Memorial Day Weekend

Above, Taylor, Rick and Collin relax at the cabin while the steaks grill. 

The boys celebrated Fathers Day earlier this week with Rick. Taylor had a couple days off work, and is between semesters in Denton, so he graced us with his presence. We had a great evening grilling steaks and hanging out. I can't believe how time has flown. 

In the picture below, the boys are celebrating Fathers Day 2003. They are so cute and little!

 

Ok, I don't have much to write about...Yesterday, I took a day off from life. The only thing I accomplished was mowing the backyard and faxing an interment order to a funeral home. Other than that, I parked it on the couch with the remote, my book, and the dog. It was a wonderful day!

After church today is Tiffany's baby shower for Skyla Brooke. It's not the best weekend to try and pull of a baby shower, given the holiday, so I hope we have a good turnout.

We're on the countdown for our Honduras trip. Leave in  9 days... Collin is going with us this time, just like Taylor did a couple of years ago. I'm a little anxious about being gone for 10 days with no communication back to the office. Given all the water problems we've encountered lately, it's a bit scary. So I'm praying that all the water problems are behind us now. 

Above  is my favorite picture from our last trip. I wonder if those girls are still there? Netti, in the pink dress had the best laugh in the world.  She was mischievious, and you could just tell by her laugh. AnaMaria, in the middle, was a sweetheart, and Umana, on my left - she was so quiet, but always by my side. She wanted attention so bad! 

I guess I better get on with my day.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend to all of you. Let us not forget to pause and remember those who have sacrificed for our great country.

3 Wise Men and the Rockettes

The 3 Wise Men are a pretty close runner up for 1st place among my favorite ornaments. Granny needlepointed these in 1976. I love them so much... they remind me of my Granny.

Today we took my mother and Rick's mother to the Rockette's Christmas Spectacular. Lots of fun - I highly recommend it. "The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers" was by far my favorite - where they are dressed up as soldiers and march around in precision, ending it with their famous slow-motion fall back. Simply amazing! 

The last number of the show was called  "One Solitary Life" and involved a living Nativity. I read in the program that this presentaion has been a revered part of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular since 1933. We were all very impressed that the presentation of the true reason for Christmas has not been scrubbed out of the show over the years. It was a great way to end the program.

I'm off to finish some holiday baking now...

Recap of last weekend.

It's Wednesday, but feels like Friday because of Thanksgiving tomorrow. I'm looking forward to time with family and friends over the next couple of  days.

Thought I'd share a few pictures from last weekend. 

We helped with the monthly meal and activities in a local neighborhood. Our church participates with several groups in bringing a presence of hope and love to this neighborhood.

This picture shows some of the clothes available for anyone who could use them.

Here are the ladies dishing up a homemade Thanksgiving meal.

Rick, below, has a helper handing out hygiene kits.

This is Larry Partridge and me on the porch of a house in the neighborhood that we are going to turn into a kids afterschool clubhouse, and in the evenings have it available for adult programs. It's a longtime dream coming to fruition for our church to have a presence in this neighborhood.

The house needs ALOT of work. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at this point! Good thing youth groups like to do demolition, becasue we are going to have to start from scratch!

Looking forward to the day!

Today we have 2 things on the docket:

1) Thanksgiving meal and visiting with the folks in a nearby neighborhood. Our church, along with a couple other churches, take a meal monthly to this neighborhood. We hope to show the residents that God loves them, and so do we.

I made two large green bean casseroles to take, but was short 1 can of green beans. These are the times I'm reminded how much I love living next door to my mother! She rescued me from having to fight the grocery store this morning!

2) Chamber of Commerce Bowling Tournament is this afternoon. I think we have about 17 teams of 5 so far! Our team, the Bowling Stones, will annihilate the others. Or at least have the most fun trying!

Meanwhile, on the homefront, Taylor is home from college this weekend. He's going to be working today for us, reading water meters. Rick LOVES it when Taylor comes home to do this!

Here is my favorite picture of Taylor!

