(New) 1st Annual Girls' Trip

 I used to love my girls' trips with Sheila, Jessica, and Paula. We had such good times together, but life happens and things change. I've missed them, though. A couple of years ago, some other friends and I started talking about getting a trip worked up. It sounded like fun, but we didn't really take off and run with the idea. Then last year, Lesa approached me at Zach and Morgan's wedding and asked WHEN were we going on our girls' trip?! It so happened that Diane and I had a sleepover planned soon afterwards, so we worked out the details. This was the week it happened.

Lesa and Kelli drove down together, and we all arrived at Diane's house Monday afternoon. We ordered pizza to be delivered for supper, visited awhile, and turned in fairly early so we could be fresh for traveling the next morning (best laid plans). About 5:00 a.m. the storm sirens started going off, and we all got up and turned on the weather. There were thunderstorms and up to 80 mph winds blowing through the area. We had a little hail, but it was small and didn't last long. I didn't hear of any tornados, but the straight line winds were horrendous! Since the winds were so fierce, the storms blew through pretty quickly. Thankfully, Diane didn't have any damage. We ate breakfast, loaded up, and hit the road.

Our first stop was Buc-ees in Hillsboro. It was Lesa's first time. We refreshed ourselves and bought some glazed nuts for the trip, then headed south towards Waco. Our next stop was the Homestead Heritage. I love that place! So many interesting shops to browse through and learn about the various crafts made there. We had lunch in their restaurant, which was yummy. I really enjoyed visiting with the fabric craft ladies. They do such beautiful weaving! After we exhausted our options, we drove by our rental house to make sure we could find it. We still had an hour or so until check-in time, so we headed back to West to get some kolaches for a treat. (It was also Lesa's first experience with kolaches.) About the time we finished our snack, I received a text from our "host" that the house was ready, and we could check-in anytime we wanted. We got settled in, played some rip-roaring ping pong games, and laughed until our sides hurt. Then the power went off. (The winds had still been fierce!) I notified the host, so he could make sure the local power company was aware of the problem. Then off we headed to Walmart to buy battery operated light sources. It was suppertime, so we stopped for a quick bite at Chick-fil-A; then headed "home". The lights were still off, so we started trying to figure out how to install the batteries in our new lights. By the time we got them working, the power came back on. So we enjoyed a quiet evening and turned in at a reasonable hour.

Our vacation rental

Our next day started with breakfast at Magnolia Table, which is an experience in itself. We were so stuffed when we left that we decided to skip lunch and just have an early supper. The next stop was The Silos. What a lovely compound! I had no idea that it was such an expansive venue. There were a lot of shops with so many lovely things to look at, beautiful outdoor sitting areas with various activities available...and of course, the Magnolia Bakery. We spent several hours there. Afterwards we hit a few antique shops in the area. For our early supper, we decided on Mexican food at Ninfa's. We were having so much fun, we had to sit in the car for about 5 minutes until we could quit laughing. After filling our bellies, we drove down to the Brazos River and walked across the footbridge. Then back to the house for more ping pong, card games and a VERY rousing game of Apples to Apples.

The Silos

Magnolia Table

Crossing The Brazos River

Breakfast at The Magnolia Table

Beautiful old pews in chapel at The Silos

at the Magnolia Bakery

playing Apples to Apples

Thursday was our "off" day. We didn't really have any plans...just decided to play it by ear. I found a bowling alley that opened at noon, so we had an early lunch in West at a family-owned Czech/American diner, then headed to bowl. None of us had bowled in a good long while, so our scores weren't impressive. We had a good time though. No serious injuries occurred, although we did suffer a few minor aches and pains (and one very graceful fall by person or persons to remain unnamed). More shopping at local antique shops and boutiques, then back to The Silos for one last time. After getting back to the house, we finished out the day playing games and laughing a lot more. 

Bowling

We got up Friday, ate some luscious pastries that we'd gotten the day before at the Magnolia Bakery, packed up and headed north. The drive home was uneventful, other than getting stopped in traffic for awhile when we hit the FW area. Once we got to Diane's, we all went our separate ways. Lesa and Kelli had a long drive home. It was a great trip, and we are already talking about what we want to do next year! I laughed more than I have in years and thoroughly enjoyed my time with these special ladies!

On a less pleasant note, I heard from Stephen Tuesday afternoon that Shepherd was in the ER with suspected appendicitis. They confirmed the diagnosis and referred him to Childrens Hospital in Dallas. He had surgery Wednesday morning, and they discovered his appendix had ruptured. Thankfully, it was contained to a small area, and he recovered very quickly. He was released from the hospital Friday afternoon. I hated that I was out-of-pocket while that was going on! It put a slight damper on my mood, at times, but the companionship of good friends, and their support and prayers, helped me through the worry. 

I am so very thankful to have such wonderful friends that I can spend time with, laugh with, pray with, and enjoy special times together. I look forward to next year's adventures!

Pr 18:24 A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

 

Have I mentioned how much I love this time of year?

 The trees are really starting to turn colors right now. There is one tree that we pass by on our way to the church house that is absolutely gorgeous...a brilliant reddish orange sumac. I wish I had asked Dennis to stop this morning so I could take a picture of it. I'll have to make a point to drive by this week and get one. I haven't been out driving lately, but Dennis says the countryside is ablaze with color. I'm hoping to see for myself this week. I don't know if y'all realize it or not, but I LOVE FALL! 😉

Dennis' gums are much better this week. It looks like the infection is going to go ahead and clear up without more antibiotics. That's good! He has had to take so many already over the past month or so. It looks like this specialist may have done a good job of saving those two teeth.

I've heard of several more cases of the virus among my dear friends. I hope and pray that all recover quickly and completely. It is really spreading again right now! Thankfully, it seems like the cases are less severe among most of the ones that I know. I'm hoping that the virus continues to weaken, and treatments continue to improve, so we can put this all behind us!

