing and is talented, but let’s face it…he should have been gone a long time ago with the little coverage he has had etc….God has a bigger plan…even if it’s just one soul. The Bible says all the angels rejoice when one soul is won for the kingdom of God. Pray pray pray!!! What a great reminder of what it’s all about…being that light in the darkness…and letting others see a difference in us.

Chillin in Hot Springs...and a hike in Garvin Woodland Gardens

2009-04-26T20:27:00.011-05:00

With the end of school nearing and the blur of activity and stress that is associated with that, it was essential that we get away for the weekend. Our good friends, Danny and Judy we celebrating their anniversary and asked if we wanted to join them at the Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs. Also on the agenda for the weekend getaway was a hike through Garvin Woodland Gardens. Since we had not been to either popular attraction we were very excited about our trip. Let me just say, if you have not visited the Garvin Gardens, you must do so. It is a gorgeous botanical garden that was alive with spring flowers and blooming trees. You get to walk at your own pace through a winding 2 mile trail of waterfalls, streams, flowers and wildlife. It was so peaceful and serene. Just what we needed to begin the relaxation process we were hoping to find. After our walk we headed back to the hotel to check in and freshen up. Since the four of us enjoy people watching as a passtime we spent the rest of the afternoon sitting on the veranda of the hotel talking and watching a variety of people, cars and tons of motorcycles as they came and went up and down Central Avenue. After a delicious dinner at the Fisherman's Wharf we went back to the hotel to enjoy listening to a live band playing 40's and 50's dance music while many talented and some not so talented people hit the dance floor. I really wish that Norman and I had some of Camryn's dance ability because I would have loved to join those on the floor who seemed to be having such a good time.

Today we had planned to hit the mall for some shopping but alas, being Sunday, they did not open until around 1 PM. So, we did the next best thing...we went to Walmart and got in on some great deals. Now, to most of you this may sound like a pretty boring weekend but to each of us, it was absolutely wonderful. I mean what more could you want? We had beautiful weather, peaceful surroundings and time with funloving friends.

Here are some of the pictures of us as we strolled through the gardens....

A self photo shot
A gorgeous stream
Us on one of the many bridges

Danny and Judy pause for a picture

Danny and Judy again

Norman and Me

Norman tries to attract the fish
A gorgeous Waterfall

I love these two people

Here they are by the waterfall

And here we are by the same waterfall

Judy and I enjoying a "serene moment."

What a beautiful view of Lake Hamilton in the background.
Another bridge shot of us

An electric train set

A miniature village for the trains to move around

We had a wonderfully restful weekend and look forward to our next outing with these two friends.

*Sorry about the 3 pictures that are not vertical as they should be. I couldn't find the correct way to get them turned and I was too tired to keep messing with them. lol

Talent Night at Faith Baptist

2009-04-19T21:38:00.008-05:00

We had a talent night at our church last night to raise money for our Summer Youth Missions trips. There was a variety of talent presented which included performances from Country, R & B, Gospel, and Rock. These acts involved some who actually sang and others who only patamimed the song. We had a visit from a Legendary chart topping dynamic couple from the 60's....

Sonny and Cher
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmGVR9yzUyk

Click on the link above to see the video. It was a lot of fun. Some of the other appearances by renound performers were The Blues Brothers, Michael Jackson, and the Village People. A great night of laughs and fun was had by all...and more than $1300 dollars was raised for the Teen Summer Missions trips.

A-B-C's of Me

2009-04-09T08:54:00.004-05:00

I took this idea from my daughter and decided to add it to my blog.
A - Age: 56
B - Baseball Game or Ballet: Definitely Ballet and especially if Camryn (my 7 year old granddaughter) is dancing.
C - Chore you hate: cleaning bathrooms
D - Dream Vacation: the Gold Coast of Australia
E - Easter candy: Malted milk Easter eggs
F - Favorite Flowers: Oh there are so many...I guess I would say the Iris
G - Games: Win, Lose or Draw, Pictionary,Trivial Pursuit, Spinners
H - Height: 5’7”
I - Instrument you play: unfortunately there is not one. However, when I get to Heaven I want to get to play the piano.
J - Job title: Elementary Principal
K - Kindergarten Memory: Well, we didn't have Kindergarten when I was growing up, but one of my first grade memories was that I had to stand in the front of the room at the blackboard with my nose in a ring because I kissed a little boy on the playground. I still remember his name. He was a little red-headed, freckled faced boy named, Mike Justice.
L - Luxury you live without: a maid although my sweet husband helps me a lot with the house cleaning.
M - Mexican food choice: Taco Bell tacos
N - Nickname: Lisha
O - Overnight hospital stay: When I had my hysterectomy
P - Pet Peeve: people who drive slower than the speed limit...namely my husband!
Q - Quotes you like: “A Great teacher is a spark plug, not a fuel pipe."
R - Rainforest or Redwoods: Redwoods definitely. The rainforest is too humid for me.
S - Siblings: my crazy sister, Shelia, who is the complete opposite of me in personality.
T - Television favorites: Designing Women, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Coach, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars,
U - Ultimate dessert: New York Style Cheesecake or Coconut pie
V - Vegetable you dislike: Baby English peas
W - Ways you run late: It doesn't happen too often, but if I get caught up in a project on the computer, or scrapbooking, I can be known to run late.
X - X-rays you've had: My ribs and leg after our wreck in 2007
Y - Yummy food you make: I make lots of yummy food…learned to cook from my Mother, Grandmother and Mother-in-law who are all great cooks.
Z - Zoo animal that's your favorite: otters...they are so graceful when they swim and are also very playful. They are lots of fun to watch.

Friday...Fun at the Museum of Discovery

2009-03-27T13:16:00.000-05:00

Camryn and I spent Spring Break together and had a very relaxing week. Most of the time she enjoyed watching her shows on TV while I enjoyed some time catching up on my scrapbooking. Thursday Camryn got to spend a fun afternoon with her dance teacher, Ms. Marisa. Friday we were invited to join Billie and her family at the Museum of Discovery. Although, many of my kids at school had taken field trips to this place, I had never gotten the chance to go. After spending from 9:30 until 4 PM there with only a short break for lunch, I can see why the teachers like to take the students there. It is absolutely chocked full of interesting things to do. Below are a few of the picture I took of our time while discovering...