We motored up to Dallas today with Collin for some tennis racquet shopping. He's really gotten into tennis this year - and he's very good!

Taylor drove down from Denton and met up with us for the afternoon. He's never been known to miss an opportunity for lunch... smart guy! It was great seeing him.

We went to the PGA Superstore, where there is a full-sized indoor tennis court. Collin demo'd (is that a word?) several racquets, and found one that excelled his game. This was great, because his birthday is coming up on Oct 18th. He'll be 16... I can't believe it! It's always hard finding something for a teenage boy (other than the obvious CAR.) Collin gave the "thumbs up" for this, so I'm happy!














This evening, Rick watched the Cowboys make a bad game turn worse, and I puttered around the house. The week ahead of us will bring mom and dad back on Tuesday. But not before we hold the 4th funeral since they left on vacation. We will be glad to have them back!

I sincerely hope it does not rain tomorrow. My crew doesn't need to dig a grave in the rain, and the family sure doesn't need to deal with the messy rain for the funeral day.

PEP Lake Day

I'm kinda tired - so I'm just going to post a few pictures from our day. Rick and I worked one of the boat docks, helping boats load and unload. Collin manned the swimming area for the little kids. It was a great time! Here are a couple of the men riding seadoos. For several of them, this was the first time in their life they have played on the lake like this! The swimming area Me, at my post on one of the boat docks. Dad, Me, Marcus, and Rick - Marcus is a really cool guy we met. Lunch time - BBQ More lunch time

Looking toward the weekend

It's Friday, and I'm looking forward to our weekend! Tomorrow, we get to help out at "Lake Day" for the PEP class of 2009. These men are being released from Prison this weekend, and have graduated from the Prison Entrepreneurship Program (within the walls) of prison. It's a big weekend in their lives! I'm impressed with the program, and would like to share a little about it. Read this short exerpt about it from the website http://www.prisonentrepreneurship.org/:

Former Wall Street investor Catherine Rohr founded PEP in May of 2004 when she and her husband toured a prison and noticed that executives and inmates had more in common than most would think. They know how to manage others to get things done. Even the most unsophisticated drug dealers inherently understand business concepts such as competition, profitability, risk management and proprietary sales channels. For both executives and inmates, passion is instinctive. Catherine wondered what would happen if inmates who were committed to their own transformation were equipped to start and run legitimate companies. Following an unusual calling, Catherine left behind her New York career and financial stability, moved to Texas with her husband and started a one-of-a-kind “behind bars” business plan competition. Her efforts were geared toward channeling the entrepreneurial passions and influential personalities of the inmates—intentionally recruiting former gang leaders, drug dealers and hustlers. The overwhelming response of 55 inmates and 15 world-class executives to judge the business plans and presentations was the catalyst to launch the Prison Entrepreneurship Program. Since inception, PEP has produced staggering results: PEP RESULTS (AS OF JULY 1, 2008)Sorry, don't have 2009 numbers: Total graduates: 370 Recidivism rate: less than 5% (Measured since the program's inception for all participants who graduate PEP's inside program, regardless of their participation in the free world.) Employment rate: more than 97% of graduates are employed within four weeks of release Average number of days to gain employment: 22 Average starting wage: $10.51 per hour Number of businesses started: 43 Executive volunteers: 1,000+ MBA volunteers: 400+ from 22 MBA programs PEP lifetime cost per head: $13K National average annual cost for incarceration: $21K

I'll be sure and post pictures of the event, and share some thoughts after the weekend. These men will be able to invite their families and children to the Lake Day. I'm excited about hanging out with them and being able to help. If you want to read something really, really cool, click here: http://pep.org/media/updateDetails.aspx?updateID=58 It's part of a journal written by one of the men in the PEP program. Awesome stuff! We don't have any other plans for the weekend, except to work around the house. Lots of weeding to do. I'll spare you of the pictures from that event.

Long Weekend... back to work

Why is it so hard to come back to work after a Holiday weekend? You'd think that if I loved my job, I'd want to come back! Let's assume I DO love my job... I just wanted another day off.

