Deployment Day

"I will say of the Lord, He is refuge and my fortress; my God; in Him I will trust thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;Because He hath set His love upon me; therefore will I be with Him in trouble will deliver Him and honor Him."

Psalm 91:2

Dear Precious Heavenly Father, today I pray your continued guidance and blessing on our son-in-law Tex, and all those who have been deployed this morning, as well as those who are already on active duty, serving our country in the military. We thank you for their leadership, their skills and their determination. Keep them ever under your protection as they move through places of danger.

Thank you for their teamwork Father, as they work together as a unit. Grant them rest and refreshment daily and the strength of knowing that we are eternally grateful for their service to us all. Please bring them all safely home again. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.

Thank you for your courage and for all the sacrifices you are making to protect and defend our country, Tex. May God bless you every day, and ALWAYS bring you safely home!

My son-in-law....My soldier....My Hero!

Please Pray With Me

Please pray for my ex-brother in-law, WL. My sister called and they had to have the Fire Department do an emergency break-in at his home where they found him on the floor unconscious. He is diabetic and has had a couple of strokes before this. She has called him everyday, but there has been no answer. The last time she spoke with him was on Easter Sunday. At this point they don't know how long he had been that way.

Please pray for WL, his family, and my sister and her family. May God give them the strength and the peace they need to get through this difficult time. I pray that God will lay his healing hand upon WL. We know that whatever the outcome, it is God's will and he will be glorified and uplifted!

How Does Your Salsa Grow?

Last month, Kiddo got a salsa garden for his birthday. It came with all you need to get started from the tray to the soil to the six packs of cilantro, onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, parsley, and cayenne pepper seeds. It had everything but the water, but not to worry.....we have a well!

Kiddo started out by filling each cell of the tray with potting soil.

Bean then helped Kiddo plant the seeds. Apparently this job proved to be a little more difficult than they had anticipated so they had to get some help from.........................................

SUPER KITTY!!

Each day since Kiddo planted his garden a few weeks ago, he has written down any changes in the seedlings development, how many of each kind have sprouted, and when they have been watered.

DH took the tray from the window and called Kiddo into the kitchen. "Look at your garden and tell me what you see?" said DH.

"I see jalapenos, onions, tomatoes, and cilantro, but no cheyenne peppers or parsley. Hey, where's the salsa?" said Kiddo.

"What do you mean, where's the salsa?" DH replied.

Kiddo said, "I don't see any salsa!"

Trying to hold back the uncontrollable laughter, DH said, "Kiddo, salsa itself doesn't grow in the garden. You first have to grow all these vegetables, then chop them up, add seasonings and then blend them together. That's salsa. Were you looking for little jars of salsa growing in this tray?"

With a smirk on his face, Kiddo replied, "Ummm....Maybe!"

Blessings~

Wordless Wednesday......Well, Sorta!

This is my brother, Christian. He was checking out a rental car to go sight seeing while he was in Germany on a work trip.

Being 7 foot 1 inch, he needed a car with a LOT of head room.

R O F L O L!

To My Loving Husband

My Dearest Skippy Man,

I want to thank you for the past 2 years since you have come back to the Lord, your obvious change and desire to follow him has really blessed me beyond expectation or imagination and you taking over the reigns of spiritual leadership in our home is blessing me tremendously.

During our 21 years of marriage, there have been some challenges, some good, some bad, some devestating. Things haven’t excatly been easy for us. Frustrations have been the name of the game lately. We’ve made it through but not without some bruises and scars. We know that God can and does perform miracles. We have Kiddo as a constant reminder of that. (Thank you Jesus!) We know that with God, anything and everything is POSSIBLE!!!

You have a lot of great qualities which I admire. You are faithful, loyal, considerate, gentle, caring, devoted, understanding and gracious. I could go on forever.

I know I tell you every day that I love you, and sometimes it must seem like every five minutes, but every time I say it I mean the words with all of my heart.

I wanted you to know that not just on Valentine's day, but EVERYDAY for me, is full of thoughts of everything you’ve done for me and our family. I can never truly express how much it means to me that you’ve been taking care of us like you have. You work two, sometimes three jobs so I can be able to stay home and teach Kiddo. It has also given me the opportunity to spend time with the girls as they will be starting lives of their own soon. Being able to make some more beautiful memories with them is something I will cherish forever and which YOU have made possible. I just wish that you could be here with us. You will never know just how much that means to all of us.

As the years go by, I stop and think about all the memories we've made together. You are not only my husband, but my best friend and soul mate. You are a blessing from above - one that I will not take for granted. Not only are you a wonderful husband, you're a terrific father, provider and caregiver. You give so freely to all those you know in such a loving way. Your generosity is inspiring!

I love you, Sweetie ... more than words, more than life. I'm forever grateful for your love and proud to be your wife.

I LOVE YOU!!!!