Here we have a picture of me and Camryn as we are about to leave for our day of fun and discovery!

We enter the Museum for a day of fun!
Belle and Camryn loved this area of the museum.

My granddaughter, the monkey.

David and Luke enjoyed the dump trucks.

Here they are waiting on the Three Little Pigs skit to begin.

(By the way, they sat still and attentive for the whole thing which lasted 45 minutes)

The skit

Camryn and the Three Pigs

They had a live animal exhibit that the kids got to see. In this shot they looking at the snake. Notice, Camryn's hands.

Luke is petting the rabbit with two fingers.

After our lunch we took a leisurely stroll back to the museum. These two girls are such good friends.

This play area was a favorite of these three. Here they are riding a cow.

Luke was saying, "Yee haw!"

Camryn letting her wind car race down the track.

Here you see the "four kids" are building their cars.

This little red owl was hit by a car and is blind in one eye. So, he is now one of the animals you get to see while visiting the museum.

Here are Camryn and Belle with their butterflies they made in the arts and crafts section of the museum.

And this is my precious "camera shy" granddaughter posing for a parting shot.

We had a great time on our day at the Museum. The kids were great and there was lots of interesting things for kids of all ages to do. Thanks to the Overstreets for helping us end our spring break week on a high note!

Camryn's Day with Marisa!

2009-03-26T14:29:00.000-05:00

It seems that Marisa had promised Camryn a day with her if she did her solo really well at the last competition. Marisa felt she did since she scored High Gold 1st place points and also was chosen 5th in the top ten of her age group. So, Marisa was true to her promise and took her around 11:00 on Thursday of their spring break. They went to Jason's deli to eat and then to the park at Lakewood Village. They also went to some place to "paint a plate" according to Camryn. They did a little more playing in the park and finished up by getting there nails done. There will be more pictures to come of this fun day when we get Camryn's pictures developed. What a special young lady Marisa is to spend time with a little 7 year old on her spring break. I am sure memories were made that will never be forgotten by Camryn. Below is a comment taken from Marisa's facebook in response to my thanking her for spending this special day with Camryn.

Me: Marisa, thanks so much for the fun day you gave Camryn yesterday. You made memories with her that she will never forget. We appreciate you taking a day out of your spring break to allow her to spend some special time with you!

Marisa: Oh, I had so much fun! She is such a hard worker and she deserved it! I absolutely adore her...I didn't even realize how much until yesterday! She had me smiling and laughing all day...she's SO EASY and special...thanks for allowing me to do it! :)

Is it any wonder why Camryn loves dance and her solo and duet teacher so much? She is an awesome person!

The Queen likes to color

2009-03-25T09:07:00.006-05:00

We have been out for Spring Break this week and I have kept Camryn with me. We have spent our days just doing what we wanted. I have worked on my plants; getting them home and placed back on my patio and deck and I have also done some much needed scrapbooking. Camryn has spent her time watching her shows: Sponge-Bob, iCarly, Backyardigans, etc., dancing, swinging, and playing with Jacye. Yesterday I bought her some new coloring items so she would have something new to do today. Little did I know that the Queen was coming to my house this morning. Thankfully, the Queen likes to color.

Jacye is on guard, making sure there are no squirrels entering our backyard.

As you can see, my little Queen, loves spending time coloring in her giant coloring book.

We have had a good time thus far this week, even though we have had some rain. Tomorrow she is expecting to get to spend the day with her dance teacher, Ms. Marisa, and then Friday we are meeting Billie and her kids at the Museum of Discovery for a day of fun.

Kids Artistic Revue

2009-03-10T17:24:00.008-05:00

This past weekend was another big dance competition for Camryn. She competed in the Kids Artistic Revue at Robinson Auditorium in Little Rock. She danced all four of her dances on Sunday beginning with her solo at 8:15 am. This would not have been too bad had it not been the first day of Daylight Savings Time. We were all a little bleary eyed and sleep deprived but it didn't seem to phase Camryn. She was pumped and ready to go and did very well on her dances. In her solo dance she received Top 1st points and ranked 5th overall in the 8 and under age range. Below you will see the pictures of her receiving her award.

In the above picture the MC was asking Camryn her name and who choreographed her dance. Then they had Ms. Marisa come on stage and below is Camryn's reaction. She absolutely adores her teacher!!!

Here is a shot of Camryn and her outstanding teacher, Marisa Kirby.

A shot of the top 5 dancers in the 8 and under age division.

She and Callen received Top 1st points and ranked 3rd overall in the 8 and under age range.

Here they are in the group shot of the top 5 duet/trio routines for the 8 and under age division.Camryn was also competing (unbeknownst to us) for the title of Miss Petite Dance. She got 2nd runner-up and received a tiara and a pin. She was so thrilled with getting the tiara and wore it for the rest of the day. We have always known she was a little princess and now she has the crown to prove it!
It was a very long day but a very exciting day for the MKDS dancers. Her Hip Hop large group also received Top 1st points and ranked 1st overall. Their large group Tap routine received Top 1st points also and ranked 6th overall.

With each competition she continues to improve. By the time we get to the Nationals in Dallas, she should be peaking out on her dances.

She's in His presence now!

2009-02-21T09:31:00.003-06:00

Aunt Letha passed from this life into the presence of her Lord around 4 AM this morning. She is now out of all the pain and suffering and rejoicing with her Lord, family and freinds who were there waiting for her.

My Aunt Letha...

2009-02-20T19:31:00.004-06:00

Tonight my Aunt Letha is nearing the end of her life. She fell several weeks ago and broke a vertebrae in her neck and has been in the hospital ever since that time. She had surgery to fuse the vertebrae and was doing pretty well afterward. However, last Sunday night she suffered a stroke and heart attack. There has not been any improvement over this last five days. The doctor said that best case scenario if she did come out of this would be that she would not be able to talk, nor use her right arm. She would need to be cared for the rest of her life. Since there has been no improvements or changes, the boys have decided that she would not want to be left like this. They have agreed to withdraw all medicines other than for pain and let what will be, happen. Please be in prayer for all of them. It has been very difficult for them to see their mother in this condition. Seeing her unable respond to them or any other stimuli is heart breaking. She was always so full of life and forever carrying on something with those around her. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends when God sees fit to call her on home.

From my Sweet Valentine....