Dennis has been packing up all afternoon for his yearly hunting trip. He and the guys are leaving first thing in the morning and will be gone until Friday. I always look forward to these weeks that he goes hunting. It is nice to have a little alone time to do things on my schedule. I can set the thermostat where I want it, eat what I want when I want it, and not concern myself with doing things on Dennis' timetable. (He is very much a man of routine!) Diane B. called a couple of days ago and invited me to come spend the night while he is gone. (We usually do a sleepover sometime during the holiday season.) So I plan to meet with Sheila for lunch on Wednesday (always looking for an excuse to spend time with my girl), and then head to Diane's house afterward. I'll be going with her to HC that evening for services, so I'll get to see all of my friends over there...and hear Ricky speak! I'm really looking forward to that! We also plan to make some cards to send to the nursing home that Daddy was in. Diane came up with the idea, and I thought it was great. The nursing home is supposed to be compiling me a list of (first) names, so we can personalize them. I would love to be able to hand them out, but I know that isn't going to happen. I'm hoping to start doing some volunteering there when restrictions ease up some. 

I have been doing my Christmas shopping (online) for the past couple of weeks. I finally got everything ordered, and have been wrapping the gifts as they are delivered. My guest room is filling up! I always like to get mine done early. Since we see Stephen's family at Thanksgiving, but not at Christmas, I try to have theirs ready to give to them at that time to take home. Sometimes they send me videos of the kids opening their presents. I really get a kick out of that! Since I've finished my shopping (and most of my wrapping) so early, I might even get around to sending out cards this year. (I'm usually not very good at that!)

I am ready for Thanksgiving! I'm still hoping that we have our bathroom usable by then, but I'm not sure how likely that is. I have my menu planned (with everyone's contributions) and paper goods ordered. Since we plan to eat outside, we are going with paper plates and plastic cups this year. That will cut down on cleanup and give us more time for visiting (plus we won't have to worry about any breakage!).

Dennis has most of the sheetrock up in the bathroom and has taped and floated a good bit of it. He's going to have to wait to finish until he gets the bathtub in...and he's going to have to have help doing that. I used to would have helped him, but I can't trust my arms to carry that much weight any more, with my shoulders being like they are. He's also having to find a special fitting to correctly line up the drain. I tell you, it is one thing after another when you work on an old house! Things aren't square, a lot of the plumbing and wiring is shoddily done, and other unexpected problems are constantly popping up. I'm thankful that Dennis is so skilled at dealing with all of it, but I sure feel sorry for him at times. He can get quite vexed!

I hope that you are all enjoying the cooler weather and changing leaves. How are all of you doing with your holiday preparations? Stay safe, be kind, and continue to trust God in all things! He's got this!

I'm baaack!

 Yeah, I know, that was a short leave of absence! I missed having that connection with people more than I realized I would. Even though I was making an effort, as were others, to keep in touch, I missed the pictures and the "funnies" and the lifeline to a whole network of friends rather than just a select few. So, I'm back, for better or worse. I am being much more discriminating of what I look at though. If someone upsets me with a post, I just unfollow them for awhile. I'm trying to focus on good things and helpful things. So what did I miss? 😁

Last week was SUPER busy! We were getting ready for overnight guests that were coming Sunday evening. So we had to get the living room finished to the point that we could move furniture back into it, and get the stuff we were storing in the guest room out, so I could get it suitable for company. Dennis got the entertainment center finished, except for the doors, and I got it loaded up...discarding a lot of stuff in the process. This remodeling is really good for helping us "simplify". By the time we finish, I only want to still have things that we really use, plus some special memory items. I have gotten rid of a lot of old pictures...going through and just keeping our favorites. It is amazing how many poor quality pictures or duplicates that accumulate over the decades! That is a very time consuming process, so I just work on it a little at a time. I've trimmed down our collection of photo albums probably by half. The individual photos that I decide to keep are going in a box for now...to be reorganized eventually. I also went through all of my books and took more than half of them to a local second-hand book store. I saved my collections of my favorite authors and some that carry sentimental value. With what I have left, plus my digital collection, I think I have enough to keep me busy if I decide to reread them all! I do love books!

We still have more detail work to do in the living room: touchup painting, finish putting up trim, and of course laying the carpet at the end of everything else. I really worked on the concrete floors...getting them cleaned up (except for the stuck on texturing and paint and etc.). I think I mopped every square inch at least 3-4 times. I also got the entry way tile scrubbed. All of the (hands and knees) scrubbing I have left to do is the dining room, which I'll probably have to do in sections. Dennis is currently working on building the mantle for over the fireplace. We looked at buying a premade one, but they were ridiculously expensive! So Dennis is building a beam by gluing together 1x6's. That's how he made the corner posts on Sheila and Matt's bed, and it turned out beautifully. He will stain it to match the rest of our wood furniture. We eventually hope to replace the fireplace with a gas one, but that may take a while!

We really enjoyed our visit with Geo and Mae! We have known them for several years, but we've had little opportunity to "get to know them". They were going on an anniversary trip and graced us with a stop on their way. I look forward to many more visits in the future with this sweet young couple!

I've had a lot of CASA work lately...had two hearings this week that I had to prepare for. One case closed, so that just leaves me with two cases with one child each. I'm doing all of my visits virtually right now. Thankfully, the children are both in really good places, so I feel comfortable doing things that way. 

We are moving forward with our vacation plans for next month. We are really getting excited! Just getting away for a couple or three weeks sounds wonderful...it has been a long time since we've been able to do that. Going to a MUCH cooler climate sounds great right now. We hit 110+ degrees today. Going somewhere where we'll have to wear jackets will be such a relief! We are hoping that the crowds thin out quite a bit once school starts. Dennis has been monitoring the crowds going into Yellowstone online, and they are still crazy busy! Since we were there five years ago, we don't necessarily plan to visit the "hot spots" in the park, so maybe we can avoid the worst crowds. We are hoping to spend most of our time looking for wildlife. Dennis just bought a new lens for his camera that should help him to get even better pictures than on our last trip.

Well, that's what's up with us. What's going on in your lives?

That's what friends are for

Yesterday was a hard day. Every time Dad goes through another “transition”, it takes me a while to process…and the process is painful. After a day or so, I adjust to the new “normal” and move on. But some days really throw me for a loop. Yesterday was one of those days.