WOW. . . . .What A Day

Our oldest daughter, Goose, will be getting married April 18, 2009, to a WONDERFUL young man named Tang. This is their engagement announcement picture taken in our front yard. They are just perfect for each other. Tang will be entering the Police Academy, following in his father's, uncle's and brother's footsteps. Goose is currently studying to be a child psychologist.

The engagement ring.....The shuttle can find their way back to earth just by the glare alone from that diamond! : > )

BLING BLING!!!!

Goose is not wasting a minute trying to get things organized and finished so all she has to do is wait for the big day!! (smart girl) So, yesterday, we went to a Bridal Expo. We attended our first one on the 5th which was small compared to this one, but very, very nice. This one had over 300 vendors. OH MY GOSH!! They had everything you could possibly imagine from invitations to portable outside bathrooms, which by the way, were GORGEOUS.

The first thing Goose saw that she just went nuts over was a set of Bride and Groom chairs. The bride's chair was decorated with a veil. It is soooooo pretty. The grooms chair is decorated with a tuxedo. Aren't they just adorable?

They had a bunch (no pun intended) of florists there also. Goose loved the tulip bouquet that C pointed out to her and she just LOVED it. How come she didn't remember that I suggested using tulips back in OCTOBER since the wedding is in the S P R I N G?????

The one thing they had the most of and they were EVERYWHERE was...........................CAKE.....CAKE.....and more CAKE!! They were absolutely beautiful. We tried a LOT of cake and sadly, were disappointed with each one. They were all dry or the icing tasted greasy like Crisco, and ALL of them had jam in the middle. ? Whatever happened to chocolate mousse? After looking at tons of cakes, Goose decided on this design, but it will be purple at the bottom, gradually getting lighter up to the top of the cake. I really like this one too!

Tang found the groom's cake HE wanted......Isn't that AWESOME?

You know, yesterday was a looooong day and there were a gazzillion things to look at. It was nice to see Ben being such a good sport about all this and to see him wait so patiently while we went from aisle to aisle....vendor to vendor.

I couldn't resist taking this picture!

Tang's mother , C. came with us to the expo. She is a WONDERFUL and funny lady and the two of them get along so well. Goose is blessed to have such a great future mother-in-law who loves her dearly. Here they are looking at wedding albums from one of the photographers when they came across a funny shot.

Here is another picture of Tang a little bit later on when they got to the vendor giving away a free honeymoon. My, how his mood changed!!!

As I mentioned before, yesterday was a looooooong day, but it was also very exciting and a little sad at the same time watching her planning for the next chapter in her life.

OUR LITTLE GIRL IS ALL GROWN UP!!!!

Gone To Long

WOW.............so much time has passed since I last blogged. Many things have been going on in our lives and there NEVER seems to be enough time to get everything done. I think (and hope) that it is just the adjustment of juggling our first year of homeschool, trying to keep up the house, trying to work from home to bring in some sort of supplemental income, the holidays, etc. Did anyone else feel like this during your first year? If so, what did you do? Do you have any tips to make things run smoother than normal?

Our Christmas was WONDERFUL! Every year we host our annual family Christmas get together, where everyone brings an appetizer of some kind and we make a main dish, usually a pasta dish to share. Well, about 2 hours before everyone was supposed to arrive, my daughter Amanda came out of her bedroom in her pajamas, with her hair up in a big ponytail, waving her hand in my face. At first I thought she was just playing around pretending that she was engaged, wearing her sister's......"This keeps the guys away" ring. But when I put on my glasses and realized that was NOT the same ring and that her eyes were full with tears of joy, getting ready to flow, I just lost it! My beautiful baby, my first-born, was ENGAGED!

While we were all getting things ready, her boyfriend, Tang, had snuck in to see my husband and asked him for the honor of marrying his daughter. Oh, that just made the tears flow even more!!! Tang is such a wonderful young man who is in training to become a Police Officer. He is following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, uncles, and brother. We are all so very proud of him! Here is a picture that was taken on the 23rd at my sister's house. I just love this picture because that is them! They have so much fun together! I told them I was going to use that for their engagement picture for the paper!

I CAN ONLY IMAGINE what the next 16 months are going to be like, as we have already attended one bridal expo with another planned for the end of the month!!! I know that they will have everything done and in order LONG BEFORE next April, so all they will need to do is just show up at the church on time!

Here is a picture of all of us, including my niece and nephew. Starting from the back left, Tang, Goose, Bean, in front of Tang, my nephew Nemo, my niece Boog, me, Skippy, and Kiddo. My sister Cathy was taking the pictures.

A few days after Christmas, Bean moved to North Carolina where she is taking a few weeks of classes where she will be in training for a major satellite company. She is excited about this new path in her life. I, however, am not as excited, as I wish that she would have looked harder here for a job and was back home with us. But, at that age, they think they know what they are doing!!!!! Cutting those apron strings has proven to be very difficult for me. Even though this is the THIRD time she has gone. I guess as a mother, it will always be difficult when they leave. Even if it happens a dozen times!

