June 30th

Another month bites the dust.  I cannot believe that this year is half over.  It seems like only yesterday it started....and now I am looking at starting school again.  Griefus...time really does fly when you get older. Frank sat home Monday and Tuesday while Mary and I were exploring in Florida....so today he wanted to go to LaGrange and check it out.  He originally wanted to go to Newnan...but I am truly tired of riding in a car.  So off to LaGrange we went.  We checked out their big mall....big is a relative term I have decided.  It was smaller than Auburn's mall...and I thought it was tiny.  We drove around town, I showed him LaGrange College.  There was a time in my life I actually wanted be a student there....didn't happen....but I am learning as I get older that things happen for a reason...and God knows the reason....it is not for me to know always.  We ate supper at Ryan's, which I might add is one of my least favorite places to eat.  I thought this place had gone out of business....curse you Ryans.  I HATE buffet places.  I hate food that is left out, I hate serving myself, I hate that people sneeze and cough near the food.  Buffets are gross to me...but Frank...he LOVES them.  I always eat more than I need.  I am a portion control kind of girl.  I want the waiter/waitress to bring me the dish I order...and I then have the choice of eating it all...or asking for a doggie bag.  We DID find one cool thing in LaGrange....a candy store...right on the square downtown. They have old fashioned kinds of candies....the kind you can't get at your local pack-a-sack.  We purchased a few goodies for later and headed home.  The entire trip was 2 hours and 20 minutes.  Next outing is Newnan for sure.  We did try a back road coming home and shaved a bit of time off our trip.  It was fun checking out the local scenery.  Happy Wednesday to all.

Things That Matter, Things That Don't

My friend Mary and I went to Panama City Monday morning to look for oil for a school project she is working on.  Earlier she burned me a CD she got when she went on her Emmaus Walk.  I put it in the minute I pulled out of my driveway in Rock Mills and made it all the way to track number 9 before I got to her house.  I told her I loved the CD as we stowed my backpack in her car.  When we left her driveway we started the CD over again.  I loved songs number 1 - 9....when we got to track number 13 I thought my heart was being ripped from my chest.  I had never heard the song that was playing and finally just looked out the window at the landscape on Hwy 231 between Montgomery, AL and Red Level.  I heard a sniffle and cut a glance over at my friend...and tears were rolling down her face as well.  This song is not about me....but I have lived this song in several versions.  The first verse tells of a father who works hard and is underappreciated...and realizes when he gets home and hears his child say, "Daddy's Home" what is important in life.  I learned that lesson a long time ago....30 years ago to be exact.  When I had Kat.  I learned that she was the most important thing to me...and no matter what life or work dealt me....she loved me....sometimes in spite of myself.  The second verse talks about a girl who carried a grudge against a dad who had walked out on her 30 years ago.  My dad NEVER walked out on me....but when my brother died...my mom left us (mentally) when she pulled inside herself to deal with the death of a child.  I did not understand it then....and I am not sure I understand it now....but I do know losing Kat would certainly break my heart....the difference here is that I know Kat is a Christian...and so am I....so we have someone else in our corner and we are not bearing something like this alone.  Kat's father (the ex) has had a couple of strokes and his health is terrible.  Kat loves him in spite of all the times he has shunned her.  She will have no regrets ever....there will never be any should of, could of, or would of's in her vocabulary.  The last verse deals with me...there are times when I think I can do things on my own....but I usually learn quickly...I can't.  I have to have somebody much bigger than me....carrying me.  It has been a tough lesson for me....but throughout my 56 years of life....I have learned....there are things that matter....and things that don't. 
So I thought I would share this Rascal Flats song with you today.  Tomorrow....is another day and I will post about the beach trip....and just for your information...it was strictly business....we never even put a suit on.  Happy Tuesday to all!

