The Lake House

Such a great movie. Go see it. Reminds me somewhat of "Somewhere in Time."

Count my blessings

Guess what?

Chris came home from work early and is on the couch sleeping because now he doesn't feel well.

The girls are better although Gracie did end up throwing up 3 times last night. *ugh* I'm hoping the girls continue on the upward trend of being well. It's weird. Sometimes they'll be jumping around acting like they feel great then they have their down times thrown in there, like this morning they were both puny acting. No throwing up since about 5:00 this morning from Gracie and not since 10:30 yesterday morning for Katie, so that's great!

We are sooooo not used to getting up in the middle of the night with our kids!

I do have blessings, I do have blessings.........like I'm going to a late movie with friends tonight! (I just hope no one wakes up while I'm gone throwing up like they have the last 2 nights!*yikes*)

What is going on?

Tuesday~Gracie throws up 3 times. Doesn't feel well. Takes a long nap. Feels better.

Wednesday~It seems that all is well. It was over 24 hours since she'd thrown up; she'd seemed to feel fine, so off to church we went.

Wednesday night, well actually Thursday morning because it was 12:30~Katie throws up and up and up and up and up. By the time she stopped around 10:30 Thursday morning, I think it had probably been around 9 times. Poor little thing. She felt crummy and just layed on me. My friend offered to come pick up Gracie for playgroup. Around 11, Katie drank alot of Sprite and seemed to feel better and slept for about 3 1/2 hours. She's not 100%, but seems to be nearing the mend.

Thursday evening~neither one ate much dinner. Around 11:00, Gracie threw up again. What's up with that?

Please, oh please let us sleep well tonight since last night was consumed with me cleaning up Katie and holding her while Chris changed the sheets....about 6 times! All is quiet in the house at the moment.....I'm heading to bed....now!

recap

since last week..........

Thursday~We went to playgroup then headed to Atlanta, even got there in time to eat Mom's cooking for dinner. I have to say, it smelled so good & homey when we walked in the door. Chris met us there later in the evening as he had something to do in Atlanta the next morning.

Friday~Chris left for his thing. Mom and the girls & I headed to Huntsville to visit with my grandparents. It should only have taken us about 4 hours, but we stopped at TJ Maxx for Mom to return something then stopped at the outlet mall (where I got 2 really cute & inexpensive baby gifts!) then stopped at Cracker Barrel. We did get to Huntsville in time to eat Bigmother's cooking for dinner~yum! We sat out on the covered back patio and the girls enjoyed playing in the yard, etc. Bath time and off to bed!

Saturday~Katie woke up at an awful hour so I promptly sent her into Grammer's (my mom's) room! Katie & I were sleeping in one room and Gracie & Grammer were sleeping in another. We all ended up rather early. Mom & Bigmother headed to some garage sales while the girls & I stayed home with Bigdaddy.

Bigdaddy has a "shop" in the backyard full of tools, etc. He was trying to fix a shelf that had fallen and he needed to use on the big power saws. I heard him tell Katie that it was going to be loud. She exited the shed but wasn't far enough away before he turned it on. OH MY! She was terrified! She ran to me crying & crying! I took her back and held her later when he turned it on again. She cried & cried again and was shaking. Poor thing. I remember liking to watch him use it and smell the sawdust as he made things. I guess she's just not old enough yet.

Grammer and the girls & I went to the EarlyWorks Children's Museum that morning/afternoon. It was really neat. Gracie & Katie both enjoyed dressing up and "riding" in the wagon. Since we've been reading & watching "Little House," Gracie said she was dressed up as Mary. The clothes & wagon certainly fit the time period. They had all sorts of learning activities, mostly history type.

The girls & Grammer took a little nap while I stole away to Starbucks and Barnes & Noble. *ah* relaxation! That night, my aunt & uncle came over for dinner. Katie loved "Unca Joe!" He just has such a way with kids. He's hilarious and really alot like a big kid himself! We went to their house for a little bit and looked at my aunt's "studio." She is so creative & makes all sorts of stuff and Joe had made her a little studio out of this shed that's in their backyard. It's so cute and totally belongs in Southern Living or Mary Engelbreit or something! We also gazed at their pool......their empty pool! Yes, their lining is leaking and the only person in the town who can fix it had a heart attack. What a great time to have that happen, huh????

