Weekend, ahoy!

It's the end of the workweek.... and a weekend has never looked better! Rick and I have no official plans this weekend to keep us busy. Lot's of "unofficial" plans though. 1. Taylor is home from college this weekend. I'm anxious to spend some time with him. 2. Anniversary reception for a couple in our church tomorrow. The big 50! 3. Church activities on Sunday 4. Bath for the doggie. She's stinky. (Rick, that's your job.) 5. Mow the lawn. (Again, Rick - that's you.) Ok, now for the exciting news. Exactly 1 MONTH from today, we'll be on vacation. The picture below is 2 years old... but we'll be on the same boat. And Rick will get to wear his loud, obnoxious vacation shirt once again!

We're really looking forward to a few days of R&R. The last few months have been so very busy, physically and spriritually. God has been working on my heart - carefully teaching me and humbling me - placing me in situations that require self-introspection, creating tension in my heart, and that results in growth. And it may sound bad, but the truth is... I'm tired.

I'm looking forward to a get-a-way from the daily stresses of managing 3 businesses. We both need some time to rest and take inventory of our goals. Gasp! Did I just mention goals? Me, the one who refuses to set a goal because of fear of failure?

If I'm willing to look at goals, maybe God's working undercover in areas I didn't know about!

Oh my goodness: I just realized that this is a Holiday weekend. No work on Monday! How about shouting a big "Yee-haw" with me!

Wordless Wednesday

Click on the arrow to play the video of Collin.

What in the world?

We think it was a tiny, fried monkey-hand mixed in with our calamari at dinner. Rick and I enjoyed a date-night at Landry's in West End. We hadn't seen each other much during the weekend (due to Women of Faith) so it was nice relaxing outside on the patio and catching up on everything. Aside from the invasion of the monkey hand, our dinner was delicious. Although I'm sure our waitress thought we were freaks since we were snapping pictures and making poses with the suspicious little paw. Previous to dinner, we visited with Dick and Barbara Ivey and said our goodbye's to them. They're moving to Arizona for a new phase in life/work. Rick made a pretty powerful statement after we left the party. He said:

"I wouldn't be where I am in my life - career, spiritual, emotional - without having known Dick Ivey."

That's pretty powerful. I'm so glad Rick has known the Ivey's. We will be praying for them in this new phase of their life.

Sunday update

Well, Rick and I were just about to head to Dallas when the dreaded call came... Ring-ring.... This is the answering service at Dogwood Estates Water Company. Someone mowed over one of your meters and water is gushing... yada-yada-yada. There goes our afternoon! Rick changed into his work clothes and headed out to meet our workcrew. Workman, actually. Just one. Hopefully, he'll get Armando started on the repair and then race back to pick me up. We're supposed to be at a going-away party for a dear friend, Dick Ivey. Dick has been Rick's mentor for years. We'll get to visit with lots of friends from Rick's past... that's always fun. So hurry home, Rick! Here's something cool - Taylor came home last night... briefly! He was in town just for a couple of hours before heading back up to UNT. I miss that boy so much. He's only been gone a week, and there were weeks that went by before where I didn't see him. But this is different. He's on his own now, making choices and stretching those wings out. I have a feeling that my prayer life is about to change. Know what I mean? Update... Rick just called. He's getting Armando started on replacing the water meter and will be heading this way shortly. Yea! That means we can resume our plans.

Friday night in Dallas

Terri, Glenda, Mother Carolyn and me It's "Women of Faith" weekend, an annual weekend pilgrimage for the Bess women. Thousands of women pack into the AAC for a fun-filled weekend of laughter, worship and encouragement. Mom's friends from, well, literally all around the Globe, are here for the weekend also. The picture above is missing a few... I'll get snapshots of them tomorrow. I'm spending the night at Craig and Carolyn's apartment in Dallas. They have a great place downtown with close proximity to the American Airlines Arena, where we have been tonight. Mom and her partners-in-crime are staying at Aileen's house. I have a feeling I'll get more sleep than those rascals get! More later on...