We made our maiden voyage to Frisco's Ikea this weekend, which is a city all unto itself. It was amazingly similar to the one in Germany, where my folks lived. But bigger. Like refrigerators, I suppose American Ikea's are larger than their European counterparts. After weaving through the miles and miles of pathways, we emerged at the end to a 30 minute checkout line! Crazy! There were tons of people there.

Hit feature for me was the 4x4 shopping carts. I actually googled "ikea shopping cart" and found that people either love or hate their carts. They are harder to get used to pushing, due to casters on all four wheels, and you can't do it with one hand... but they turn on a dime! And go sideways! That was my favorite part. I guess I'm easily entertained.

Collin scored his long ago promised new bedroom suit. In an effort to jazz him about the move to Athens, our cost was a modern looking bed and nightstand, shelves and a few knick-knacks for the wall. Fortunately, Ikea is pretty affordably priced.

Wouldn't you know that TODAY in the mail I received a $25 coupon for Ikea??? Arg, just a day too late!

Here is a picture of the Collin and his dad working on the frame.

And... then the gaggle of teenage arms and legs are those of Collin and his brother Taylor wrestling on the newly made up bed.

Tim and Tiffany, and Cade, came to visit us Monday evening. We grilled burgers at the cabin and the guys all went fishing. Except Cade, and he got to stay behind and chug a bottle. Boy, that little guy can down a bottle faster than I've ever seen!

I'm not sure what Cade is thinking in the picture below, because he kind of has that "deer in the headlights" look!

We enjoyed the company of our friends, and it was the perfect ending to a busy weekend.

This Side of 30 Hours

It’s 3pm on Sunday afternoon. I’m tired. But not hungry. Not anymore. And I don’t think I’ll say “I’m Starving…” again without thinking twice. Because there are 26,000 children that are starving… and will die today from hunger, malnutrition, and preventable disease. We’ve just completed a fast-paced, fun-filled, hunger driven “30 Hour Famine” with the kids in our church youth group. Groups all over the nation are participating in this World Vision event to raise money for children in need all over the world. About 20 of our youth helped to create a weekend that will make a difference for these children. Yesterday was filled with “survival challenges” that taught us about the physical, economical and environmental challenges in other countries. We made graffiti signs, slept in cardboard boxes & tents, asked for pledges, and learned about poverty and hunger.

Through pledges and generous donors, our kids raised almost $2,250! World Vision forecasts that this will feed and nourish 75 children for one month. Or, it could feed one hungry child for over 6 years! One very miraculous event occurred when a weary, tattered, and obviously very hungry couple appeared at the doors of our church. It was in the middle of Saturday afternoon, when the kids were really beginning to feel the hunger pains of their fast. This couple arrived in need. They had been walking from Jacksonville, all the way to Mabank (about 65 miles) on their way to Dallas. Our kids welcomed them into the cool of the church where we asked how we could help them. They were hungry and needed to rest for a few minutes. The most beautiful acts of service and love were visible as our youth scrounged around in the kitchen to assemble a meal for our guests. As their own stomachs were growling and they were feeling the pains of hunger, they graciously prepared a feast for those more hungry. They carefully spread the mayonnaise on the bread. Added cheese, ham or turkey. Wrap in foil. Bag up some chips. Found some Little Debbie snacks for dessert. A group of the kids walked the meal down to the coffee area where our guests were resting. They set napkins before them and offered the food, in a humble gesture of acceptance, love, and even understanding. “God Bless You,” they told the couple. Then, not wanting to strip them of their dignity, we left them to eat and rest a bit. Sure, there were a million questions we wanted to ask, but didn’t. Sometimes, you just need to provide for a need without knowing all of the details. About an hour after our guests arrived, they were on their way again...continuing on foot 60 more miles to Dallas. They didn’t accept the backpacks we offered that would have been loaded with food and supplies. “Keeping it light,” the road-weary man told us. They turned the corner and walked out of sight. I’m not entirely convinced our guests weren’t angels. Sent to allow a youth group in Mabank Texas the opportunity to minister. To be the hands and feet of Jesus even as they stretched their own limits of comfort, food and shelter. Angels or not, there is no doubt our friends provided a God-Sighting, as Allison – the youth minister – calls it. God-Sightings are all around us, if we will only look. People, places and incidents that call us to be the hands and feet of Christ. It’s not just in Africa or Mexico or South America where children are starving. It happens right here, in Mabank Texas. It happens on the long weary road to Dallas. It happens in the grocery store, the nursing home, the mall. And it happens when the teacher prays for their student that is safer in class than he is at home. I was so proud of our Youth Group this morning as they shared their hearts with the congregation in both services. It was inspiring and worshipful. In a world full of despair – riddled with job loss, homelessness and hunger – our younger generation shared HOPE with us. We set out this weekend to fight hunger with hunger. But what we got was so much more.