2009-02-13T10:10:00.002-06:00

Aren't they gorgeous!! My sweet and thoughtful husband sent them to me at school yesterday. He is always so caring and selfless. I really don't deserve such a wonderful man, but I sure am glad God brought us together over 35 years ago! What blessing to have a man who is faithful to me and to His Lord and Savior. What a godly example he is of love, compassion and self-denial. He is always looking out for my best interest. And he has always allowed me to be me...in all my independence. He has never been threatened by that, but rather appreciates my capabilities and encourages me to pursue my goals. He is also a wonderful dad to our girls and a super Papaw to Camryn. I am very thankful for my Sweet Valentine and what he has meant to me in my life!

4th Folder in...4th picture...

2009-02-12T07:30:00.004-06:00

OK...here are the rules...go to your 4th folder of pictures and go to the 4th picture...upload it and tell the story behind it.

This picture was taken when we took Camryn to Birmingham with us over Christmas. Her Great-grandpa has played the violin for around 70 years and given lessons for a good part of that time. In this picture he was giving Camryn some instruction on a three-quarter violin. It was a little big for her but she was very intrigued with the instrument and was actually able to get a decent sound from it. If you notice both she and her great-grandpa are both smiling. What a priceless moment! He is 85 and she was 6 at the time. A generational Kodak moment. Sorry to break the rules but I had to include this shot of Camryn and Papaw..Such a priceless precious moment.

Junior Miss NexStar!!!!

2009-02-07T20:27:00.006-06:00

Camryn's second competition of the season was the NexStar Competition held at Robinson Auditorium today. We only entered her solo and duet dances. This competition has 3 categories for the dancers: PreStar Level, NewStar Level and NexStar Level which has harder scoring. Ms. Marisa and Ms. Karen both felt Camryn could hold her own with the dancers in the NexStar Level. So, Andrea had her entered in that category. She also entered her in the competition for Junior Miss NexStar. With the girls from our studio that were competing for that title we were cautiously optimistic about Camryn's chances of being selected for the title...BUT, I guess Ms. Karen and Ms. Marisa knew what they were talking about because...

SHE WON THE TITLE OF

JUNIOR MISS NEXSTAR!!!She will get her picture included in the NexStar Program as a result of being chosen for this title.
She and Callen are waiting on the awards ceremony to begin.

Here is the list of her awards and rankings for the day:

Camryn’s
Nexstar Dance Competition Results
February 7, 2009
In her solo: “I’m Going Bananas!” Nexstar category
She got:
· High Gold 1st place points in her age division
· 2nd place overall for the 8 and under age group

In her duet: “Holly Rock” Nexstar category
She and Callen got:
· High Gold 1st place points in their age group and
· They placed 3rd overall in the 8 and under age group.

What a great day for our little dancer!

Let the competitions begin....

2009-01-30T20:43:00.015-06:00

This past weekend Camryn began another year of dance competition with Ms. Karen's Dance Studio. She is competing in a solo, duet, and two large groups in tap and hip hop. Her solo this year is called, "I'm Going Bananas." She was a little nervous but still did very well. She received 1st place points for her dance (276 out of 300 possible) and placed 2nd in the top 10 of her age division. Her duet with Callen is called, "Holly Rock." They did an awesome job on a fast moving song, even after their brains seem to have left them while warming up. Ms. Marisa was about to hang them on a nail, but they pulled it together and did very well. They also scored 1st place points (275 out of 300) and placed 2nd out of the top ten in their age division. We were very proud of their accomplishments for the weekend. The tap number, "We Rock" got 1st place points (2nd overall) and so did their hip hop number, "Boom, Shake the Room!"(it placed 4th overall) All in all, it was a good beginning for them.

This is Camryn and her proud Momma after her dance was finished.

Camryn and her super teacher, Ms. Marisa!

Comment from Marisa the next day: "She is such a hard worker! I absolutely love working with her! She was amazing this weekend!!!!!!! There are not many things she can't do!!! Maybe we can look at her solo stuff on Thursday!? I can't wait to hear what they (the judges) say!"

Here she is waiting on the awards ceremony to begin.

This is our girl with her solo awards.

And here she is in her "Holly Rock" costume.

Camryn and Callen practicing before they dance.

A little goofiness prior to their performance to settle the nerves.

And here they are with
all the top ten winners.

We look forward to the year of competitons as we prepare for Nationals in Dallas this summer. It is always exciting as they begin the season to watch them. And then at the end to see how they have grown in their skills and abilities. Camryn never ceases to amaze me with her flexibility and coordination. She obviously didn't get this talent from the Gillaspie side of the family. Even though I took dance as a first and second grader, I was never as good as Camryn is. She is an awesome little dancer!

After one month of rehab....

2009-01-30T20:18:00.004-06:00

Well, it has been one month today since Mother went into the nursing home rehab facility. This has definitely been a month of ups and downs. She has experienced fluid in her lungs due to inflammation, having a drainage port put in, physical therapy, panic attacks due to not being able to breathe, depression, no appetite, anger and her 83rd Birthday. Thank the Lord, as of today it seems that she may have turned the corner. They have finally put her on an appetite stimulating medicine and I am pleased to report...she ate eggs, bacon, and a biscuit this morning for breakfast without experiencing nausea. She even said it tasted good. She also had pinto beans, salad and yogart for lunch. Her attitude has even improved thanks to Zoloft. She is doing pretty well with her physical therapy too. She finally decided if she was ever going to get out of the nursing home she was going to have to do more on her own to strengthen herself. We are so grateful to the dedicated staff of the Timberlane Nursing Home for their care and kindness toward Mother and to Dr. Smart for his persistant, conscientious medical care. We are hoping that she will soon be back home and that she will continue to move forward on this road to recovery. Thanks to all of you who have prayed for her throughout this ordeal. Without your support we would have never gotten through the down days. Thanks to those of you who made an effort to go by and visit with her. It helped to brighten those long boring days for her as well as encourage her to keep pressing forward with a positive attitude. Most of all we are thankful to the Lord for allowing us more time with her on this earth.

Please join me in praying for this little one...

2009-01-21T10:49:00.001-06:00

http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/

35 years have passed so quickly...