We had already made plans to go to Nam’s kindergarten performance last night. After getting home from the nursing home around 2:30 and spending the next hour or so trying to distract myself to keep from crying, I was tempted to cancel our plans. Nam knew we were supposed to come, though, and I couldn’t bear disappointing him. Plus I knew that watching a bunch of 5 and 6 year-olds singing would be just what I needed! So we went, enjoyed the program immensely, and then went out with all of the family for ice cream afterwards. Sheila and Matt had to get Nam home to bed pretty soon after having our treat, but Andy and Sherry hung around and we visited for hours! Sherry is one of the most understanding people that I know when dealing with the problems of being a caregiver for the aged. She has both professional and personal experience! I was feeling SO much better by the time we headed back home.


Then this morning, Carol and Craig dropped by on their way to the airport to fly home after visiting family. We met for “coffee” at a local used bookstore/coffee house. It was such a treat to spend some time with them. I normally see Carol at the yearly summer meeting, and it has been MUCH longer since we visited with Craig! So we had a lot of catching up to do in a short time. It was so nice that they thought of us and went out of their way to drop by!


The reason that I’m sharing this is that you never know how much someone might need your presence at any given moment. A sympathetic ear at just the right time can be invaluable. Just showing someone that you care enough to drop by can make their day. I just want to thank my dear friends for helping me through a very difficult 24 hours. And I want to remind us all to never underestimate how much being a friend can help someone through a rough patch. You may not ever know that you were at the right place at the right time. But sharing your love and friendship can make a huge difference in someone else’s life!

August...ugh!

It has been a slow week as far as kitchen work goes.  Dennis has started working on drawers.  He has the gliders in for 3 drawers in my bar area.  He forgot to buy a router bit that he needs in order to make the drawers the last time he went to Rocklers, so he had to make a special trip back over there today to get that.  Hopefully I'll have a few operational drawers completed before the weekend is over!

Sunday was our regular 5th Sunday potluck and singing.  Donnie Wilson was our guest speaker.  We enjoyed having him and Tammy here to visit.  We really don't get to see them very often and enjoy it when we do!

We drove over to Haslet to meet with the Henrietta Creek church on Wednesday night.  It had been a couple of months since we'd last been there.  It was good to visit with all of them!  Teddy and Leslie had gotten news on their adoption this week, so we spent a lot of time talking about the baby, and baby showers and such.  Labor Day is also rapidly approaching, so we discussed plans for that, too.  Good times!

It has been a very stressful week for one of my CASA cases.  I've been very busy dealing with the different people involved in the case and trying to help however I can.  Things are not as I like them to be, but I'm hopeful that it will all turn out in the end.  Prayers are definitely appreciated!  (Sorry I can't give any details!)

Ricky turned 28 this week.  Sheila came over and we took him out for a steak dinner to the Mesquite Pit.  That boy does like steak!  We got him a tabletop easel and some new paints.  I can't wait to see what he'll do with them! 

I've gotten in a couple of walks, so far, this week.  I decided, on my walk yesterday, to do a little less intensity.  That really seemed to help with the pain level afterwards!  I feel like as long as I'm still getting in my 2 miles that it doesn't matter if I walk a little slower.  Maybe I can even walk on consecutive days this way.  I hope to try it again tonight and see how it goes.  The recovery progress is very slow and almost imperceptible at this point.  But I see little things that show that I am still getting better.  I noticed this week that my foot no longer hurts when I put on my sleeping brace at night.  It used to ache to the point that I needed to use anti-inflammatory gel on it...or even take some Tylenol.  But this week, it hasn't given me any trouble!  Woo-hoo!

This is my bad time of year for allergies.  This week has been rough...bad drainage causing nausea, sneezing, sinus headaches.  From now through the first part of September is usually when I suffer the most with them.  It took me years to figure it out!  I would always feel bad and/or get sick Labor Day weekend.  I just thought it was Oklahoma!  LOL!  Finally it dawned on me that it was allergies from grass and weeds.  I usually end up having to get medicine for a sinus infection.  I'm hoping to avoid that this year!

I'm expecting a package from The Container Store today.  I use my cashback points from our Discover card to get gift cards from them.  I had saved up enough to get a pretty substantial order this past time.  I plan to work on my pantry when it arrives and get it all reorganized.  I love things that help me organize!  I function so much better when I have a designated place for everything, and everything is neatly in its place!

Last weekend, when we were in Paris, I made my normal visit to Hobby Lobby to get some yarn.  I had an afghan that I wanted to make for Sheila.  The only yarn that I could find in the colors that I wanted was the "I Love that Cotton" yarn that I use for making my dishrags.  I decided it might make a nice summer-weight blanket and bought up a bunch.  (I also knew that any left over could be used for dishrags.)  I started crocheting on it Saturday, after working out my design.  I finished it up by mid-week!  It has been awhile since I crocheted anything.  Guess I was missing it!  :)

Well, the day is going to get away from me if I'm not careful.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  Stay cool (or at least try to)!

Another Year Older

I celebrated my 58th birthday this week.  I know I'm weird, but I still get excited about birthdays!  I don't mind the fact that I'm getter old.  I've had a great life, and I'm excited to see what else there is in store for me!  I'm actually thankful that I'm not young.  Aside from the inevitable aches and pains and physical deterioration that comes with age, I am enjoying this stage of life.  With the way the world is going, I'm not sure I want to live to see what the next 50 years holds in store!  Plus, Dennis and I finally have time to spend together and do things that we enjoy.  I have time to do my volunteer work, which I love.  I have GRANDKIDS, which is the greatest thing ever!  And I even kind of like my gray hair. 

The kids had already given me my gift, which was having those wonderful family pictures done and digital rights purchased!  That is the BEST GIFT EVER!  I had a 16x20 canvas done and got it on Saturday.  I love it!!!  Also on Saturday, Sheila treated me to lunch at Olive Garden (with my free dessert) and a movie (Tarzan).  Then we went back to her apartment to pack up her kitchen for moving into her new apartment (yesterday).  It has been awhile since the two of us have spent the day, just the two of us.  It was great!  Then on my actual birthday (Monday), Dennis took me out for breakfast to a local diner.  I had a CASA visit to observe after that, but when I returned home, a dozen yellow roses were waiting for me.  Beautiful!  Then he and Ricky took me out for supper that night.  Stephen called that evening, and I enjoyed a good, long talk with him.  Plus I got a "grandma" card from my boys.  Perfect day!