Staying Afloat

Rick and I took a long weekend vacation just down the road at a little cabin. We called it our "steakation" for obvious culinary reasons. And, thanks to Uncle Lee, we were supplied heartily for the occasion. What started out being just Friday night quickly expanded into Saturday and Sunday nights... It was just THAT GOOD. My goal was to "get bored." I wanted to NOT think about work or the many things that I've been fretting about. Sunday afternoon, I achieved the goal. We sat outside on the patio practically all day. It was so relaxing and wonderful. Here's a glimpse of our little haven. And yes, that's Roxie hanging out on the patio table with us.

• Morning coffee - on the front deck
• Catch up on the newspapers - on the front deck
• Read a few chapters in a new book - on the front deck
• Take a walk down by the lake
• Beat Rick in a game of checkers - on the front deck
• Eat leftover steak from the night before - on the front deck
• Lose to Rick in a game of Hold 'Em - on the front deck
• Read more - on the front deck
• Take another walk and settle down in a swing by the lake
• Read more - on the front deck
• Grill more steak and dine by candlelight - on the front deck
• Settle in to watch a movie
• Sleep. It just doesn't get any better than that!

If you look closely in the picture below, you can see a little squirrel head in the hole. I'm a country girl.. but this was so exciting to me. Guess I really did get bored! I haven't forgotten about my last day in Guatemala to post. It was the "fun day" of visiting Tikal and zip-lining through the jungle. Keep watching for it. Soon...

Results from the day

Saturday is winding down. It's 6pm... or should I go ahead a spring forward? Sure, why not - it's 7pm now. Dinner is in the oven and Rick is napping through an infomercial. Here is a pictorial recap of our afternoon: 1. Weeds. I pulled alot of weeds. And you still can't tell the difference in the yard. 2. Rick mowed. And jammed to his music.

3. Collin finished his dagger. It's pretty cool. And all that with just one arm, too!

That's it. We're going to watch "Ghost" tonight over dinner. I haven't seen that movie in years, and Rick's never watched it.

Saturday morning

I stumbled upon this in the garage this morning.

It's a work in progress, from the master-mind of Collin (aka the Collinator). He hates that name, but I think it's fitting.

I'll post the finished picture later, so you can see what he's been creating. It's impressive.

My household awoke earlier than usual on a Saturday morning. That's well enough, as it's a beautiful and warm day outside.

Rick's about to tackle the yard while I work on controling the weed population. Collin, with his broken collarbone, gets to enjoy the sofa for a while...

The week has been busy - and I wanted to write all week, but just haven't had the time. And now that I do, I'm not sure what to write about.

SO: here's an off-the-cuff rendition of what's going through my head. Boredom alert: You may want to cease reading at this point!

1. I need to go grocery shopping. But don't really want to.

2. The doggie stinks. Bath-time? Nah... don't really want to.

3. I feel like exercising. Maybe I can combine it with weed-pulling.

4. Can't wait for vacation. I'm so proud of Rick and the President's Club award. Napa Valley, here we come!

5. Need a new book to read. I like to read several at once, depending on my mood. Right now, I would like to find a good mystery to read.

6. May get together with Craig & Carolyn today. Need to get plans firmed up.

Ok - I'm rambling, so out the door I go to pull some weeds.