This is so funny!

Ronda's birthday

My stomach aches from laughing so much last night at Ronda's birthday party! It was a surprise "belated" party for her, as her birthday was in December. I bet she's never had a birthday party in August before! Dinner at Vetoni's, where there was more laughter than conversation... then we took the cake back to Ronnie & Patsy's lake house where there was more laughter. I love the pictures above, because they capture the laughter! What an awesome family I have! Each one of them is so lovable and unique... speaking of unique, Rick was the clown last night with his rendition of Redd Fox from "Sanford and Son." I wish I could post the video, but I'm afraid it's classified at this time!

A couple of pictures

Here are a couple of pictures taken Sunday when we took Taylor to UNT. I do believe we all have the same taste in footwear!

Fast-Pass

The minister at Stephanie's funeral spoke directly to Chase and Clare, 9 years old, as they sat on the front row. Their mommy's flower-draped casket rested in front of them and their Dad was centered between them with his arms stretched out around each one, pulling them close. "Chase & Clare, Have you ever been to DisneyLand?" the minister asked. They both shook their heads with an emphatic yes. "Well, I just returned from DisneyLand. And I was waiting in a long, long line for a ride. I waited and waited, and the line went on forever around and around the barriers that were put up to direct us. And we waited slowly. And it moved so slowly." "Next to us was an empty lane, and every now and then, a person would come sailing down that lane with a big smile on his face. They were moving quickly up to the front of the line! And it kept happening. As we waiting slowly on our side, every now and then a person or group of people would come running down that lane heading to the front of the line! And you know what? They ALL had smiles on their faces. They were all happy and excited about where they were going!" "I asked someone how this could be, how these people got to go to the front of the line. And I learned that it was a 'FastPass' that granted them permission to skip to the front." The minister was still speaking directly to Chase and Clare, but the truth was not lost on the rest of us. Slowly it dawned on me where he was going with this illustration. "Chase and Clare," he said, "Jesus gave your mommy a 'FastPass' to Heaven. And she went to the front of the line with a big smile on her face. And we are all still in line because we still have some living to do." Wow, what a beautiful analogy for us to consider. The funeral was a celebration of Stephanie's life and dedication to giving God the glory for ALL THINGS, even her cancer. She allowed God to use her illness in a powerful way, touching lives with her unwavering faith and joy. Because of Stephanie's example, I want to love a little bit more, hug a little bit more, forgive a little bit more, laugh a little bit more, believe a little bit more. Our prayers go out to David, Chase and Clare as they face the days ahead.

Before & After picture

Here's a before and after picture of Taylor in his cubby hole at Maple Hall. I don't have time right now to update you on how the day went... but in short, it was great. I'm sure Taylor was ready for us to get out of his hair, but he was so patient with us. I really enjoyed helping him settle in. And I'm really going to miss him. We are so proud of Taylor! More later. But for now, we're off to Stephanie's memorial service.

Saturday Morning Tradition

A Saturday morning doesn't really count unless I enjoy my special Saturday coffee mug (extra large.) It's tall, and has fun pictures of dresses. This cherished beauty has weathered the last 12 years with me. Wow, it's seen alot! I used to drink out of it randomly, but in the last 4 or 5 years, it has achieved retirement, and only comes out for the Saturday Morning Tradition.

Rick brought his own mug to the Tradition as well. "Joe's" was a greasy-spoon breakfast restaurant he would go to with his Dad. His Dad is gone now, and so the mug holds sweet memories for Rick. He loves this mug so much that his Mom gave her own "Joe's" mug to him as a back-up! And like My Favorite Dress Mug, Joe doesn't have to work but one day a week also.