2009-01-05T17:28:00.006-06:00

Thirty-five years ago today these two young pups married amid the throws of an ice storm. What memories that day holds for us. You see, on January 1st of 1974 an ice storm hit El Dorado knocking out the electricity to a large portion of the town. It just happened that the neighborhood in which my family lived was among those without electricity. Not only did our house not have electricity, but also the church where our wedding was to be held. Among the immediate issues caused by this outage were: the guys tuxes were stuck somewhere between El Dorado and Little Rock. (We decided they could wear whatever they had with them.) The lady who was catering my reception had to decorate my cake in the dark. (The cake as you can see looked great.) The music for the wedding which was supposed to be by organ, had to be changed to piano. Also, Mr. G had to keep tuning his violin because of the cold, damp conditions in the church. (The music sounded angelic.) We prayed that all those coming in for the wedding would be able to make it. We had family members and attendants coming from Missouri, Florida, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Lousiana as well as other places in Arkansas. With the conditions as they were, we were very grateful that they all made it and had a place to stay at the motel in which I had made reservations. I had made the arrangements for everyone way ahead of time however, when the storm hit all the people in our neighborhood who were without electricity rushed down to the motel that fortunately had power. This was all fine except for the fact that the rooms I had reserved for all my families were now given away! After I had pre-wedding-stressed-out-bride fit, they somehow found rooms for everyone. The day of the wedding electricity had been restored to all homes within one block of the church. I met with Bro. Sam and the sound and video men from the church and we discussed moving the wedding to the motel because they had heat and electricity. But, I was determined to get married in our church so that was not an option. Fortunately, the wedding was scheduled for 2 PM because there was at least light from the stained glass windows inside the church. Also, the photographer had to take my pictures by "guesswork" as he called it because there was very little light to check his meters. The reception was held downstairs in the fellowship hall which was warm because they had turned on the burners and ovens on the stoves earlier in the day. Coleman lanterns and candles provided the lighting for the reception area. Although the wedding was very cold (29 degrees in the church) for the attendants in their summery, scooped-necked dresses, and for those attending the wedding, and the fact that there was no video of the occasion to look back on at a later time, it was still beautiful and a very special time. As my soon to be sister-in-law said, "Well, it won't be just another ho-hum wedding," and it wasn't. Bro. Sam always teased that he spits on the marital knot he ties during the ceremony so it will stay tied. This time he said that our marriage would definitely last, because the spit froze!
After all these years and all the ups and downs that have transpired we are still in love and consider the other our best friend.

And here we are 35 years later....

Spending the New Year in B'ham

2009-01-03T19:54:00.008-06:00

We spent our New Year with Norman's parents, his sister and her family and his brother and his family. We had not been out to Birmingham since Spring Break in March. It is amazing how much the kids have all grown during that time. We enjoyed a good time of catching up and lots of tasty desserts. They had decided to just do desserts so Mother wouldn't feel she needed to do a lot of cooking. That is something she is no longer able to do. Here are a few pictures of our time together:

Paul is sharing some old pictures of himself with is kids

Mom and Dad enjoy the chocolate cake Tricia made from Grandmama Langston's recipe.

It was delicious!

Camryn and Jake enjoyed playing outside
Jake shows his jumping skills in an attempt to impress Camryn.

In this picture he was jumping off the fence.

They had a great time playing together!

Paul, Josh and Ashley with Tricia's kids in the background

Here you see the group watching the Penn State game

(or at least I think that is what they were watching...it was some bowl game)

While the guys watch the game, the girls are in the kitchen talking

about the fine art of making good fudge.

Paul and Angela's four kids from left to right:

Jake, Nick, Ashley and Josh

Angela and Mom enjoy visiting with each other.

Christiana and her boyfriend, Daniel

Mom, Dad and the kids, Paul, Tricia and Norman

We had a good visit with Norman's parents. It is so hard to see them becoming older and more frail. Mother's health has had some ups and downs over the last year or so and it has really taken it's tole on her. She is a mere shadow of the woman she used to be but still the same sweet lady I have loved since I came into this family.

Christmas pictures...finally!

2008-12-30T18:53:00.007-06:00

The tree is loaded with presents

Jacye is waiting for the kids to arrive

Norman reads the Christmas story from the BibleCamryn begins passing out the presents

Andrea and Charles wait on their gifts

Andrea and CharlesAndrea, Camryn and Charles

Alison and John

Norman, Alicia and Jacye

Our whole family
We enjoyed a great time with the kids. We opened presents, ate our Christmas dinner (which was actually a Thanksgiving dinner that I didn't get to prepare in November) and then played the game, Battle of the Sexes....and the girls came from way behind to emerge as the WINNERS!

Oh yeah! Girls rule!

Seriously, it was a lot of fun to be together as a family as we enjoyed a day of food, fun and fellowship!

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-25T09:31:00.003-06:00

I hope all of you are enjoying a very Merry Christmas with your families. We will be gathering here around noon for our family Christmas. I will post pictures after we get through opening presents and eating our Christmas dinner!
Until then.....have a great day!

How quickly things can change...

2008-12-22T19:13:00.003-06:00

My last post was expressing the Great News that Mother got to go home. However, she was only there for a day and a half. Early Sunday morning (2:30 to be exact) Mother ask Shelia to take her back to the hospital. She just didn't feel right. She had not slept more than about 45 minutes since she had been home. She was feeling cold one minute and hot the next and said she felt all jittery inside and nauseated. So, Shelia took her to the ER. Her blood pressure was pretty high by the time they got there so they admitted her and sent her back to CVICU. They did some more tests and basically felt that she was having panic attacks which was causing the fluctuation in her temp and blook pressure. They did give her a light sleeping pill so she could rest which she did and even remarked that she was feeling better this morning than she had in a week. However, that condition quickly changed. This afternoon, just 6 hours after I had called to check on her, they had to take her down, stick a needle into her lung so they could draw the fluid off her right lung (1200cc). Her nurse said she had been through quite a bit today and was worn out from the procedure. She has been sleeping the whole day since that was done and was not even aware that Daddy and Shelia were in the room with her. According to her nurse she will most likely would be in CVICU for several more days and maybe through Christmas. Prayers are needed once again for her recovery...for her to get the rest she needs so she can regain her strength...for the doctors to be able to control the fluid build up in her lung and for the panic attacks to subside.

GREAT NEWS!