Busy, Busy, Busy

OH...MY....GOODNESS!!! It has been so HECTIC around here! We have been busy not only with school, but we have had a bacherlorette party, a rehearsal and dinner, and a wedding to get through these past 2 weeks. And let me tell you.......IT WAS AWESOME!!!! We have had such a wonderful time of fellowship with friends and family we have not seen in quite awhile.

I will post more about our happenings and some pictures from the wedding as soon as I get them uploaded.

MOM

MOM

How blessed I am to have been born to such a wonderful Mother. Everything I am I owe to you. Your strength and wisdom guides me, your love for life inspires me, your kindness and grace warms me. I have never met another person like you, and know in my heart that I never will - you are one of a kind. I can only wish to have the light that you gave, for you touched all those around you with your warmth. I am proud to be your daughter and could not have asked for more in a Mother.

So much time went by and I never said thank you or I love you, Mom enough. Today, I do yet it’s just a little late. God took you from those who love you most. He took you to his kingdom where you are with your parents, daddy, Vickie, Aunt Mickey, Uncle Jimmy, and the many others that have gone on before you. I know you're happy and free of the pain you suffered. Although my heart aches for you to be here with me daily, I find peace in knowing you can be wherever you are needed now. Watch over us always and forever you will stay in our hearts. It's hard to believe that you have been gone from us for three years already, although it seems like yesterday that you were Promoted to Glory! You are so very loved and deeply missed by us all. But we know in our hearts you live!

You gave me the best present ever, Mom...the gift of life, and I will never forget all of the unconditional LOVE you have given me. All the good times you and I shared. The times that you were my shield, my comfort and my friend, will always be remembered. You already know that I LOVE YOU with all of my heart and I will never forget you, because the day you left me, you took a big piece of my heart with you. Until we see each other again in heaven, I will keep the memories, all the kisses, and all of the warm hugs in my heart. I will love you……….ALWAYS AND FOREVER.

Dawn Marie (Nanna)
August 20, 1933 - October 18, 2004

Little League and the President

Over the summer, David, Steven, and I had the awesome privilege of attending our local Little League's girls T-ball team (5 & 6 year olds) play a softball game. David had been the league president for 6 years prior to this and was given tickets to attend this event. This was not your ordinary T-ball game played on your ordinary softball field. This was T-ball game was played on the South Lawn of The White House with President George W. Bush.

Luray was picked from a random drawing done by Little League International. What an honor for these girls and their coaches to be selected! The families and board members were also invited.

When we arrived, we were all given a tour of The White House, then lead out to the South Lawn where the games would be played. We were shown which bleachers our team's cheering section were to sit, where we could then choose our own seats. As we were walking up the stairs, we noticed two RESERVED tickets on the end of the row. One said Michelle Griffith (she is the softball Commissioner) and the other said The PRESIDENT. "David.....look who will be sitting right there! Quick, grab that bench!" We sat in the next row back so we could get a good shot , I mean a better look at him.

After President Bush made his announcements, the Jonas Brothers sang the National Anthem, which was followed by the first pitch. The temperature that day was a STIFFLING 98F in the shade with a bad storm quickly approaching. The President and Ms. Griffith then took their seats in the bleachers. After everyone was seated, we let Steven go sit on the steps like we always do at the games. He hates being confined. Well, Steven was sitting there for a few minutes watching the game when President Bush reached over and touched him on the shoulder. He started talking to him and asking him questions. David and I said...."Oh no! He is going to start talking about SpongeBob and video games!" To our amazement, he didn't. Guess what he DID talk to him about? He said, "My mom is going to homeschool me! I can't wait!" President Bush said...."Your mom is doing what she thinks is best for you!" He then asked Steven if he wanted to take a picture with him? He said...."I need to ask my mom first." He then looked over to me and shouted..."Is it okay if I take a picture with him?" I smiled and nodded my head. "Okay, thanks!", yelled Steven, and then he gave us a . He went over to the President and I swear, that child looked like he was going to sit right down on top of his lap. He almost did but then turned and decided to kneel down right beside him where the President then put his hand on Steven's shoulder. Steven looked up at him and they both started to smile.

~WHAT A KODAK MOMENT!!~

After the game, The White House provided a picnic lunch and musical entertainment for everyone. Steven could not wait to eat. He was more excited that they were handing out as many hot dogs, pretzels, chips, peanuts, and cookies that you could eat, and as much soda that you could drink....than he was that he met and sat next to the President of the United States of America!!!! I think I am going develop that picture and send it to the President and ask if he would sign it. I would LOVE to have that framed! That would be so AWESOME!!

Even though it was extremely hot that day, EVERYONE that went that said they had a WONDERFUL time.

Thank you President Bush and Little League International for giving all of us this awesome opportunity.

Autism Awareness

Please help spread the word about Autism and together, WE CAN FIND A CURE!