I really enjoyed the Tarzan movie.  I grew up watching Tarzan on TV.  I always loved it...especially the old Johnny Weissmuller ones.  Then, when the kids were little, I enjoyed watching the animated version with them.  In all my many years, however, I never got around to reading the original books.  This movie was so different, that I decided it was time to go back and see what the original story was like.  I found a great deal on Amazon (all 24 books on Kindle for $1.49), so I bought them.  I'm on the second one right now...it will take awhile to get through all 24!  The writing style is old, and some of the "facts" of the day are rather antiquated, but it is still a pretty good read!

We left early yesterday morning to go help Sheila move into her new, larger apartment.  She had hired a moving company to do the actual moving, so Dennis did the unhooking and hooking up of her washer and dryer, and I helped her direct the movers and unpack her kitchen stuff.  Everything went well, and I think she is REALLY going to enjoy this apartment a lot more!  Besides being a LOT bigger, it is DOWNSTAIRS!!! 

I went for my annual checkup this morning.  Of course, my bloodwork results will take several days to come in, but everything else checked out just fine.  (I really DO need to lose some weight tho!  Being crippled up for the past several months has taken its toll!)

We haven't worked on the house this week.  Last week, Dennis was able to get a couple more cabinets built and hung.  Even though they aren't finished, I'm able to start putting things away in them to make it much more convenient!  I can now stand in the middle of my kitchen and get to most of what I need to prepare meals.  I've made the bottom shelf of the upper cabinet by my stove a little "mini-pantry" to hold all of the things that I use on a daily basis.  It sure saves a lot of steps!  I also love having the microwave over my stove...so convenient!

Well, that's about it for this update.  I hope you are staying out of this heat as much as possible!  Until next time....

Proverbs 18:24 A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

I've been thinking a lot about friendship lately.  The concept that we learn from the world around us, I believe, can cause us frustration and loneliness.  I want to consider what true friendship looks like.

The world shows us that friends spend all their time together and are constantly engaged in fun activities.  That's the kind of friendship that we had when we were in school.  We saw our friends every day, hung out after school and on weekends, and played together.  After we "grow up" and get busy with our lives, we don't have time for this type of "friendship".  Does that mean we don't still have close friends?  I sometimes find myself falling into the trap of believing this.  Then spending a week like I did last week opens my eyes.

The dictionary tells us that a friend is a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations.  Proverbs 17:17 tells us that a friend loves at all times.  Using these two definitions, I can see just how many true friends that I have.

Some of my friends are and have been much older than me...surrogate parents or grandparents.  I've been blessed all of my life to have many older women and men that I can look to as mentors and parent-figures.  People that I can go to for wisdom, advice, reassurance...and just plain love.  When I see them, they always have a warm hug (and sometimes kiss) for me and are truly interested in how me and my family are doing.  As I see them grow grayer and more stooped and slower as the years progress, I treasure them even more...and realize how much I will miss them when they are gone.

Then there are the friends that are in my peer group.  Some, I have known all of my life; some, I met in my teens; and then others, I've met along life's way.  We share history together, whether it be 50+ years, or just a handful.  We may not see one another except for once or twice a year.  But when we do, we take up right where we left off, with no awkwardness or hesitation.  We love each other and accept each other, in spite of (or maybe because of) our individual quirkiness.

There is another group that are a decade or two younger than me...ones that I knew as children or teens and have watched them mature into parents of children and teens!  These hold a special place in my heart as I see them grow into themselves.  I can feel both maternal towards them AND feel as if they are also my peers.  I love spending time with them and seeing the way that they are training up their families...and it gives me such a strong hope for the future!

Then there are my children's peers...those that I love as my own!  Before I married, I wanted a dozen or more children.  Life taught me that I couldn't have that many, but it didn't matter, because my heart was still able to mother many along the way.  I've always loved having a group of young folks in my home.  I love having heart to heart talks with these special young people.  They are all adults now, many being parents themselves, and I cherish each and every one...special friends, indeed!

Then there are the little ones!  I have to admit that small children are some of my favorite friends.  Of course, the relationship I have with them is much different.  With adults, you have a reciprocal relationship.  You share your joys and sorrows and lean on one another.  With small children, you just get to soak up their joy and sweetness and energy!  The thing I love most about the very young, is that they are SO easy to befriend!  All it takes (most of the time) is a few smiles and a little bit of engaging them in "conversation".  We can learn so much from them!

As I contemplate all of this, I realize that I am very blessed indeed!  I know that if I have a crisis, all I have to do is pick up my phone, make a call, and I have FRIENDS who will be here for me.  How do I know?  Because I've seen it happen...time and time again.  I can open my heart to so many, and they truly care.  I can engage in fun activities with them, talk long into the night with them, or just sit quietly and enjoy their presence.  We may not see each other on a daily, or weekly, or even monthly basis.  We may not talk on the phone or snapchat or text or whatever it is that "friends are supposed to do".  But our hearts are connected in a beautiful way, and for that...and for THEM...I am most thankful!

A Most Unusual "Floor Show"

Saturday, the Reddings and Darnells hosted a get-together in the common room of the housing development where Wayne and Mayrene live.  It also served as a surprise graduation party for Toby.  Heather called me Thursday to see if I could do a cake, so I spent most of the day Friday working on that.  (It definitely takes me longer these days than when I was doing cakes full time!)  Sheila rode with me to the party, since the guys both had to work.

The party was great!  Toby was very surprised.  In fact, when we started singing "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow", he sang along...not knowing that we were singing to him!  We ate sandwiches and snacks, played 42 and Apples to Apples, and enjoyed visiting one with another.  Toby and I teamed up for one hand of 42.  I rarely play 42...maybe once every couple of years...so I have to constantly be reminded of the rules!  Toby had never played before.  I guess we had "beginner's luck" because we handily beat our talented opponents.  It was a hoot!

Later, I was sitting around talking to Linda, Karen, Dora, and Nancy.  I was relating a story from one of our Mother/Daughter trips about a haunted hay ride we had gone on.  One of the women who was also in our group (on the hayride) was a "true believer."  She regaled us with stories of her other ghost hunting ventures.  She "explained" that most 2nd hand furniture is haunted.  I was laughing about it rather exuberantly when I leaned back....and my chair broke!  I went over backwards, in slow motion, and landed flat on my back...with my legs sticking up in the air.  Everyone died laughing...no one more so than myself!  (The timing was just too perfect!)  Then folks decided they had better check to see if I was ok, which I was...not a bump or bruise on me.  (What lengths some folks will go to for attention!)