2008-12-19T16:41:00.002-06:00

Mother is home and feeling great! Shelia said that she had done about 180 degree turn in how she was feeling and in her mental attitude since she got home around noon! Praise the Lord and thanks to all of you who have shared in praying for her recovery! God is truly good!

Two steps forward...three steps back...

2008-12-16T07:56:00.001-06:00

I just got a call from Shelia letting me know that they had to move Mother back into CVICU last night because her heart rate went down too low. When she got to step-down yesterday she had the hiccups and had been dealing with them most of the day. One of the doctors had prescribed some meds (Thorazine) which was to help her relax and sleep. Evidently this caused her heart rate to drop too low. She was getting some great sleep but it seems she must also have a bit of sleep apnea which caused her heart rate to drop. So back to CVICU she went in the night. Shelia did call and talk with her nurse this morning and he said she was doing great...sitting up in a chair and talking about what she was going to eat for breakfast. I will send more info as I get it.

Better news on Mother

2008-12-15T09:28:00.004-06:00

As I said in earlier posts, things can change in a matter of minutes or hours where a heart surgery patient is concerned. Shelia called to tell me that Mother had eaten some Insure pudding this morning as well as a saltine cracker. She is not nauseated which is definitely an answer to prayer. She has been sitting in her chair and had even walked down the hall pushing a wheelchair this morning! Praise the Lord! Maybe things today are going to be better! Once again, I want to say thanks for your prayers, notes and calls!

Mother's condition changed...

2008-12-14T21:28:00.002-06:00

If there is one thing I have learned through all this, it is that a person's medical condition can change in a matter of minutes or hours. We thought Mother would be in step-down by now and well on her way to heading out the door and home. However, Friday night her body began to retain fluid, especially around her lungs, so she had to stay in CVICU. Saturday she was a little confused although pretty alert. However, today was not a good day for her. She experienced nausea all day long and could not make herself eat anything for fear of throwing up. Also, yesterday around 7 PM her heart went back into A Fib and has not converted back to sinus rhythm as of this post. We are all praying that tomorrow will be a better day for her and that the nausea and heart rhythm with correct themselves.

Praises and more Praises!!!

2008-12-12T11:51:00.002-06:00

7:15 AM

Good morning to all of you and Praise the Lord!
I just called to check on Mother from Sherwood (I am back at work) and she is doing very well this morning. They said she was alert, talking, her vital signs are good, her kidneys are working and she is back in sinus rhythm! What an answer to prayer! I think she has turned the corner and will soon be moved to step-down and then home. Thanks so much for all your prayers and notes!
Have a great day!

AND the lastest Praise!

11:00 AM

Shelia called me around 10:20 to say that Mother was sitting up in the recliner in her room and had eaten a good breakfast!!! Woo Hoo! They plan to get her up and walk her around a little later today. AND they plan to move her to step-down tomorrow! Praise the Lord for this answer to prayer!
I love and appreciate each and everyone of you!

God is truly an awesome God who loves and cares about each of His children no matter how young or old.

Update on Mother

2008-12-08T16:26:00.002-06:00

I just wanted to let all of you know that read my blog, Mother made it through surgery very well. We all got to go in to see her and she is of course very swollen but the doctor said all went well and he was please with how she did. They expect her to wake up later tonight. I appreciate all your prayers for her. More to come as news becomes available.

Prayers for my Mother

2008-12-07T21:44:00.002-06:00

My Mother will be having surgery tomorrow to have her aortic valve replaced. She is very calm about the whole process realizing the outcome is all in the Lord's hands. Her faith is strong and she is at peace with whatever the Lord has for her life. We would covet your prayers for her and her surgeon, Dr. Wilson.
Thanks so much!

Christmas has come to the Gillaspie's

2008-12-04T08:28:00.007-06:00

Well, in spite of our "non-traditional" happenings for Thanksgiving, one thing did remain traditional...we put up our Christmas decorations on Friday and Saturday. Norman got out and did the outside lights and figures and I got busy on the inside. I usually put on one of my favorite Christmas movies, (either White Christmas or It's a Wonderful Life) to get me in the mood and then I get to work. Fortunately, TV Land had White Christmas playing on Friday night! With Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney singing in the background, my house took on a cozy Christmasy (is that a word) glow. I just love the warm cheery feeling that Christmas decorations give to a room. I finally got all the inside decor completed on Sunday afternoon when I got the tree decorated. There are still a few more spiral lighted trees that I want Norman to add to the outside light display, but other than that everything is finished and ready to enjoy our holiday season.
For those of you who don't get to visit our house during the holiday's I have prepared a vertual tour.

Our tree and window decor...this year I did move away from the traditional decorations on the tree. I bought a few new balls, and ribbon and went with a silver and red color scheme. I like it for a change.

The mantel with Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus
The Snowman village on my entertainment center

A closer view The couch area

Left side view

Right side view

And of course the decor would not be complete without a cute little fireside dog... our miniature schnauzer, Jacye, in her red holiday coat.

It was pouring rain last night so I couldn't get out to take pictures of the outside of the house. I will try to do that today and add them to this post tonight.

Hope you enjoyed seeing our home...I didn't get shots of the kitchen, but I will.

Wish all of you could come see us during the holidays but now at least you have an idea of what your missing.

We wish all of you a Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-12-02T20:40:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving this year was quite different from our traditional holiday. Here is why:
On Monday, Nov. 17th around 2 PM I got a call from my sister, Shelia, telling me that my Mother was in the hospital. She had been down with brochitus/a cold for a few days and had gone back to her family doctor for a recheck of her lungs. When she told him that she was having great difficulty breathing and was extremely tired, he sent her immediately to the hospital and order a heart cath to be done on Tuesday. So, I immediately started getting my things ready to head to El Dorado...(covering all my bases in case I had to stay for a while). I arrived at the hospital at 6 PM. Mother was doing better, but still having difficulty breathing. We stayed with her until around 9:30 then Shelia went back for the night. Tuesday she had the heart cath done and they found that her aortic valve had some calcification on it which caused it not to open as it should. We were given the options by the cardiologist of treating it with medicine and adjusting to a very limited lifestyle or having open heart surgery to replace the valve. Mother was not willing to settle for a life of sitting in a chair and having to be waited on hand and foot, so she opted for the surgery. The cardiologist had her meet with the surgeon and her surgery was set for Friday. Then on Thursday Dr. Bhatt said he had been thinking and reviewing all Mother's tests and info and said he was not quite ready to rush into surgery. He wanted to have some other test run and confer with other cardiologist to confirm his findings. So, our emotions went from being "good to go" for the surgery to a "waiting" mode. To make a long story short, Mother had a lung function test and an Echogram on her heart which all confirmed that the surgery was indeed a must. So, they sent her home on Wednesday, Nov. 26th after a 9 day hospital stay with a scheduled surgery for Monday, Dec. 8th. Another week of waiting....
We are very thankful for Mother's cardiologist, Dr. Bhatt, who is a strong believer. He was very open and honest about Mother's health situation and readily admits that they will do all they can to "fix" her heart but ultimately she is in the hands of the Lord. What a comfort to know that your cardiologist has been praying and diligently seeking the Lord's help and wisdom regarding what measures to take in correcting your heart problems. It was truly a blessing to have him treat her.