Sunday~We went to church where we all got to sit together. It's not often I sit on a row completely filled with my family, so that was nice. They have a children's worship that Gracie went to after communion. I'm not sure how I would really feel about children's worship on a regular basis because I feel like Gracie is old enough to sit in church and sing & do things like read her Bible or write in her journal during the sermon, but she did go this Sunday. I didn't take Katie because she's kind of going through a "Mommy phase" and I didn't know if she'd stay. I ended up taking her out because she was calling for "Sissy! Sissy! Sissy!" and I went ahead and registered her for class. They have a large church and ask that you register them and give you a "pass" for picking them up which I like for safety reasons at such a large church. It's really ironic to go where such things are done because our church is small enough that Katie could pretty much walk to class by herself! She cried a little when I left her in class but a really nice lady in the hall got me a beeper so I'd feel better and not have to stand there peeking in the window! The 2 teachers in her class were so nice and I felt really comfortable with them being with her. Katie obviously got over her fear because when I picked her up, she just looked at me and went right on eating her goldfish! Gracie enjoyed her children's worship and enjoyed her class as well. That girl doesn't have too much separation anxiety....ha! She was made for going to class!

We ate lunch at my grandparent's house then Katie & I snoozed (Bigdaddy too!) Mom, Gracie & Bigmother went to the Botanical Gardens. They said it was HOT and there was ALOT to see. I think I'm glad I stayed home with Katie!

That night, my grandparents headed back to church while Grammer, the girls & I went to my aunt & uncle's house for their Life Group. They don't really have anything structured for the kids and Katie kept coming in there talking so I spent most of the time in the den with my girls & one other little boy who was there. We ate afterwards and watched the girls play. Katie loved their cat! She would find it under the dining room table and call to it, "kitty, kitty." I, on the other hand, was about to die! I have become sooooo allergic to cats! When were in Nashville, we stayed with friends who have 2 long hair cats......awful! This time in Huntsville, even though were only there about 30 minutes the first night & 3 1/2 hours the second night, my allergies were killing me! My brother has a cat and we spent 2 night with him and I wasn't bothered. I'm not sure if it's that his cat doesn't seem to be as long haired or that he spends a good bit of time outside.

Anyway, I really like my aunt & uncle and am glad I got to spend some time with them and that the girls got to as well. I'm also glad the girls & I got to spend time with my grandparents. Family is important and we're so scattered that I think it's important to keep in touch & visit when we can.

Monday~We packed up and headed back to Atlanta. Dad met us somewhere to get Mom so I wouldn't have to go all the way back to their house. It saved me some time. Then, we headed on to Aiken in rain, rain, rain. I saw a wreck that had just happened which spooked me because you just never know when it could happen to you. I saw at least 2 people on the side of I-20 ready to run across to the median to help and I saw someone with the doors open on a vehicle that had obviously rolled and it looked like they were trying to get people out. I called 911 and they already had officer en route. It was scary.

I stopped at Family Christian and picked up some dvds & cds they had on sale for around $5. Well, one was $8.97. I can hardly pass up Veggie Tale & Hermie dvds for $5! Plus, I had coupons that you can use on sale items! Let's just say that my nieces, Sara Jane and Ann Elise, are getting some dvds for Christmas.....along with Katie for Christmas and Gracie for her birthday next month! One I got for Gracie's birthday is called, "Gigi God's Little Princess." It looks really cute! I also got her a cd called "Scripture Memory Songs." It's a "Hermie" cd and we love Hermie in our house! Since Gracie struggles with fear sometimes, even over things that most of her friends aren't afraid of, I got her the one that showcases scriptures about being brave. It was a great sale and I got some great faith based products that I will love giving as gifts! (My favorite bargain was when the Veggie Tales dvd was on sale for $5 and they let me use my coupon that was "buy one, get one 50% off," so I got one of the dvds for $2.50!!!!!!! I love a good bargain!)

We met Chris for dinner because he had a meeting at 7 and we didn't get into town until 6. We were all happy to see each other. Chris said it was too quiet without the girls. I know he missed us and we missed him. I am used to having him around and I think he's used to having us around, too!

We took pictures this weekend with my mom & uncle's camera so hopefully I will one day get them to email them to me and I can post them.