We enjoyed a wonderful Lord's Day yesterday!  It was a chilly one though.  We arrived at the church house and noticed that even though the heater was running continuously, it wasn't getting any warmer.  The guys checked the propane tank, which showed that it was still 20% full.  But the heater would just blow out cold air...and no one could make it stop.  They finally flipped the breaker, and the room became a little more comfortable.  Needless to say, a lot of blankets and throws were in use during the services!  James took one really good picture, but I don't have access to it...and it was adamantly stated that it could NOT be posted online!  Regardless of the cold, we enjoyed two good services and plenty of fellowship.

Just 2 weeks until our Mother/Daughter Trip!  I am really getting excited.  Sheila has our itinerary planned out and most of our tickets purchased for our activities.  I hope the weather is nice and the flowers are blooming!  New Orleans is such a beautiful and unique city.  And there is no better way to enjoy it than with my girls!

The End of an Era

Ten years ago, we decided to leave East Texas.  We had thought a lot about where we wanted to live, and North Central Texas seemed to be the best choice for us.  Mom's health was really failing, and I needed to be closer to help out.  I love the country around here.  Plus Mineral Wells has always been a second home to me.  After making a couple of visits to the Highway church, we chose it as our home congregation.  We were impressed with the loving welcome we received during our visits.

After we moved here, one special couple made us feel like we were truly at home.  We sat on the row behind them, so we were able to visit with them each week.  Mary impressed us with her sweetness AND  spunkiness.  Although she was in her mid-70's, she kept talking about wanting to canoe down the Brazos River with us some day.  Jim was quiet and soft spoken, but he had a keen (and dry!) wit.  He was truly a gentle man.  There was a 2-year-old at our congregation who had been abused and was currently living with relatives.  She was non-verbal and was very shy...especially around men.  I should say around men, except for Jim.  He was the only man that she would go to for a long time.  His quiet, gentle manner earned her trust...as it did with everyone else.

We have gone through some rough times over the past 9 years that we've lived here.  A constant during all that time was the love and support of Jim and Mary.  I'll never forget the time they showed up on our doorstep with cake in their hands and tears in their eyes telling us how much they loved having us here...and how they never wanted us to leave.  After my hysterectomy, they showed up at lunchtime one day and told us they were taking us out to lunch.  When the girls bought their house, Jim and Mary gave them the money needed to buy a refrigerator.  These are just a few examples showing what kind of people they were.

Jim was already on oxygen part-time when we moved here.  It wasn't long before he required it fulltime.  He continued to take care of all of his own car maintenance and yard work (and his yard was several acres!).  It was like pulling teeth to try to get them to ALLOW people to help them whenever they moved (which they did twice during the past 9 years).  Mary was in fairly good health, but had bad knees which made her slow getting around.  Not long after we moved here, she fell and broke her hip.  It took her a LONG time to recover from that and it was the start of her decline.  Not long after that, their daughter Angie's health started to decline rapidly.  They nursed and cared for her until she finally lost her battle to a nasty infection.  That took so much out of this sweet couple.  Then a couple of years ago, Jim started having problems with blood clots in his leg which ultimately led to it being amputated.  Losing his independence was very hard on Jim.  He was just starting to regain a little of it, with the help of a scooter and handicap-equipped van, when his health took a nose dive.  During this same time, Mary fell again and broke her other hip.  One or the other of them was in the hospital a large percentage of the time over that last year or so of Jim's life.  Then on February 18 of this year, his battle with the pains and ills of this life ended.  We really worried about Mary, but she seemed to handle his passing very well.  It was so difficult for her to try to care for him and watch him suffer.  I know her heart was broken, though, after almost 63 years of marriage. 
Over the past 5 months, we have all watched Mary's health decline.  She continued to live alone in their house in the country and refused to allow anyone to pick her up to drive her to church.  She faithfully drove herself twice every Lord's Day.  Her steps kept getting slower and more feeble.  Her smile was still present, but wasn't as bright.  Then two weeks ago, she drove herself to the hospital in pain.  They discovered an intestinal blockage which required surgery.  She didn't want to have it done, but others insisted since she couldn't survive without it.  She ended up spending 13 agonizing days in ICU before finally being "released".  I spent most of the afternoon with her Monday.  I truly didn't think she would survive the day.  They called in the family, so I left...allowing them their time alone with their mother, grandmother, and aunt.  I called to check on her yesterday morning and was told that her vital signs had stabilized and she was more quiet and at peace.  Then I received "the call" early yesterday afternoon. 

I am truly going to miss our dear Jim and Mary.  Highway will never be the same without them.  Their kindness, their humor, their strong faith will always be remembered with love.  Even through the tears of grief, I can't help but smile.  They are both at peace, no longer in pain or grief.  Plus I have a strong hope that I'll see them again some day!  I love you, Jim and Mary.  You will be greatly missed!

If I Knew Then What I Know Now...

Picnic in the park

Enjoying a cool morning in the park...before the rain started!

Someone had to guard the desserts!

I had to include this one because of Jessica's "face"!

More picnickers

Some of our guests & hosts at the hamburger cookout

Enjoying the fellowship!

Ladies enjoying time together

2 special ladies!

There was a beautiful patch of wildflowers on the road between the church house and the Brock Com. Center.  I had to stop and take a picture!

It was a wonderful meeting!  The speakers gave us a lot to chew on and the fellowship was great.  We ended up having well over 100 in attendance...the building was about as full as it could have been!  The singing was incredible!  I got busy and didn't get pictures of all the events and group shots of our guests like I had hoped.  These are some of the ones I did manage to take.

Ps 107:31 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 32 Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

One More Week

Less than a week until our meeting starts!  I always get a little panicky about this time:  so much to do and so little time.  But we are really excited about seeing everyone and hearing, what I know will be, wonderful lessons from such wise, hoary heads!