Now on to Thanksgiving: After staying with Mother in the hospital for a week I had nothing bought with which to make our traditional Thanksgiving menu. So, Norman bought some filet mignon steaks, marinated and grilled them. I had some fresh turnip greens from Daddy's garden patch that I cooked down and we baked a some sweet potatoes. It was not your normal idea of a Thanksgiving dinner and it really felt odd not to get up and cook all day to fix the spread of food we normally have, but it was still good. Since we were not doing the "traditonal" things and because we were not sure of what was going to transpire with Mother, neither of the girls were there either. However, Andrea and Camryn did come over to watch the parade with us but they had made alternate plans for their Thanksgiving Day dinner.

Even though my plans for Thanksgiving were interrupted, I am very grateful for the time I did get to spend with Mother while she was in the hospital. (You see, I took the day shift from about 8:30 am-9:30 pm) and then Shelia came and stayed the night. I think I probably had the best end of the deal because the nurses were forever coming in at night and taking vital signs, weighing Mother or poking pills at her to take, which didn't allow for much sleep. I on the other hand had the pleasure of laughing and talking for hours on end with Mother, making memories I will forever hold dear in my heart. In the years to come when I think back on the Thanksgiving of 2008, although we didn't get to have the traditional time of dining with our family, I will always fondly remember the many hours I did get to spend with my Mother as we made the best of a scary situation.

"Where've You Been..."

2008-11-16T15:54:00.004-06:00

This song, by Kathy Mattea, is so touching...especially in light of the recent news I have gotten about my dear Mother-in-law. She is experiencing some dementia and is confused and agitated a lot of the time now. I think about the life she and Dad have shared and this song reminds me of them. Although, Dad was not a salesman, the sentiment expressed throughout this song rings true of their love for one another. Enjoy, but you may want to get a kleenex first. (Oh, and you will want to mute my music that plays automatically. )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHzMGM9qyZw

Old Friends, after all of these years....

2008-10-27T20:00:00.005-05:00

What a great weekend of visiting with some old friends. Norman and I headed down to Camp Victory near Carthage, AR on Saturday morning. We arrived just after the morning message had begun. Carl McAllistar, was the speaker for the weekend. He married Cindy Cottrrell, one of the girls from Marrable Hill whose family has been a part of the church and camp since it's beginning. Although we didn't get in on his first message of the weekend on Friday night, we were still able to gain much from Carl's messages.

As always at Camp Victory, there is plenty of time for sitting and visiting under the beaudart(not sure about the spelling for that...some call them "horse apples"), for catching up on all that has gone on over the years, for much laughter and lots of picture taking.

Here are some shots of our time there

Alex, Tim and Sarah Evans little boy, loved being up in the tree.

Here is a shot of Alex, and Oliver Primm...Seth's son..

And here is a shot of Oliver and his cousin Payton Primm...Scott's youngest daughter.

There was time for chatting...

for getting alone in the sun with a crossword puzzle...

for solving the world's problems...

for spending some quiet time for study....

And some time for a demonstration of new excercise moves.

For sharing in a laugh

for the telling of tall tales...

for the capturing of 8 legged, hairy spiders

for cozing up to the fire....

and for just enjoying the beauty of a place that has to be right up there next to heaven.

The memories,

the people,

and the lessons learned...

all hold a special place in my heart that I will forever cherish.

It was a beautiful weekend that was spent in a beautiful place wth some very beautiful people.

My Bedroom rearrangement...

2008-10-12T15:29:00.011-05:00

For some time now I have wanted to get Norman a new desk that was more in line with the color scheme in my bedroom since that is where he has to work when he is at home. I have also wanted to rearrange my bedroom because it ha been the same way for many years. So, "I got a bee in my bonnet" one weekend and decided to move everything. Of course, as you will see from the pictures with this arrangement, it meant that the first thing you would see when you looked through doorway was Norman at his desk....the old, brown desk that he had in his home as a teenager. IT was time for a new one. So, I began looking and pricing pieces that I thought would go. I finally found a desk, hutch and lateral file cabinet on line and ordered it. Of course, it had to be put together...that is another story which I will not go into at this time. Anyway, this is what everything looks like now.

And from this angle--

And here are also a few pictures of Jacye doing what she loves to do while on my bed....look out the window for anything that moves so she can bark at it.

A week of fun and productivity with my Mother!

2008-09-28T20:40:00.006-05:00

This week I got to spend some extended time with my Mother. Daddy was away with his nephews in Big Springs, TX dove hunting, so I went down to El Dorado last Sunday to get Mother. I didn't think it was a good idea for her to be at home alone, especially since she is legally blind. Although she can function well in her own home, I did not feel comfortable with her being there by herself. So, this gave us some extra time together. I did, however, have to work all week, but came home for lunch each day to have time with her. It was a fun week for both of us even though we didn't have a lot of time together. I took her to Camryn's dance studio on Monday. We went shopping for her some new clothes on Tuesday. Wednesday, Alison and Billie came over to eat lunch with us. I took her to our Kindergarten Program on Thursday night, and Friday, we went to see Andrea's house. It was a pretty busy week. She spent a lot of her time while I was at school sitting out on my patio enjoying the birds singing and letting Jacye run.