A Day of Disasters

Yesterday started out early (for us, at least.) We traded in our Saturday Morning Routine yesterday for a day of Red Cross Shelter training. And what I expected to be rather dry and boring, turned out to be really interesting and challenging. Our church acts as a Red Cross Shelter for disasters, and Rick and I worked pretty closely with the Hurricane Ike and Rita disasters. We really enjoyed serving in this capacity. So when this training popped up, it was a no-brainer that we attend. I guess I've never really paid attention to some things, but what I learned (apart from the nuts and bolts of Sheltering) was interesting. For instance, the American Red Cross is not affiliated with the government. Now, I KNEW they were supported by donations, but I never really thought of it in detail. One of their founding key principals is "neutrality." This means that they do not align with any political, religious, racial, ethnic, etc party. You will never see the American Flag on a Red Cross vehicle. Hmmmm. I feel silly admitting that, but I always lumped "America" and the "American Red Cross" together. Ok, now that I've brazenly displayed my inadequate intelligence... let's move on to other things. Next stop... the Emergency Room. Our training was interrupted by a phone call about Collin. He was riding his bicycle and doing what most boys do. Say it with me: "DA DA DA DUNNNNNN. Enter.... the ramp. Yes, a ramp. Normal enough for a kid of 15, right? Right. The result: a broken collarbone. He was quite brave - and believe me, this kid has a high pain tolerance. Maybe because we are no stranger to the ER. (As evidenced by the staff recognizing Collin and and saying "What happened this time?") He even attempted to refuse the vicodin. But once that nifty "figure 8" brace was cinched into position pulling his shoulder blades back, I think he would have taken an IV of the stuff. Next week he'll see his orthopedist. Yep, he already has an orthopedist! That would be from the incident last year. The really sad part is that Collin had just started the Power Lifting season. He was finding his niche, and REALLY enjoying it. This takes him out of that for the season. I know he is quite bummed, and so are we. Tomorrow my new hire starts work. Rick and I have survived a month of handling the office alone, every day. Just a few bumps and bruises, semi-permanent scaring, etc. Yep, tomorrow will be a GOOD DAY.

TGIF

I have nothing to write about, except that I am really, really looking forward to a weekend.

Our Valentine's Date has been rescheduled multiple times, and is set to finally happen Saturday night. (Fingers crossed.) I have serious concerns for Rick's sanity, as well as mine, if something else comes up that forces us to reschedule again.

We've been a bit stressed lately, and are looking forward to a night together, out on the town!Mum's the word on what he has planned... I'll just have to wait and see.

Below is a picture of Rick helping to dig Sunday's grave. Isn't he cute?

Other plans this weekend are:

Friday night - Youth leader gathering

Saturday - Home and Garden Show maybe, then Rick will help to install an antenna for a friend

Saturday night - DATE!

Sunday - Church first, then a funeral that we both are working. We are planning on spending Sunday night at the house in Athens.

End of the Weekend

I'm anxious to continue my daily report on the Guatemala trip... Next up is our day in Antigua - it was the day following the fabulous Carnival at Xela.

Perhaps I can write it later tonight. But for now, let me just quickly update our weekend.

Tiffany and Tim's babyshower was Saturday. They had lots of family in, and we had a blast playing those silly babyshower games... The guys were relegated to the garage putting together her glider rocker.

Rick and I then cleaned our house and left it in good order for Tim's parents to stay in overnight. I even left mints on the pillows for them! We high-tailed it to Athens to stay in the farmhouse for the night.

We dined with my folks at Arby's (about as nice as it gets in Athens!) Followed that with a movie from the RedBox vending machine at WalMart... yes, I know. I'm a cheap date.

We managed to get in a few hours work at the office today before heading back over to the Lake this afternoon. Taylor called from our garage reporting that his window would not roll up. So he and Rick are working on it this afternoon in the garage. Turns out the car is going to have to stay with us this week to get fixed at the Dealership. Thankfully, his Grandpa came through for Taylor and is providing a vehicle for him to get back up to UNT Denton tonight. We'll handle getting his car fixed this week for him, and when he comes home Friday, all should be well. Here's a picture of Taylor trying to figure out the window.