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Oh I Wish It Would Rain in Rock Mills

My blogging buddy Mary in Knoxville did a post wishing it would rain and I have to follow suite.  It has rained all around Rock Mills....but not in it.  Friday when we went to Kat's birthday party in Montgomery we were in a monsoon...in Montgomery, Alexander City, and even Newsite(25 miles from Rock Mills)...but when we got home...nothing.  Sunday it rained on us again in New Site and Alex City...when we went to check on my mom.....but...when we got home...very little...more like a dripping faucet.  We need rain...I need rain....I am living next door to a hay field...and I need some relief here!  I wish it would just rain steady....all day long.  BTW....Randy, my cousin's husband came home from the Emory Hospital today....he will have to go back for blood work on Thursday....and then back to start round two on Saturday or Monday....but the kids are coming home for the weekend...with those precious grandbabies...and Randy is resting in his recliner.....a little thinner on top from the chemo...but home...and enjoying the tree house.

Do You Know What a Pounding Is?

Well, I learned something new at church today.  When we got to church this morning I noticed food items in some boxes in the foyer.  I thought to myself, "how nice, they have a food pantry."  After church I learned that those items were for us.  The church had a "pounding" for us today.  I had never heard of this custom, thought it might be a Rock Mills things, came home and researched it and found out that it actually dates back to the Quakers.  How cool is that?  So I just had to share this something new I have learned. I had no idea what it meant, “A Pounding?”  My mind immediately went to fist fighting. I was not sure if it is a mountain culture thing or a southern thing or old church thing? But I learned it is definitely a HOSPITALITY thing and a wonderful one that at.   In all the research I did on the subject I discovered that they are quite popular for newlyweds and as bridal type showers.  I remembered back to my young married days and we were broke as haints.  On my first grocery trip I spent a grand total of 50.00 for a family of four for a week.  I was shocked at spending that amount of money.  Ronnies mom took me grocery shopping the next week and bought us meat.  SHE spent 100.00 on JUST MEAT!  We could have used a good old fashioned pounding back then...that is for sure.  Anyways, I thought you would be interested in this (if you did not already know, I didn't). I even found directions on how to give an Old Fashioned Pounding as a party.
1. Giving a pounding is an old-fashioned way to help someone by stocking their pantry with non-perishables foods or cleaning supplies. Usually a pounding is given to a bride and groom or family who just built a new home. The pounding can be mentioned on the invitation for the bridal shower or housewarming party.  Or, in a small community...just a few phone calls/emails will do it.
2. Mention the pounding on the invitations to the bridal shower or housewarming party. It could read, “We are going to bless Karen and Brother Frank with an old fashioned pounding. In addition to your shower/housewarming gift, please bring a non-perishable food item or cleaning supply from your own home. Contact hostess if you have any questions.” List any food/cleanser allergies here.  We did not get gifts of stuff...but we got a trunk load of food.  In the bags there were fresh corn, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, as well as staple goods.  It was so exciting.
3. Prepare to have people ask you what a pounding is. In addition to describing what a pounding is, remind them that they don’t need to buy anything else, but just to give something they have extra. For instance, if they have 3 cans of green beans, they can give 1 can.  The original Quaker term came from....giving a pound...a pound of corn, a pound of meal, oats, etc.  Kind of catchy term....and real original don't you think? Now if you are really having a party...for say a new bride...you might do some major decorating.  This stuff was just waiting on us in the foyer.  Rock Mills UMC has been so kind to us.  This was AWESOME!
4. When setting up for the party, decorate grocery bags or boxes with leftover party decorations. Set the bags or boxes in a place that is convenient for the guests. Under the gift table is generally not a good idea, as the grocery bags or boxes can get in the way.
5. After the guest of honor has opened the other gifts, announce that they are being blessed with one more gift. Point out the groceries and explain that they are being pounded.
In the movie "Cross Creek," based on the life of writer Margery Rawlings ("The Yearling"), there was a reference to a "pound party." The guests each brought a pound of some food item. (I do recall this! I believe she brought a pound cake)  The origin of the term "food pounding" usually describes when a pastor is given food from the congregation.  When I did my research I found it under "pounding." It's like a gift "shower" or party. Also called "pound party." It is very common in eastern Alabama and western Georgia...and guess where Rock Mills is?  You've got it....it is 5 miles from the Georgia line...about as east as you can get. "The custom of sending to the minister's home groceries, preserves, etc., each participant being suppose to give a pound."  I like this custom.  We have now been here about a week and a half and the community has been so kind and loving.  I think I am going to like it here.  BTW...I sang in the choir today.  It was fun and has been a long time since I sang from a choir loft.  I loved every moment of it!