The only exception to the rule is on a Holiday. Holidays are equal to Saturdays as far as The Tradition is concerned:

Rule 1. The vessel - As discussed, only My Favorite Dress Mug and Joe serve the morning "cup of joe."

Rule 2. The sanctity of the grounds - Plain ole Folgers takes a backseat to the "special" coffee. Currently, it's San Antonio Blend from HEB. We're easy to please.

Rule 3. Patio, patio, patio.

Rule 4. In pajamas. (Ok, that's my rule. Rick usually doesn't abide by it.)

It's really crazy how we cling to routine. And how stabilizing and comforting tradition can become.

Ok, fam and friends, now that we've cast due respect to The Tradition, here's a rundown of the Brown's upcoming weekend: Saturday: A visit with Miss Ida, Youth Teacher meeting at church, off to Athens to work a funeral, and hopefully watch live the Presidential Candidates chat with Rick Warren. The parentals return tonight from their Alaskan Cruise also. Sunday: Taylor moves into the dorm! This will be a fun and emotional day as we deliver and install him into Maple Hall at UNT. In some ways, I wish I was the one going off to college again. Fun memories. Monday: Stephanie Weber's funeral. This is a friend of ours that lost her battle with cancer, leaving behind two little ones and a hubby. But anyone who knew Stephanie knows that in the end, she won. We'll make it back from Dallas just in time to make Collin's fish-camp at High School. Can't believe he's a freshman! That wraps it up. I'll post some pics of The Great Move In when we get back. But for now, I've got to return my attention to The Tradition.

Natalie, my new "adopted" neice!

Craig and Carolyn are sponsoring Natalie through World Vision. Isn't she cute? Natalie lives in Guatemala with her family. She doesn't go to school, but hopefully that can change soon. She helps around the house with her 2 brothers, and her parents struggle to make ends meet. Natalie likes to play ball games, and seems to be in "satisfactory" health. I'm really excited that C&C are involved with World Vision. I know they will be so thrilled when they get to exchange some correspondance with Natalie. To know that what they are doing has an impact on this little girl...far, far away... that's pretty cool. When we were in Honduras, one of the villages we visited had dismissed school for the day. The teachers were meeting with World Vision to receive some assistance. It was neat to witness a group like that actually DOING what they say they do. www.worldvision.org - Check them out.

Gimme Some Old Time Religion

One Sunday a month, our church provides the worship service and offers Communion to the folks at Mabank Nursing Home. I joined in with this ministry last month... and with the visit on Sunday, I now have been twice.

I'm still getting used to the awkwardness of "what to do..." We walk up and down the halls and assess who might be able to come down to the community room. We invite the ones that look able, and have to pass over those who aren't able to get out of bed. If they can, we wheel them down in their wheelchairs or help them with their walkers.

This "hands on" part was awkward at first for me to get into. Approaching total strangers and helping them get in their wheelchair took some getting used to.

But then I met Miss Ida. Wow, she is a pistol! She was already in her wheelchair waiting by her bed to be pushed down to "have church." But before she'd let me take her I had to brush her hair and make her all pretty! It was a sweet moment for me, brushing her hair and fluffing it up. I had to get over any reservations about being "hands on" real quick. And as I brushed her hair she talked to me about how she wants to look pretty for everyone and how she just can't seem to keep her hair done anymore.

Miss Ida then asked how old I thought she was. Great... how am I supposed to answer that??? I hemmed and hawed, and I knew she was pretty far up there... So I went conservative. 80, I said.

Silence.

"Oh, honey," she said "Do I look that old?"

Great. Just great. I went and offended a little lady in the nursing home. I felt 2 inches tall.

Then she elbowed me in the rib and said "Gotcha! I'm really 97!"

That Ida, she IS a pistol!

Well, long story short... we had "church," and these little people belted out the hymns at the top of their lungs. A couple even lifted their arms up and waved them like they were directing a choir. Maybe they were music teachers in years past. It really is an odd feeling singing "When we all get to Heaven..." with some people that may be checking in sooner than later.