It is sobering when you think of how you take for granted the things that you do on a daily basis that are difficult for someone who has very limited eyesight. For instance: I go to the door numerous times per day, unlock the storm door (because I always keep it locked) and then let Jacye out to do her business. Monday when I left Mother at the house while I went to work, it never dawned on me that she did not know how to unlock my back storm door...you just have to slide the button down. Well, Jacye had let her know that she needed to go outside, so Mother was trying to get the door open. She had pushed the button in, but not down. Of course, if you know my dog, Jacye, she was jumping up and down like a yo-yo the whole time Mother was trying to get the door open all the while getting more and more frustrated. She finally gave up, saying to Jacye, "I just can't get it open!" Jacye, I guess realizing Mother's frustration, just went back to laying on the back of the couch. A little later my sister called to check on how Mother was doing and was able to talk her through how to get the door unlocked. When I came home for lunch we talked about it, but it dawned on me that if something had happened that Mother really needed to get out of the house, she would have been trapped, because she didn't know how to get the garage door open either. That morning I had put pieces of lime green paper on the microwave Quick minute and Start buttons so she could use the microwave and I later added my cell phone number in the speed dial on my phone and placed velcro to the appropriate buttons so she could call me if she needed anything. Although she is able to function very well for being legally blind, it was still a challenge for her to come into my world and make it. But being the independent, self-reliant woman she has always been, she made it just fine and we had a wonderful time together. I don't think she has ever come and stayed that long with me before, but it was a lot of fun.

I took her back home on Saturday and began the big project of ripping up the carpet in the master bedroom and cleaning up the mold and mildew that had taken over that room due to something faulty in the A/C (a window unit). What a job that was. I am sore in places that I didn't know had muscles. But we got it done...I pulled up all the tack board strips and all the hundreds of staples that were in the floor. The hardwood floors that were covered by the carpet were still in fairly good shape. I mopped and scrubbed them and added Mop & Glow to put somewhat of a glow and shine back. They really needed to be sanded and have a new polyurethane finish added but that will have to come at a later date. There is just so much you can do in a 24 hour period. I took her shopping before we got started on the project to get new bedspreads for the two beds she has. After we got everything cleaned and disinfected and all the new stuff added the rooms looked really good. She was very pleased and I was too...mainly because I was able to help her get rid of the yuck that was growing in there and because I was able once again to do a "make-over" project with her while Daddy was away hunting. Ü This is something we always did when I was a teenager when he was away for any length of time. You know, it is just so much easier to do those things when you don't have a man around who is saying, "It can't be done that way," or "It won't work," or ""What do you want to do that for? or "It is alright just as it is so why do you want to change it?" Those types of statements are just like waving a red flag at a bull when you say them to us Curtis Women! That just makes us more determined than ever to do it! Ü You should have seen this 56 year old woman and my 82 year old Mother pushing and pulling furniture around. When there is a will to make it happen...it does!

All in all it was a great week of fun and productivity! I am tired and sore today but very pleased with all we were able to accomplish.

Mrs. G the bat killer...or Josephine the Plumber?

2008-08-21T19:08:00.004-05:00

Hey, did you know I am a bat killer? LOL Yesterday a little first grade girl named Chloe, came out of the girls bathroom to tell me that there was a bat in there! I said, "A bat?" swinging my arms like I had a bat you use to hit a ball. She said, with big eyes, "No, the kind that flies." And she had several eyewitnesses to confirm her sighting...including a little boy. I asked him how he knew there was a bat in there since being a boy he should not even be in the girls bathroom. He avoided that issue, but he assured me he saw it too. Anyway, I sent them back to their classroom and went to check this out. I was feeling pretty positive that it was not really a bat and was definitely hoping that it wasn't since I didn't want the kids to see their principal acting like a crazy woman running down the hall, because I can't stand bats! However, the little boy was at least concerned about me because he asked me before going back to class what I was going to do if the bat got on me. I told him he didn't want to see that. Ü

Anyway, I went in the bathroom... (let me add an important side note here...a ceiling tile, just inside the door, had been removed that morning because our maintenance man was trying to find the source of a pool of water in the doorway). Now, back to my story...I went inside to look for the "bat" and found that there was a large spiderweb that was covered in dust hanging from the ceiling. It did in fact look like a bat that was flying due to the breeze from the fan they had blowing in an attempt to dry up the water. I smiled and went to get Chloe to have her confirm that what I saw was what she had seen. She cautiously walked into the bathroom and looked up in the ceiling, pointed to it and said, "Yes, see it's a bat!" I assured her it was a spiderweb but she was not convinced. So, I went to get a broom and then proceeded to rake it down and show it to her. And there you have it...I am Mrs. G, the bat slayer! I thought that would put an end to the "bat in the bathroom" rumor, but the rumormill was still rumbling today. Mrs. Simmoms, whose office is right near the bathrooms, was called on to assure a little 4 year old girl that there were indeed no bats in the bathroom!

There seems to always be something going on that has to do with the bathroom. This morning one of my teachers called up to the main office in a panic because a commode in the boys bathroom downstairs was, as the little kindergartener said, "over reflowing." So, Josephine the plummer, alias Mrs. G, grabbed her tools and a plunger and headed down to take care of it. Somehow in my masters program they failed to inform me that these type activities would be part of my duties as a principal. If they had, I might have re-thought the whole process. Nah...not really!
Oh the joys of being a principal who deals with first grade students who can see flying bats in fuzzy spider webs and "over reflowing" toilets. I wonder what tomorrow will hold?

School's about to start...

2008-08-12T20:26:00.002-05:00

Gosh, it has been almost a month since my last post. Not much has been happening other than I am back to work and busy getting ready for another year of school. It is kind of a love/hate event. I really hate having to give up my relaxed summer schedule of doing what I want when I want to, for the days of having to be at school by about 7:15 AM and not getting to leave until 3:30 PM. I know, I know, you folks that have to do this all the time are saying, whaaa, whaaa, whaaa. But my summer time off is one of the perks of being in education. However, I do love it when the teachers come up and start decorating the halls and their classrooms. It just starts my blood to pumping with excitement for what the year will bring.

I must admit that as I get older the beginnings and endings of the school year seem to all run together. Just about the time you get a year started and running well, it is time to end it and begin to plan for the next one. It is a great profession, especially Christian Education, because you not only get to impart factual knowledge to the students but more importantly...you get the privilege of sharing Jesus with them. What an awesome opportunity we have on a daily basis to touch the future for the Lord through the seeds we sow in these kids lives. So, I said all that to say, I was not ready to get back in the swing of things but now that I am...I am very excited to see what the Lord is going to do in the lives of the students He has brought our way.