Tuesday~Gracie said she didn't feel good. I figured she was just tired. Well, she threw up 3 times! *sigh* The last time was around 3:30 and she went to sleep for quite awhile. Woke up and felt great. Acted like she felt good pretty much the rest of the evening. Didn't eat a whole lot but drank quite a bit, so hopefully she'll be fine tomorrow. It came on pretty much out of the blue so maybe it's exited the same way.
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Please continue to keep Micheal in your prayers. Unfortunately, he was not insured at the time of the accident so finances are an obstacle right now in getting him into rehab. I don't want to go into all of the details on here, but I know they must be stressed. Please keep them in your prayers for his physical healing and for the spiritual, emotional, mental & physical health of he & Jenny both as well as for their child & parents.

It's not easy choosing green........

I'm not sure if you can help me by looking at these pictures or not (click on them to make them bigger) but I need help choosing a green for Katie's bedroom. As you can tell, I'm trying to go with one that matches the green butterfly. It is a very bright green and I'm not sure I'd want the walls to be that bright. I've included a picture of her kitchen so you can that it has green in it too.

rednecks

My 5 year old, almost 6 year old, daughter has started talking with quite the little accent. At the end of school, she would say some words that sounded almost British. It was funny, but she was quite capable of saying the words correctly so we started having her say them the right way and I think that accent is now gone. Right now, her accent runs along the line of a South Carolina redneck! Granted, alot of times I'll speak with a little bit of an exaggerated speech like this. I know it's not correct grammar to say, "ain't" and "don't got none," but sometimes I'll do it just to be funny. I think she has picked up on this and has also begun lengthening words to be real drawn out like some Southerners do. This is the conversation she & I have had more than once:

Me: "Okay, you little South Carolina redneck!"

Gracie: "Hey! I don't have a red neck!"

Looks like Mommy needs to start setting a good example in the way I speak. Also, I don't think she's grasped what a redneck is. Maybe we'll take a drive down the road this afternoon and I can show her some real ones! I think the guy down the street who keeps about 5 John Deere tractors in his yard with American flags on them might qualify. For the record, we don't live in the country, either!
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Gracie worked hard yesterday on a craft project. Give that girl some paper, crayons, scissors, glue & tape and she can create a masterpiece! She made a little doll house church. I only had to help her a little. She assured me that the pony knew how to act in Bible Class!
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We're doing a little "potty training boot camp" this week with Katie. *ugh*

Happy Father's Day

It's Father's Day!
(I don't know why his picture has those black marks on it!)

First off, I'll say a little about my dad, Randall Jackson. He is a selfless man who truly loves the Lord, and I'm glad he's my dad! I love you, Dad! Here are 12 things I think about when I think about my dad:

1. He is thrifty. If anyone is going to save a buck, it'll be my dad! Whenever we do something particularly thrifty, Chris & I joke and say, "Now that's something Randall would do!"
2. waffles. He used to carry me downstairs to eat waffles for breakfast. I remember him making pancakes too and he would make them in the shape of a "J" for me. Years ago, I bought him a Mickey Mouse waffle maker that he still uses. Gracie has definitely picked up on my love for waffles and will frequently request that "Pappy" make them when she visits.
3. Christian Terrace. Oh, as a teenager I hated it when Mom & Dad would drive up under the overhang at church in the church van and I'd have to climb up in there with the "old ladies." Truth be told, I admire my dad for driving them to church & picking them up on Sunday evenings & Wednesday evenings; I just didn't feel as much admiration when I was a teen. (Imagine how I felt when I'd have to ride to school in it, too!~I'll admit to being a bit of a brat!) We'd go to Christian Terrace and Miss Minnie (my favorite!) and various others would pile in. Well, pile in isn't a good word. It was more like they were helped in by my dad who stood behind and made sure they didn't fall out! My dad got an earful many times I'm sure when something happened at church that they didn't like. I don't think he drives them anymore but once a month, he organizes a church service there for those who can't get out. He truly has a gift for listening to the elderly and making them feel important.
4. Christian education. For the past almost 30 years, Dad has worked as the business manager at Greater Atlanta Christian School. He recently got a title change that I think he truly deserved. He works with the budget and signs the paychecks and makes sure everyone pays their tuition, etc. He does a good job. (Remember what I said about him being thrifty?!?!?) He & mom sacrificed alot so that my brother & I could have a good Christian education also. It was important to him.
5. Family is important. I'm not kidding, if a great-great-great uncle by marriage dies and the funeral is anywhere within the contiguous U.S., he & mom will be there. Well, maybe not, but I have seen him & Mom pick up and drive a long way for a short period of time to show respect for a distant family member who died. I admire that. He helped settle my great-uncle's estate just rather recently. It took a long time and alot of long distance phone calls, etc. but it needed to be done and he helped alot. Granddad, his dad, died when I was in about the 6th grade and I don't remember much of their relationship. MawMaw, his mom, just died in 2003 and they were close. She lived kind of far away but he still helped her alot, emotionally as well as other ways. You could tell she was proud of her baby boy and always called him "Randy." She relied on him and his sisters.
6. He loves my mom. They still hold hands and are best friends. What else is there to say?
7. lots & lots of letters. Somewhere, I think maybe they're still in Atlanta, is a rather large pile of letters that Dad wrote to me while I was in college. He would deposit money into my checking account each week and send me the deposit slip with a reminder to write it down so I could balance the checkbook and to get out cash so I wouldn't have to write so many checks, etc. (Remember, he handles money for a job!) I sometimes fear I've disappointed him with some of the financial "mistakes" I've made in my life, but I don't think he'd ever say that. He's always there to help~always, even sometimes when I don't ask for it. The letters contain lots of "study hard," " don't write too many checks," "we love you" and "we're praying for you." Almost everytime he would hang up the phone he would say something about praying for me. I believe he did because I'm not sure how else I got through the process of moving 1000 miles away to college & surviving it all and actually enjoying it! I know God was protecting me.
8. Pappy. My girls love their Pappy. His grandfather was Pappy Jack (because of Jackson being the last name.) When I was pregnant, my aunt was joking that he should be Happy Pappy Jack because he can be kind of silly. Well, with my girls, pretty much only Pappy has stuck although my niece, Ann Elise, does call him Pappy Jack. (His grandmother was Mammie Jack and my mom absolutely refused to be called that!)
9. Kentucky Wildcats & Chicago Cubs. They're his teams. He also likes the Braves, but if they're playing the Cubs, I know which one he's rooting for! I even got him an old Cubs jacket on Ebay a few years back and he wears it often.
10. not above anyone else. He is the kind of man who does not think of himself as being better than anyone else. He doesn't need, nor want, lots of fancy material things. He doesn't think that he's "above" doing lots of things that others probably do think they're above. I think he has the mindset of being a servant.
11. best tour guide of Atlanta. I don't think the man has ever driven to the Atlanta airport the same way more than once! He can show you things in Atlanta that make you lock the door quickly, things that make you wonder if you really cared to see that part of Atlanta. HA! He is also famous for taking the "corn & cabbage route" when on trips. Translation: as teenagers, my brother & I would just want to get there!!!!!!!! He could make a 2 hour trip take 4!
12. catfish, apple pie, country ham. He loves them all!

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Chris is a great Daddy too! I won't write as much about him this time because he's not my father, but I've written in the past about how much I think he's a great Daddy~seriously the best ever! I find myself looking at others sometimes and feeling sorry for them that their husband isn't as good a father as Chris is. Then, I find myself being thankful that I think that much of him! (I just wish he was smiling in these pictures of him with the girls! LOL)

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Katie was sick last week. High fever. Now Gracie has it. Thanks for sharing, girls! Actually, Gracie is alot better as far as the fever and never had it as bad as Katie, but she's still a little puny. She's supposed to start swimming lessons tomorrow, but we've left a message asking to reschedule them for later in the summer. She might be okay to go tomorrow, but she has a fever blister on her lip and we felt they probably wouldn't want her there with that along with the fact that she's been not feeling well. I feel bad cancelling at the last minute, but there's not much we can do about it.

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Last night, we went to The Big Mo! It's a drive-in theater in a nearby town. We saw Cars. The Wild was coming on also, but it was 11:30 before Cars was over. Katie was asleep, Gracie was 1/2 asleep and I was, too. We left before the 2nd movie started. We never have stayed for the double feature. We're so old!!!!!!!!!!! We decided to go even though Gracie was sick since she'd mostly be staying in the car and we weren't going to expose her to anyone. We told her before we got there that she wouldn't be riding the little train or playing outside before the movie started. She was okay with that, but she did get to take a little walk outside with us. She & I stayed home from church this morning and she & Chris stayed home tonight. Poor thing, she has missed the past 4 Sundays at our church (not missed church completely, but just missed being at our congregation) from being out of town or being sick and we're planning to go visit my grandparents this weekend so that'll make 5! She's been there on most Wednesdays at least!