Tomorrow we are having a potluck at the "tabernacle."  It has been a couple of years since the last time we were there.  I've been struggling a little on what to take, since Dennis and I are so restricted in what we can eat.  (I'm not even going to worry about it during the meeting.  We'll eat what we can and fill up on salad.)  I finally decided on a no-carb chicken dish that we like and a big salad.  I made an Italian Cream Cake for the bank for Monday, as a thank-you for the support they've given me on my upcoming trip.  I had leftover batter, so I made another smaller cake to take to the potluck.  At least my kids and others can enjoy it.  It is SO hard to make that cake without eating crumbs or licking my fingers!

I'm kind of stuck on about 11 pounds lost...only 1 pound this past week.  BUT I have been able to completely discontinue my blood pressure medication!  Yahoo!  I hope I'm able to keep up with my workouts this next week.  It is going to be a busy week and I don't know how often I'll be able to fit them in.

I have quite a bit of baking I'll need to get done.  Aside from the desserts I'm making for the meeting, Ricky wanted another pecan pie to take to work on Wednesday.  The president of the bank where he works is retiring, and they are having a dinner for him.  Lots of changes in my kids' working environments.  The girls are still waiting to find out what there jobs will be after the buy-out is finalized in July.

I went to see my babies one last time before our trip.  I talked to the foster mom to get a lot of tips for making the trip easier...snacks to take and such.  I sure hope and pray that both of them make the trip ok.  It will be a BIG change from what they are used to, and it will be a very long, hard day.  The date has been put back one day...we are flying out on the 30th.  It is supposed to save us some on the ticket price.  The schedule will be pretty much the same tho.  That will give me a little extra time to recuperate from the meeting before facing that marathon of a day.  I hope nobody expects much of me the next weekend! 

Well, I hope all of you have a great Lord's Day tomorrow and week to come.  I hope to see some of you next weekend, Lord willing!

Mt 8:26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.  (I know I'll be needing some of this next week!)

2013

Well, the holidays are over and it is time to get back to normal.  We have ALMOST finished off all the goodies...time to start eating sensibly again.  *sigh*  I need to get back on my treadmill, too...been neglecting that for far too long.

We welcomed the New Year with a few friends over.  Played some "Things", ate junk food, and then sang in the new year.  (The young folks ended up going over to the girls for some karaoke.)  I spent most of the day Thursday visiting...first with Mary and Jim, and then down to observe my teenager's visit with her parents.  Saturday night, the Cunninghams threw a going away party for Chris.  He gave a wonderful lesson the next morning, and then he and his folks headed back to Arkansas.  Quite a few tears were shed.  We are really going to miss him!

Dennis is off on vacation this week.  He has gone hunting today...hopefully he'll be bringing in some more meat this evening.  He plans to spend most of the week replacing the heater in Ricky's truck and fixing my washing machine drain.  He has to rig up a system of reservoirs and pumps to handle the drain water from my washer.  It drains too quickly for these old pipes to keep up with and overflows if not watched and stopped in cycle.  He had to special order some parts, so it will be toward the end of the week before he can get to that.  It sure will be nice to be able to just put my laundry on to wash without having to watch it like a hawk!

So sorry to hear about all the sick folks right now.  It seems to be a really rough year for colds, the flu and stomach viruses!  We have quite a few here that are sick...plus Jim and Gary are still in the hospital after their surgeries.  Gary is doing better and is supposed to moved to rehab.  Jim is still struggling.  Mary wants to bring him home so badly, but he still can't get around at all and she can't manage getting him up.  Please continue to pray for them as they try to find a solution that is best for them!

Hope the new year brings good things to all!

La 3:21  This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.  22 It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Blue Norther!

Looks like we skipped fall and are heading straight into winter!  Bring it on...I'm ready for jackets and hot drinks!

Last week was pretty full.  I picked up pecans on Monday.  After cracking and shelling them, we ended up with a gallon of nutmeats...means lots of goodies!  (Ricky keeps saying, "Pie!")  Along with cracking pecans, Tuesday I had to go to Stephenville to observe a visit, and then we butchered deer after supper.  Thursday I drove to Benton for Reba Kelley's funeral.  Got home Friday just in time to meet up with Dennis and the kids for supper at Pastafina.  Saturday, James and Renee invited everyone over to their house for a party.  It was to celebrate Alan White's return to health.  The cake James ordered read, "...we're glad you are alive and well!"  That became the catchphrase for the evening.  (Actually it was shortened to A & W...alive and well, or Alan White...take your pick!)

Emily Westbrook came down and spent Saturday night with Rebecca, so we had all the kids over Sunday afternoon.  We had our first deer steaks of the season...yummy!  This will be the last time Chris will be around for awhile...he's heading home for the holidays this weekend and will be working in Arkansas for the foreseeable future.  We are sure going to miss him!

Last night we all went out to Rosa's to celebrate Linda Moore's birthday.  Good times! 

A couple of prayer requests:  Brother Jim Fox is back in the hospital and struggling to keep his leg.  It has been a constant battle since he developed blood clots a couple of months ago.  The doctors are supposed to be deciding today what course of action to take.  I think Jim is in a better place, emotionally, now than when the issue first arose.  However this is really difficult for he and his sweet wife, Mary.

Also, Gary Bell had back surgery last week and is currently in rehab.  He has been in excruciating pain from back spasms since the surgery.  (He had been in pain for years prior to that!)  Please pray that he will have relief from the pain and that he will heal quickly.

Got another busy week this week...court, one day; possible surgery for Jim; doing a cake for the girls' bank for Friday; helping Ricky with a benefit garage sale for Saturday; and possibly helping with a CASA even on Saturday...along with the usual.  So I guess I'd better get off here and get busy!  Hope your week goes well...enjoy the cold!

 Job 37:9 Out of the south cometh the whirlwind: and cold out of the north.

Back to the real world

Well, vacation is over and Dennis has gone back to work.  It was a great two weeks!  I loved our trip out west and the special time we shared.  I always love the week of Thanksgiving...all the special food preparation and time with friends and family.  I love our family traditions on Thanksgiving, and I love it that my kids feel the same.  Even tho I always like to try out new recipes, there are some things that must not change:  turkey, Maxine's recipe for dressing and candied sweet potatoes, homemade rolls, having deviled eggs and olives on the table, and ALWAYS having pie and homemade candy for dessert (especially pecan and pumpkin - or sweet potato - pie!).  A game of train after dinner is a must...this year made extra lively by the addition of Sherrod!  Then the day always has to end with a viewing of "It's a Wonderful Life."  It does my heart good to watch this beautiful story each year and see the tears being wiped from the eyes of my loved ones...as I wipe my own.