All kidding aside, I had to fight to maintain control of my emotions as we sang. Touched by the faces of these gentle souls, I saw my Granny in every face. This was the highlight of their day. Visitors, Worship, Communion. Something different from the hum-drum of their daily routine.

And as I went around the room offering a piece of bread to represent Christ's body, tears whelled up in my eyes. I was so humbled. Who am I, to offer the sacrament of Holy Communion to these beautiful people? These trusting faces who just wanted to reach out and hold my hand? And when I got to Mrs. Templin (a long time member of our church) I had to place the bread in her mouth because she couldn't do it herself. Yep, my tears spilled over then. I was overwhelmed with humbleness at serving these people, and touched by their circumstances at the present.

After the service, we wheeled everyone back to their rooms. I sat down with Miss Ida for a few minutes to visit with her. She had a jar of pickle relish in her wheelchair, but that's another whole story. And you know what?

Time flew. Before I knew it, 30 minutes had passed and we had laughed and shared with each other bits and pieces of our lives... like why she carries relish with her. And how her mother died when she was 4. And how her step-mom loved her like her own.

I went to the nursing home to serve others. To participate in a ministry our church offers. And yet as I left, I knew that the "serving miracle" had happened again.

Because I was the one that was blessed. I was the one that left feeling ministered to, invigorated, loved, accepted.

Amazing, isn't it?

The One That Got Away, Theatre, Vacuum Cleaners and Gold Medals

Today has been uber-busy. Rick and Taylor are spending the weekend at a lake cabin for their "last fling" before college. So I had the opportunity to have a day completely dedicated to my pursuits! I was pretty disciplined this morning, waking up to coffee, a pilates workout and running a mile. Then, I headed to Dallas. But first, a picture of 'da boys fishing. Rick e-mailed the photo to me...I wasn't actually invited to participate in the weekend. Looks like Taylor's doing alright for himself! In Dallas, I met up with Craig and Carolyn for lunch. Yummy Taco's at Taco Diner in West Village. Then Carolyn and I took in the play "Coco and Gigi" as part of the Festival of Independent Theatres. It was.... unique. Definitely talented actors, that's for sure. Then we headed to NorthPark Mall and hit Bath & Body Works for their 5 for $15 sale! As we were heading out of the mall, the aroma of Starbucks wafted our way, beckoning us to drop in for a mocha frappacino... Yum. Next stop, Craig joined us at Bestbuy where my gift card assisted in the welcoming of a brand new vacuum cleaner into my family. Who-hoo. Life doesn't suck afterall (ok, bad pun.)

A stop at Barnes and Noble topped off the afternoon before I headed back to East Texas. Craig and Carolyn - if you're reading this, I am so grateful that you embrace your little sister so welcomingly ANYTIME! I always feel loved unconditionally by you two. What a gift God's given me in a sister-in-law like Carolyn and a big bro like Craig!

Next stop...I picked up Collin and we dropped in at Tim and Tiffany Lilly's abode (the Lillypad.) The Cowboys first pre-season game was the excuse to gather, but the real highlight of the evening was watching Michael Phelps take the Gold and break the World Record (his record.) The pic below is from their TV room as Phelps accepted the medal.

In an overwhelming moment of patriotic pride, we all rose to sing the National Anthem at the top of our lungs as Phelps received the Gold. From left to right: Tim, Tiffany, Collin. And that's been the day. Of course, I didn't mention how green with envy I am that my parents sailed away on an Alaskan cruise today... Hence the green text today.