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Micheal (and yes, that is how he spells it. I'm not sure why.) was able to sit up for about 1 1/2 hours and felt tingly and his legs & feet hurt so those are all good signs! Jenny wasn't able to do that so soon after her accident, so they have even more hope of a recovery!

Micheal

I just wanted to ask that you please continue to remember Micheal & Jenny in your prayers. He has pneumonia now which is only making things worse I suppose.

I found a newspaper article that tells more about his injuries from the 30 ft. fall.

random

2 random things I ran across today:

*watermelon donut holes at Kroger~doesn't sound like anything I want to try.

*this movie~Bee Season. Very random. Don't get it. Maybe I'm just not deep enough. Anyone else seen it?

shrimp, shrimp & more shrimp

Since this blog is mainly to serve as a journal about our the life of our family, bear with me as I relay the details of our vacation.

Saturday, June 3~After a morning birthday party for a friend, we met my parents half-way between here & Atlanta and let Gracie go with them. She attended their VBS and enjoyed some "Grammer, Pappy & Gracie time."

Tuesday, June 6~After Chris got home from work, we (Chris, Katie & myself) drove to Atlanta and reunited with Gracie and spent the night with my parents.

Wednesday, June 7~We left for Gulf Shores, AL! More specifically, Orange Beach, AL. Chris' parents and his brother & family were joining us on this vacation. We tried to pick somewhere "in the middle" for us to meet. Certainly, even with a 9 hour drive for us, we lucked out as having the least to drive. For Mike & Erin, it was about 12 hours and Chris' parents live in New Mexico so it was even farther for them! We didn't want to go much farther West because Texas beaches aren't known as being the best, so we opted for AL.

We arrived in the afternoon, probably about 3:00 AL time. Chris' parents and Erin & Sara Jane (who had ridden with Howard & Mary since Mike had to work that day) had gotten there just a little bit before us. Mary, Erin & I went to the grocery store to pick up food. We then ate & spent time at the outdoor & indoor pool & hot tub before winding down for the evening. Mike, my brother-in-law, got there around 10 or 11.

Thursday, June 8~Beach! We loaded everyone up and hit the beach! When I was describing all the stuff we had to take (umbrella, chairs, buckets, shovels, cover ups, drinks, snack, sunscreen, etc.) my mom asked if we looked like the opening scene on "Yes, Dear" when they're trying to run across the street. Exactly! It was fun though!

After we went home and bathed and ate lunch and let everyone rest, we headed to 'Souvenir City.' We just had to walk through the shark's mouth! We had also bribed Gracie to jump to her daddy in the pool the day before so she got to pick out a prize~a kite. We're working on her bravery in the water. Of course, I'm a chicken myself so it's kind of hard. She is signed up for swimming lessons next week; we'll see how those go!

We then waited about an hour & a half to eat at "The Original Oyster House." Fried Shrimp.....yum, yum, yum!

Friday, June 9~Chris' mom and our immediate family went back to the beach that morning. Sara Jane, my 16 month old niece, hadn't exactly loved the beach the day before, so they opted to stay near the condo and enjoy the pool. She didn't love the pool that much either, unfortunately (until the last day, then she loved it!)

After we came back from the beach and cleaned up & ate, we left for the outlet mall! That was fun. We came back to the condo and Chris' mom cooked dinner for us. Mike, Erin & Sara Jane and our family went to the beach to take beach photos of each family & the girls. We used these as anniversary gifts for Chris' parents.

I think that was the night we went out to the pool and Mike got in only to wonder what that "thing" at the bottom of the pool was. For some reason, even though the pool was open until 10:00, there were no lights, so it was pitch dark. The "thing" looked mysteriously like a baby shark. Of course, we knew it couldn't live in the pool, but still it was creepy~and dark, so we went to the indoor pool.


Saturday, June 10~Chris, his mom and the girls went to the pool that morning. (The baby shark was a shark~a toy one!) Someone had played a good joke! Erin & I headed to Wal Mart to get copies made of some of beach pictures and pick out frames. Thanks to the Kodak Picture Maker, we were able to give Howard & Mary their gift before we all went back home. Chris & Mike went to play golf while Howard rode along in the cart with them. Mary babysat the grandbabies.

On the way back to the condo, Erin & stopped at this hole-in-wall place and bought a pound of shrimp that they seasoned & steamed right then & there along with some steamed red potatoes & corn. Oh my goodness! That shrimp was absolutely incredible ! I seriously think it was the best shrimp I have ever had in my whole life ! So good! It was just a take-out place that sold live bait right alongside the shrimp.