Dennis and I did a VERY laid-back version of Black Friday.  We slept in, breakfasted at What-a-Burger, and then hit WalMart around 9:00 a.m.  So we miss some bargains, but we enjoy a relaxed shopping experience and still find a few good deals. 

We enjoyed another wonderful Lord's Day yesterday.  Mike gave an excellent lesson about not compromising our Christianity.  It was one of those assemblies where everything seemed almost choreographed.  The first song fell right in line with the opening prayer.  The song after the main prayer followed the closing thoughts of the prayer that proceeded it.  I love how the Lord works on the hearts of those leading the assembly! 

We were saddened yesterday to learn of the passing of Brother Emmett Terry.  Our families have been friends for about 45 years.  He was a gentle man with a big heart and will be greatly missed!

Brother Jim Fox is back in the hospital.  He was taken by ambulance on Wednesday...having difficulty breathing.  Turns out that even while on a hefty dose of Coumadin, he had a blood clot break loose and travel to his lungs.  He is feeling much better now!  This morning they are inserting a filter into his veins to keep any clots from going to his heart or lungs.  Hopefully he will be back in rehab in a couple of days and home soon after.  It was good to see him looking good and laughing and smiling last night.  Please continue to keep him and his dear wife, Mary, in your prayers.

Well, I guess I'd better get to my day...back to my "normal" schedule.  I hope all of you had a pleasant time with family and friends over the Thanksgiving weekend and have a good week to come!

Ps 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Ailing loved ones plus a time to learn and a time to celebrate

Last week was very full!  Brother Jim had a scare on Monday.  The circulation to his foot was cut off, so they had to go back in to strip the clots from his arteries in his lower leg.  Mary called that evening telling us about it and said that they feared they might have to take off his lower leg.  Anita and I rushed over to be with her during the surgery.  Thank the Lord, the surgeon was able to get all of the clots out and save his leg!  He still is having a rough time...not eating well, very weak, and still unable to put weight on his leg due to swelling and pain.  Please keep him and Mary in your prayers!

Pam H. had her knee replacement surgery on Tuesday.  The surgery went well and she went home on Friday evening, but she is in a LOT of pain.  Please continue to remember her as well.

Thursday, I went to Frisco for the annual Texas CASA conference.  It took almost 2 hours to get there, so I arranged to have my first session at 2:00 to avoid morning traffic.  My first workshop was about creating security for stressed out children in the foster care system.  It lasted 2 1/2 hours and was very insightful!  Afterwards, I got checked in, settled in my room, and ordered up pizza to be delivered.  They had scheduled a "meet and greet" which I went down to check out, but it wasn't my sort of thing, so I just grabbed some fruit and hightailed it back up to my room.  Sheila arrived around 9:00 and we watched a little tv before turning in for the night.


Our hotel suite

The view out of our door on the 10th floor

Friday was a busy day!  Our keynote speaker was Dave Peltzer, the author of "A Child Called It" (and 6 other books).  He was a very entertaining speaker...not at all what I expected.  It is so nice to see someone who has suffered SO much cruelty, at such a young age, but maintains a positive and hopeful attitude.  He was really funny!

After his session, we attended a workshop on hope & healing for drug endangered children.  After lunch was a panel of former foster kids who are currently going to college at UNT. These young adults have been through so much, but they are overcoming and plan to use their experiences to help others. They really opened my eyes to how wonderfully blessed we are, and how difficult it is for those who "age out" of the system. Even if they make it to college (foster kids receive vouchers for college when they age out), the obstacles they face are enormous! One girl had received $100,000 in scholarships for her first year, but still had to drop out after a couple of months. (She joined the navy for 6 years and then went back to school on her GI bill.) Scholarships only covered certain items and they have no resources for the myriad of other essentials. What if their mealplans doesn't cover weekends? Where do they go during the holidays? What do they do if they get sick or have a car wreck? They have NO ONE to call or to help. A teacher at UNT recognized their plight and created a student organization (PUSH) for a support system for these youth. Very inspiring stories!. After that we attended a session on advocating for foster children's health needs.  Friday evening, Sheila and I skipped the banquet and awards ceremony and went out for some Mexican food.  Saturday morning, we had two more workshops (one on the educational rights of foster children and the other, an informative look at the new permanency roundtables being implemented by TDFPS) and then headed toward home around noon.  So much information to process!  My brain is on overload!

Saturday, I went straight from the conference to Brother Wayne's 90th birthday party.  So nice to see so many of his friends and family gather to celebrate this momentous occasion!  When Ricky arrived, he told me that he had seen a vendor on the side of 180 selling fresh shrimp.  Since Sheila had been out of pocket Friday night (when our young folks usually gather at the girls' house for a fire) they were getting together Saturday night instead.  So he wanted to have them all over to our house for shrimp quesadillas first.  He volunteered to cook them, if I would get everyone ready.  So I stopped and bought a few pounds of fresh JUMBO shrimp, went to Walmart for the rest of the stuff, and started peeling and heading shrimp.  Rick and Chris joined in with the cleaning.  Neither had peeled shrimp before, much less headed them, but they learned quickly.  Then Ricky cooked everything on the charcoal grill, while I made queso and guacamole.  The final product was AMAZING!

The birthday "boy"

Friends and family gather to celebrate

We had a houseful at Highway yesterday morning...Ricky counted 61 in attendance.  Layne gave a WONDERFUL lesson on living for God...truly an inspiring assembly!  Leanne and the girls were there (for the birthday party), and all of the Pettit clan were up to celebrate Debbie and James' 40th wedding anniversary.  Sharice was also in town (but she doesn't really qualify as a visitor).  So good to see everyone!  Then last night, Ron spoke on the 16th chapter of Exodus and entitled his lesson "Trust and Obey".  It tied in perfectly with Layne's lesson of the morning.  Ricky closed the assembly with a few well chosen words.  A perfect day!