Oreos and chicken wings... it's all about the food

Poor, pitiful Rick. Daily lunch at mom's house yesterday - and Rick disappeared after lunch. Upon further search, he was discovered in the pantry, sitting on a stool with his head in his hands... wearing the saddest puppydog face you could imagine. The reason? Mom's pantry was missing the oreo cookies that have become tradition for Rick. Lunch just isn't the same without them. Alas, there was a silver lining for our little forgotten soul. Mother was struck down with so much guilt that she headed right over to Wal-Mart and bought every kind of Oroe they make! Mini-oreo's, fudge oreo's, vanilla oreos, regular oreo's... You name it, Rick got it! He's all smiles, now. And everything is right in the world again. Later on in the day, Collin got to indulge himself in his favorite food... Honey barbecue chicken wings. He tore those things to pieces! Yum!

Enjoying our neighborhood

Yesterday evening it was amazingly cooler than in previous weeks. The 100+ temperature dropped courtesy of Edouard in the Gulf. A slight breeze made the temptation too great to stay inside. We took off to walk the golf course that we live on (#7 tee box). What a beautiful evening it was! WHY in the world don't we do this every night, especially with a move to the cemetery looming in the future? Oh yea... I guess the 100+ degree temps has kept everyone with a little bit of sense in. Maybe that will change soon. We really need to get some exercise - my waistline seems to be growing as of late. Plus, to not take advantage of the beautiful neighborhood we live in seems such a waste. Here's Rick standing by one of the lakes.

And here's me.

The Tuesday night tennis game going on looked fun. Maybe we should dust off our rackets and give it a try. We watched for a few minutes, cheering on our friends that were out there. Then we headed on with our walk. Good friends Tim and Tiffany. Their patio was a perfect place to rest for a minute or two...We got a kick out of showing up unexpected, just sitting there waiting on them to realize we're out there. Bonus: We found out last night that we both booked the same cruise in September. How cool is that? They're actually part of a wedding on the cruise, so maybe Rick and I can be official "wedding crashers."

We headed on home after that. I prepared a gourmet dinner consisting of cold cereal, pbj sandwiches, chips & hot sauce, and an almost over-ripe banana. Two episodes of our new favorite show "Heroes" capped off the night.

We want to be more disciplined to get outside in the evenings, exercise and enjoy our neighborhood. This summer we've been too busy with work and last night I realized how much we enjoy taking in the sites of our beautiful golf course and neighborhood.

I'll let you know how that goes...

Wrapping up the weekend...

We've had a busy weekend, as usual.

Kicked it off with a birthday party for Mitch and Stacy's little boy, Pearson. He's two. Purtis Creek Park was the perfect venue for grilling hot dogs... except for the heat. At 6pm on Friday it was hotter than blue blazes... but it did cool down a bit eventually. And the kids didn't seem to mind one bit.
Here's a picture of Pearson.



We stayed up late, late that night watching 4 hours of our new favorite TV series "Heroes." Borrowed Season 1 DVD from Uncle Lee (bet he doesn't even know we took it, but thanks anyway!) It's a capturing series about modern day "superheroes" saving the world... If you're not into sci-fi, than you would not enjoy. Mom, that means you.
Here's Roxie the super-dog. All she needs is a cape.

Saturday was so hot... all we wanted to do was stay cool. A movie sounded good, so we loaded up and went to Dallas. Pigged out on Chinese Food and then saw "Mamma Mia." Second time for me, first for Rick. And being that he LOVES musicals of any kind, he deemed this movie "the best of the year." Bravo. I concur.

The boys came over Saturday night and they watched King Kong with their dad. I went on to bed and chased my favorite pasttime... reading until I fall asleep.

Sunday brought some proud moments to us when Taylor spoke in both services about his time in Honduras. All 4 Sr. High youth that went on the trip took a few moments to share what they thought of the trip. We were so proud of Taylor - he spoke clearly, engaged the congreation and shared his heart. He did better than we could have done, and we were so proud of him. Gonna miss that boy when he leaves for UNT in a couple of weeks.

It's Sunday night, and this afternoon involved a fabulous nap, fruit smoothies for everyone, and some yardwork. It's time to kick back, relax, and savor the last few hours of our weekend.