Mary & I took the girls to a local playground but it was way too hot to stay very long. We went back to the condo and went to the pool. It was a very good day to go to the pool as it was so hot. We tried to get Gracie to jump in to Chris. She was really resisting and he told her if she didn't, he was going to throw her in. Finally, he reached up and pulled her in then threw her over into another part of the pool! She was not happy! She did admit that it didn't hurt and that Daddy was right there to help her. Like I said, we'll see how those swimming lessons go!

At one point, Gracie had to go the bathroom. Well, she waited until the last minute (as usual!) and was jumping up & down while she tried to get her bathing suit off. She slipped and hit her chin on the floor and cut it really bad. It was deep & bleeding and we debated taking her to get stitches. Well, Uncle Mike came & looked it and said he felt that they probably would put 2 or 3 stitches in it but did we really want to go sit around an emergency room waiting for it? We really didn't, but we wanted to do what we needed to do. He suggested we try this stuff called "New Skin(?)" and see what happened. It had stopped bleeding pretty much but he was afraid because of where it was that it might start bleeding again when she talked & ate. We tried the New Skin stuff and it seemed to work. I'm sure she'll have a scar, but it could have been worse. I could tell many more stories about Gracie & the water and having to go the bathroom, but I think I'll not right now! (*Uncle Mike is a Dr. To clarify, he is an optometrist which has nothing to do with chin injuries but there's just something about having that title "Dr." which makes someone seem like they know what they're talking about!)

Mary & Howard babysat that night so Mike & Erin and Chris & I could go on a date! We ate the best dinner! Of course, I had more shrimp! It was basically the same thing I'd eaten for lunch and so, so, so good! After we ate, we drove over into Florida then came back & just visited. It was nice to have a night out. We don't do that too often.

Sunday, June 11~Mike, Erin & Sara Jane had to leave that day since Mike had to work on Monday. After they left, we started getting ready for church. After church, we came back & ate leftovers of things we'd cooked/bought throughout the week. Then, we went to the beach again. One last time! It was fun again! I did get my worst sunburn that day, though. I think I forgot to put sunscreen on one arm!

We left the beach and headed back to clean up. We then went back to the outlet mall and did a little more shopping. After that, we ate at "Lambert's~Home of the Throwed Rolls." If you ever get a chance to go to one, I'd suggest it. They really do come around and throw rolls to you. Lots of fun.

I was tired and feeling the effects of too much sun, so I stayed at the condo to read while Mary, Chris & the girls hit the indoor pool one last time. Chris said Gracie started blowing bubbles in the water so that's good!

Monday, June 12~We packed up, straightened up, said our good-byes and hit the road for South Carolina. We stopped and ate in Atlanta with my mom because she had to bring us some stuff of Gracie's that we'd forgotten at her house.

We were happy to get home! It was a good vacation and I'm glad we were able to do it. I'm glad the girls got to play with their cousin, and I always enjoy hanging out with Erin, my sister-in-law.
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JettyBetty asked me to let her know about my friend's dad that I wrote about right before we left. We talked a couple of times Tuesday & Wednesday then she called Wednesday night to let me know that her father-in-law had passed away about an hour earlier. I was very sad about the pain they were feeling.
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JettyBetty also asked about my cousin's husband. Here is what my dad emailed yesterday: They did surgery last night, he broke the 3rd vertebrae, but they did fuse it back and did not have to put him in a halo. They will do surgery on his two wrists today where he broke them trying to catch himself. He did have a little feeling in his stomach and left arm so they say that is good. In two or three days they will do an MRI to look for other injuries. Please continue to keep Micheal & Jenny in your prayers.

no place like home

We're back from vacation. It was fun but I am tired! I'll post more later but for now I'll just post a few pictures before bed. As much fun as we had, I must say, "Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home!"
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Please keep my cousin, Jenny, & her husband, Micheal, in your prayers. Micheal fell off of a windmill today about 50 miles outside of Brady, TX. He said he couldn't feel anything below the waist or neck (I can't remember which one.) He is in San Angelo at the hospital. I just talked to my aunt who is on her way there with Jenny & Micheal's 1 year old son. Jenny, along with my uncle & other cousin, are on their way to San Angelo and may already be there. The day after Gracie was born in 2000, Jenny was in a 4-wheeler accident in Brady and broke her neck. She was taken to San Angelo where she spent a long time in the hospital. They told her she would never walk again. She beat those odds and was walking again relatively soon after the accident and went on to get married and have a child, etc., etc. I know that they must be having flashbacks of her horrible accident and I ask you to pray for Micheal's physical healing as well as the emotional support of them all.

emotional

I'm feeling torn.