2Ki 6:15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

Jer 17:7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

Two Birthdays and a Wedding

Had a very busy week last week!  Chelsey's wedding was coming up on Saturday, and I was doing the wedding cake.  Then Rick told me he was planning a "surprise" party for Chris' birthday on Friday night and asked if I could do a cake for that.  Had CASA duties for most of the day on Wednesday, then started "caking" on Thursday.  Chris figured out the surprise party, and Rick was determined to surprise him anyway.  So he called Josh and Trey Thursday night to see if they could come down for the weekend.  THAT was the best gift of all!  The party was at the girls' house.  We built a fire in the backyard firepit, sat around and visited and sang.  At one point we heard a voice from the neighbor's backyard:  "Can you hear me?..."  "Yes."  "Your singing sounds beautiful!"  (We were worried...at first... that we might be disturbing them!)  Great night!

 



Ricky had planned to go with me to the wedding, but the last minute weekend company changed his mind.  James was planning to go by himself, so we decided to carpool.  I picked him up about 11:00 and we headed northeast.  We were having such a good time visiting that I almost forgot to stop to eat lunch!  We made it to the wedding site an hour early, which was perfect.  We got the cake unloaded and set up, and I had time to go around snapping pictures of all the pretty decorations.  The wedding was absolutely gorgeous...as was the bride!

Believe it or not, this was the wedding cake!  Hope everyone loved chocolate!

Nicole did a SUPER job on the groom's cake!
 

Stephen escorted Kit down the aisle.
 

Here comes the bride!
 

Mr. and Mrs. James Speed
 

The Bride's Shoes...pure Chelsey!
 

HAPPY PARENTS!
 

I was so thankful to have James with me, driving, on the way home.  We drove through heavy storms almost all the way...had to pull over and stop once, it was so hard.  We travelled along with the girls to make sure they made it all right.  Finally got home safely a little after midnight!

Sunday was Dennis' 60th birthday!  Because of all the hoopla over the weekend, we played it pretty low key.  Josh was our speaker Sunday morning and gave a GREAT lesson on "Proud or Broken"...the best I've ever heard him do!  We had a full house with several visitors, including Donnie and Tammie.  Afterwards we went out to eat at our favorite Chinese buffet in Weatherford.  Josh and Trey had to leave right after lunch to get home to their wives.  We really enjoyed having them for the weekend.  After they left, all of us came home and napped away the afternoon.  We had a smaller, but good crowd at services last night.  I think everyone was too tired for going out together, so we just stopped at Subway on the way home and rested up for the remainder of the evening.  It was a very festive and joyful weekend!

Mt 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

Busy Weekend

Jessica went to Arkansas over the weekend, so it was just Sheila over for Friday night supper.  After supper we watched "Mirror, Mirror", a cute adaptation of the Snow White story (the dwarves were a hoot!).  I was feeling pretty bad most of the day...suffering from a bladder and sinus infection.  Thankfully, I felt better Saturday morning.  After mowing and cleaning up, I drove to Arlington to see my new kiddos.  With the 3 hour round trip drive and 1 hour of visitation, that took up most of my day.  It was good to see the baby out of the hospital and doing well!

Saturday evening, Rob and Charlotte and the girls spent the night.  They were on their way to Nacogdoches.  Charlotte's dad, Randy, is having triple bypass surgery this morning.  (Please keep him and the family in your prayers!)  We enjoyed our visit with them, as always.  After attending services at Highway with us and then going out to eat together, they heading on their way.

My sinuses were acting up pretty badly all day yesterday, so when we got home from the restaurant I napped the rest of the afternoon.  After a hefty dose of meds, I made it to the evening assembly.  We were pretty short in number last night.  We had a lot of people out traveling and all of our morning guests were gone.  Daddy and Bobbie showed up unexpectedly, so that helped out!  We are really blessed, tho.  Even with more than half of our guys gone, we still had plenty to carry on the assembly.  (Plus we had 22 in attendance, which is more than some congregations have on a normal day!)

A day full of laundry awaits me, so I'd better get busy.  Try to stay out of the heat this week!

From James' wonderful lesson yesterday:  Col 4:6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Arkansas to Amarillo and back + FIREWORKS!!!

Whew!  The past week has been quite eventful.  The girls and I left Friday when they got off work to head to Clarksville.  They had hoped to get off by 4:00, but a computer problem set us back a couple of hours.  So it was 1:00 a.m. when they dropped me off at Gena and Terry's.  Their warm hospitality made me feel right at home.  Some of the guys ended up sleeping there, too (mostly during the day on Saturday), after the "bachelor party" that lasted most of the night.  I got to spend a little time with Ricky before he crashed.  I really enjoyed the time I had to visit with Terry and Gena's bunch.

Josh and Brittney's wedding was beautiful!  Lesa and Sherry did a wonderful job of decorating everything.  Josh and Brittney were so happy and everything went off very well.  (I can't believe with the line-up of groom's men Josh had that it went off without a prank!)  I left with Shelley K. to spend Saturday night.  I thoroughly enjoyed the visit with her!  I'm so thankful for wonderful Christian friends that are so willing to open their homes to folks...even when self-invited! 

After attending services in Booneville Sunday morning, Chris and I headed to Amarillo for the Camp Meeting.  My girls thought it would be awkward for us to travel together.  We actually had a great visit for the 7 hours on the road!  I think I've figured out that it is more fun to travel with someone who you don't spend a lot of time with normally.  You have a lot more to say to each other!  I think Chris and I know each other a lot better now.

It was good to see everyone in Amarillo!  The crowd was pretty small, but it allowed us to have better visits with the ones who were there.  We got to spend time with some "new" friends that I'm looking forward to visiting with again.  Thanks to the Amarillo congregation for all of their hard work...also to the guys who gave such great lessons!

Sharon A. had mentioned to Dennis and I that if we ever wanted to take a scenic route home that she knew a great one that would take us through Palo Duro Canyon.  When we left Amarillo Wednesday morn, we weren't in any hurry, so we decided to check it out.  Am I glad that we did!  It added a little time onto our trip, but the scenery was well worth it. 

We made it home around 4:00 yesterday.  I had talked to the girls about coming over for a cookout for supper.  Leah and Bekah were there for the day, so the four girls came over for hamburgers, french fries and cold watermelon.  Yum!  A little later we met up at our usual spot to watch the firework display.  IT WAS AMAZING!!!  I think the finale gets better every year.  What a great 4th of July holiday!

Ps 104:24 O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.