Branson Vacation...the rest of the story

2008-07-20T13:39:00.009-05:00

The internet at the condo was on-again-off-again, so I didn't get to finish posting the rest of the events from our vacation. So, here is "the rest of the story"....
We decided to spend Thursday by the pool again and then have a cookout on the lake. So, Norman got the fire going and Andrea, Camryn and I brought the hamburgers and hotdogs and all the fixin's down to the picnic area. We enjoyed the serenity of the area while others enjoyed boating and skiing on the lake. Camryn and her Papaw spent a while trying their hands at skipping rocks on the lake while I tended to the cooking and Andrea watched and enjoyed the peacefulness. After we ate our burgers and dogs, Andrea demonstrated the art of making S'mores. Camryn was not too sure about this, but finally got the hang of it.
Here are some pictures of the cookout:

Finding rocks to skip

Papaw shows his skills at skipping rocks

The "cook" checks on the meat

Chowin' down...(Camryn did not like the flies)

Andrea shows Camryn how to brown her marshmellow

Then Camryn tries her hand at it..

To quote Camryn, "WOW!!!! Now that is a flaming marshmellow!"

Next you put it together...

Then you eat it!!!

Friday, we had to be down at the Convention Center by 7 AM because Camryn's group was the first routine of the day. It was quite difficult to get all these little 4-6 years olds up and going at this hour of the morning. That is why I am not getting any smiles or poses out of Camryn in her
"Ice, Ice, Baby" costume. They did this dance at 8 and then had to be ready for their "Chapel of Love" routine by 8:30. Once those two dances were done she was finished for the day.

Their group got an Elite Gold 1st in their age category and 6th overall. The MC was talking to them asking them what they wanted to be when they grew up.

The "Chapel of Love" dance also scored Elite Gold 1st place points but got 3rd overall in the 8 an under category. We left after awards to eat lunch and then went back to watch the rest of our large groups compete.

And this is called, Dance Competiton Wipe-out! Camryn had danced in the back of the room most of the afternoon with her friends while the other groups from Ms. Karen's did their routines.

All in all it was a fun and relaxing week. We enjoyed the time off and loved getting to watch our kids perform. We look forward to next year and all that it holds.

Branson vacation...Day #4

2008-07-17T15:37:00.005-05:00

Day #4 of our vacation in Branson started with sleeping a little later since we had been up late the night before at the competition. Then we spent a relaxing two hours or more at the pool. We cleaned up and then headed to the Hard Luck Diner to eat where Jason Yeager (a contestant on American Idol) is now singing and waiting tables. We tried to get Camryn to have her picture made with him but she would not agree to that. After we ate we went to play Putt Putt Golf. I kept score and recorded the event on camera. Here are a few pictures of our evening:
Camryn tees off and does a sort of "sweeping" putt on the first hole.

Andrea takes her first shot and gets the ball in the hole in two strokes.

This is Norman's shot on hole 3..he made a hole-in-one on the first two holes...a feat Andrea was not too happy with him about.

Here Camryn is working on her 4th stroke on a hole

This golf course was called Pirates Cove and thus was all landscaped and decorated in a Pirates motif. At the end they had this pirate figure that I wanted to take the three golfers picture beside. Camryn was not too excited about this as you can see. Her she is thinking her mother has gone nuts.

And here you can see her disgust with having to get her picture made in front of the pirate.

Afterwards we came home to an evening of TV (Hannah Montana, Suite Life of Zack and Cody for the 15 gillionth time) and computer games. Tomorrow will be another day of relaxing by the pool, cooking hamburgers and hot dogs for supper and maybe we will take in some go cart racing. Later...

Branson Vacation...Day #3

2008-07-16T14:53:00.014-05:00

I know this a day late but we spent most of the day at the Starpower National Dance Competiton. It was a very long day and also very cold in that convention center. Camryn did very well on her solo. In fact it was the best she had ever done it, which is fitting since it was her last time to perform it. She score Elite Gold 1st place points.
Here is how the day went:

Camryn does a little stretching warm-up...

Then it is time to fix her hair...

Curlers all in...

Now comes the make-up...foundation...

Eye shadow...

Make-up all done....

Costume on...now the company warm-up suit

Andrea is showing her support

Camryn is dressed and ready to go!

Let's do it!!!

Go MKDS! Go CAMRYN!

And Success! Elite Gold 1st place!

All in a days work as a MKDS Company dancer!

We are all very proud of what Camryn has accomplished this year on her first solo! I think this is only the beginning of many more to come!

Branson Vacation...Day #2

2008-07-14T18:35:00.008-05:00

Today we spent here at the condo. It is Norman's birthday so we let him decide what he wanted to do today. Unfortunately, he had a report for work that he had to get finished so he ended up spending most of his day on his work computer. I did fix him a nice dinner though.

Andrea and Camryn decided they would head to the pool after a few lazy moments in the bed. They went swimming while Norman and I made a quick trip to Walmart and a roadside fruit stand in West Branson. When we got back they had come in for lunch. We all ate, then I headed to the pool with An and Cam for their second round. We pretty much had the pool to ourselves for an hour then some teenage girls and their family came out. Camryn of course made friends with them quickly and spent most of her time diving and swimming with these girls. However, before they came she and Andrea worked on their diving. Camryn has completely lost all her fear of the deep end of the pool. She can swim and dive like a little fish as you will see in the video down below. When they finally did decide to come in she was one pooped little girl. She had a ravenous appetite and was also exhausted. As a result she fell asleep on the couch until I got dinner ready. She awoke and ate a really good supper and was ready to do whatever we wanted to do. After we ate, Norman finished up the report and we plan to take him to Cakes and Cream a little later for a Birthday Shake!

Here are some pictures of our day:
1-2-3-Jump!

Adjusting the nose plugs

Camryn's dive

Andrea's dive

Here is a video of Camryn's dive...Well, it is taking too long to upload it so I will have to do it tomorrow...I am going to bed now. We have to get up and get our little dancer to the Branson Convention Center tomorrow. She does her solo around 1:20 PM and her trio around 6:06 PM. Please keep her in your prayers that she will do her best and have fun!