My best girl friend's father-in-law, and an elder in our church, is extremely ill and will probably not live on this earth for many more days. She is hurting and I know her husband is too of course. We are leaving town tonight for a few days. I hate the timing of this. I want to be here for her. Thing is, I'm not even sure what to do when I am here. I've tried to listen and hope that helps. I've been praying. I hate that we're leaving town at a time like this but we're going to meet Chris' family who we only see once or twice a year. It's important for us to spend time with them, but I also feel it's important for me to be here for her. We've had this trip planned for months and with the family scattered in New Mexico, Texas and South Carolina, planning it took some doing.

Please pray for my friend that she & her husband will feel peace. Even when you know a loved one is going to Heaven, grief is still felt in the heart. Please pray that I will be there for them in ways that they can feel & in ways that they need even though I may not be physically present at a time when I feel I should be.

Your age by chocolate math

I received a forwarded email this morning that was really cute. It worked for me. How about you? I changed the wording just a little.

The Hershey Man will know your true age.
DON'T CHEAT BY SCROLLING DOWN FIRST!

It takes less than a minute . Work this out as you read ... Be sure you don't read the bottom until you've worked it out! This is not one of those waste of time things, it's fun.


1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to have chocolate (more than once but less than 10)





2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold)





3. Add 5





4. Multiply it by 50.




5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1756 .... If you haven't, add 1755.





6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born. You should have a three digit number.
The first digit of this was your original number (i.e., how many times you want to have chocolate each week).
The next two numbers are YOUR AGE!


THIS IS THE ONLY YEAR (2006) IT WILL EVER WORK, SO SPREAD IT AROUND WHILE IT LASTS..

crazy!

This story of mistaken identity after a car crash is absolutely one of the craziest~and scariest~things I've ever heard of!

I've always heard stories or watched t.v. shows where family members are told that it's better not to view the body of a loved one who has died if they've been in an accident or something and I've always thought that I would probably want to look anyway. I think I'd need that closure but then I've also wondered if it would haunt me too much if the body was too injured. After reading this story, I think I would have to see...just for my peace of mind.

If you're interested in reading more than just the above link, there are lots of related articles that you can get to from that original article.

communion cup or medicine cup?

Here's the Katie funny of the day:

This morning during communion, Katie watched us as we drank the juice. She looked at Chris and said, "Medicine?"

I guess to her, it did look like he was drinking from a medicine cup!

water day

Summer playgroup is here! We had "water day" today with a wading pool and 'Slip `n Slide.' Notice Gracie's lovely form on the 'Slip `n Slide.' I must say it's better than the first time when she fell on her backside and snapped her head back! It really was funny....since she wasn't hurt. Her friend Aidan was definitely the champ as he would run fast and throw himself belly first and slide all the way down. Gracie doesn't quite have the hang of it yet. Both girls are snoozin' away in bed. The sun did them in! Next week at the beach, we'll probably see some early bedtimes 'cause I know they're going to play hard!

the Avery Bunch

I am not what you would call a 'sports fan.' However, if I have to choose one to watch, it would be basketball. If I had to choose a team to watch, it would be the San Antonio Spurs. When we were living in Uvalde, TX, we got to be very big fans of the Spurs. Living anywhere near San Antonio (and we were 2 1/2 hours away!) you pretty much had to be a Spurs fan or at least pretend to be. Going to a game was lots of fun and full of energy.

Avery Johnson captured my heart. He was just the cutest little (point guard?) in the world and seemed so sweet & funny! I'll never forget how he won the game for them in some big championship thing they won. Of course, I don't think he got the attention he deserved from that but that's okay. I know David Robinson & Tim Duncan pulled their weight, but AJ made that last shot! I'll also never forget when David Letterman interviewed him and he said, "I got fired Dave!" He was referring to a time when he'd been let go from a team or traded or something. The funny thing about the quote is that he turned the word 'fired' into about 3 more syllables than it needed. He has quite the accent! Southern? I don't know, but it's cute!

AJ is now the coach for the Dallas Mavericks and I am proud to say that he recently won "Coach of the Year" or something like that. I ran across this video with AJ and think it's cute. Enjoy!