I'm finally feeling better - after 27 days of sickness, it's about time. I really miss my life, and it feels like I've been in a fog for SO long.

Rick's grilling steaks tonight, and we hope to have a quiet evening.

Another update coming soon...

I am half-way through writing my part 2 update to the Carnival Day. It's taking some time... I have so much to share about that day. So hang on, it's coming soon. Here's a teaser for you. In the picture below you can see the putt-putt game. At the back is a tee-pee with face painting and to the left of that is the pie throw. If you click on it, the picture will expand and you can see everything more clearly. Rick and I slept in this Saturday morning and are enjoying our Saturday morning coffee ritual. Last Saturday we were both so ill, the coffee had no taste. But we're back... and life is good! The weather outside is beautiful! The cold snap left us, and it almost feels like Spring out there! We are fixing to (some good ole fashioned Texas-speak) head out and walk around the grounds at Canton's First Monday. I'll finish the Carnival Day update later on...

Necessity is the mother of what?

Brrrrr.

Yesterday it was SO cold... when we got home from church, Rick suggested building a fire.

We called down to the store on the corner to see how much a bundle of firewood would cost us. $20.00 for a "stack." Now, I'm not sure how big a "stack" is, but for $20.00 it had better be pretty big!

However, being the budget-conscious people that we are, we decided that there has got to be a more cost effective way to have a fire.

Enter: the golfcourse.

There is a place down from our house where the felled trees and vines are stacked, then burned. So we bundled up, loaded up the golf cart, and cruised down the path with our saw.

Here I am loading up the cart, proving that I can help too.

Presto! Enough wood to keep us warm for the rest of the day. We were proud of our resourcefulness... if only the story ended that tidy with a cup of hot chocolate and a romantic fire blazing. But it didn't. For reasons I can't explain, the smoke kept pouring into our living room. And YES, the damper was open. Upon further investigation, smoke was also coming out of the chimney. But everytime there was a gust of wind, smoke would billow out into the room. It was bad. We decided that we needed to get the burning wood OUT of the fireplace. So we rolled up the rug and Rick used the tongs to carry each smoldering piece out of the house, one by one. We ended up putting them inside the grill and closing the lid. That seemed to be the safest place to let them burn out. It was rather comical, once we got over the initial frustration. I wish I had a photo of the grill smoking. Next time we grill out, our steaks will have a unique "campfire" aroma.

Weekend roundup

Well - a busy weekend it was! Friday night we took the Chicken Pot Pie over to the neighbor's house. (a follow-up from Friday's blog.) We were both feeling rather guilty and saddened that 2 weeks had gone by before we knew of Wanda's passing. But God took our shortcomings and worked them for the best. While visiting with Glenda and the kids, she shared with us that the day had been one the rougher ones she'd experienced since her mom's death. During the days immediately following Wanda's passing, there were plenty of people coming by, bringing food, wanting to share memories, etc. But now that things are settling back to normal with her schedule, it seems that life has resumed for everyone else as well. That's when grief can hit the hardest. She told us that she believed it was God's perfect plan that sent us over to her that very night. Wow - talk about feeling redeemed! In our fast-paced life, we missed Wanda's final healing. But God worked that out and allowed us to share a moment with Glenda when she needed it the most. Is that not cool? Ok, so that was Friday night. On to Saturday. Christmas lights went up on the house, but I already shared the picture of Collin doing the "grasshopper" yoga pose on the roof. Thank God he didn't fall! Saturday night we drove to Craig and Carolyn's. A fun evening with Mexican Train, mom's Chicken Spaghetti, and hanging curtains. Check out this video below. Rick and Craig both thought I was holding up the camera for a still-shot photo. However, I had the video rolling instead. It's hysterical! (Mom, you have to click on the "play" arrow to make it play.) One of the highlighs that evening (besides the laughing) was getting to hear about Craig's work through Crosstrainers. In particular, his ministry to men in prison, and those recently released. I'm so proud of him, and inspired by his passion for standing by these men and investing in their lives. Sunday afternoon... I accompanied the youth group on a roller-skating adventure in Tyler. In the picture below I am trying to stand up. The picture isn't the best, but it does prove that I was upright for some of the time. Tonight we're staying in Athens at the Farm House. I'm sure there will be some sort of adventure to report on later...

It's Christmas Light Time

It's time for Christmas Lights at the Brown House. Actually, it's about a week later than we usually put them up, but the weather has been too uncooperative until today. It's beautiful outside!

I was summoned outside earlier to take a photo of the action, but what I found was Collin doing a yoga pose over the front door! (see picture below) I was mortified at the danger, but then I chuckled. Figured I might as well take a picture before I yell at him to stop! Tonight we're heading to Carolyn and Craig's apartment in Downtown Dallas. A friendly match of Mexican Train has been suggested. Also, the Dallas Mavs play tonight on cable, and since we don't have cable at home... Craig's place will be perfect. It's within walking distance of the AAC - a shame we aren't going to the game in person.

Our dear mother has agreed to provide the chicken spaghetti for dinner tonight - even though the parentals are not actually attending the party. See our pseudo-invitation to her below:

Dearest Mother... It would be our pleasure to request the presence of your "love" to dine with your descendents on the evening of the 6th, and in the 12th month of the year of our Lord 2008. Your love may be manifested in the most superlative of ways... namely, grub. We offer you the choice of expressions, reminding thee of such necessary transportation in the delivery. The favour of your reply is requested.

Sweet of her to send dinner, don't you think?

Thanksgiving Weekend

We've been busy this weekend, and it's been so nice having a couple of days off work! I've got several pictures to post, so get ready.

Brief recap:

Wednesday night we went over to Ronnie & Patsy's to peel 42 boiled eggs and carve 3 Greenberg turkeys. And the night wouldn't have been complete without the oven fire we battled...

4 Turkeys?

Thursday was TurkeyDay back at Ronnie & Patsy's. There were about 30 or so family that came. Patsy chased Rick with the sweet potatoes, and caught up with him in his truck... as you can see below. And I think he's still making a face in the next picture at the dinner table.... We had lots of fun.

And here's Uncle Vernon explaining something... about deer. Not really sure,

but isn't he cute?

Ok, on to Friday! Rick and I braved Walmart and Lowe's mid-morning. We missed most of the crowd, but not all. Kind of crazy to get out. The best deal I got was on a paper-shredder I needed for the office. Sorry, no picture here for that.

Friday night was the Bush - Bess family Thanksgiving. We all gathered at Lee & Susan's. Mom has all of those pictures, so I can't post those... We missed Craig & Carolyn (who were in Waco.) But the rest of us enjoyed the company and shared about recent mission trips we had been on. I couldn't help but think Granddad and Granny were smiling down on their grandkids. I sure do miss them.

Saturday Rick and I started the morning off with helping to "hang the greens" at church. Here is Rick up on the ladder putting the top on the tree.

We then raced off to Tyler to meet up with mom and dad. They treated us to a movie "Australia," which I would highly recommend. It's LONG... topping out at over 2.5 hours. And in true epic form, it really could have ended at about 5 different places along the plot line. But it really was very good and well written. We enjoyed it.

Dinner at Sam's Club finished out our evening. LOVE strolling the aisles and sampling the fare. I'm a cheap date, what can I say?

Tomorrow we have plans to head to First Monday - Canton - after church. Oh... and in church tomorrow the first of our Honduras video's will play. It's just a 3 minute teaser... created to challenge our congregation to have a slim Christmas, and give to Jesus' birthday instead of each other. I'm hoping to get a copy of the video to post up on my blog. I have about a 5 second spot in it.

The real video will play on Christmas Eve. That version will have Taylor and Rick, and the rest of the team. I can't wait to see it!

I guess that's enough for now... I'll try and get some pictures of the Bush - Bess Family Thanksgiving in the next few days.