Pie Daddy

My nephew, David and his wife Susanna have a precious son.  His name is Wheeler and he is adorable.  He reminds me so much of his dad when he was little.  They live in Louisville, KY and we don't get to see them very often....so Susanna uploads videos on You Tube and we all watch them and experience Wheeler growing up.  On June 23rd she posted this video of Wheeler and David enjoying  a bowl of Cherry (red) pie.  It is absolutely a scream so I thought I would share it with you all today.  Enjoy "Pie Daddy" and thanks Susanna for making my day.  Love you guys a bunch!  Can't wait to see you on the 4th.

The Sasserlite

The picture to the left is my very first car.  It was a 1969 Plymouth Satellite 383.  That car could fly.  It had Crager mags with knock-off spinners.  I thought I was the stuff.  My dad and I went to get me a car around my 18th birthday.  We were going after something sensible.  Sensible?  What 18 year old is sensible?  I WANTED a Kelly green Oldsmobile 442 convertible with white interior.  The local Olds place had one...My dad and I were on our way there when we passed this car on Dixie Hwy(US1).  He wheeled into the parking lot of the used car place and about 30 minutes later...I drove out with one of the finest pieces of metal Detroit ever made.  My mother was shocked when I drove up in this red fireball.  Remember, I grew up in the era of muscle cars and street racing...and believe me I did a bit of that.  In the first three months I owned the car I actually had to get a new set of tires from burning rubber at a red light.  It had so much power.  My friend Carol, dated Jeff...and Jeff had a red Camaro...it was hot too.  I have some wonderful memories of growing up in South Florida...and that car.  I had it a little bit over a year(age 19)....I was rear-ended while waiting for a traffic cop to go by so I could turn into my sub-division.  A Volkswagon Beetle hit me from behind.  It hit me so hard that it knocked the gas tank completely off the car and moved me 168 feet from where I was initially sitting.  The girl driving the VW went through the windshield and ended up on the back of my car.  There were some construction workers nearby and they had to bust the glass on my window to get me out of my car.  I was wearing my seatbelt(remember...they were lapbelts back in the day)...but it kept me in the car.  I hit my face on the steering wheel, had two black eyes, a broken nose, and a fat lip, pulled mastoid muscle...but I was alive.  The girl who hit me lived too....and had over 100 stitches on her face.  My beautiful Sasserlite was totaled.  I was distraught.  Sigh!  Do you have a favorite old car story?  I actually have several I can tell you...but I will save them for another day.

Thursdays Travels

This morning Frank and I got up and I cooked my first official breakfast in the new house.  I scrambled some eggs, nuked some of the Clark Brothers bacon, cooked some canned bisquits, and fried up some of the Clark Brothers sausage.  This was a truckers breakfast.  After we ate and I tidied up the kitchen we left for Atlanta.  I have not been to see Randy since they moved him to Emory Hospital and today was the day.  The drive up was fun.  We took Hwy 34 through Franklin, GA (where I spent my first honeymoon), through Newnan, Ga (one of my favorite places)....in fact if you are ever there...you need to get off I-85 at the Hwy 34 exit and go eat at the Dwarf House Chickp-fil-A.  It is the cutest place.  In Newnan we got on I-85 and headed north.  The ride was uneventful...even for Atlanta traffic.  We got off on exit 248-C and the Keystone Cops adventure began.  We went to the right....like the Mapquest map said....and then...we got to the Carter Center...made three wrong turns...saw the Carter Center three different times....and finally got on the road we were supposed to be on.  Hwy 42 EAST.  I thought we would never get where we were going...and even once we did...I was not sure we would ever get inside.  It is a huge complex...with a Children's Hospital attached.....and several campuses.  Randy is in the Cancer part.  We parked in the first self-parking lot we found...and realized...it was pretty much competetive parking....so we circled like vultures for what seemed to be eons before finding a space.  Only to find out...we were three campuses away from where we needed to be.  Several elevator rides and alot of walking later...we found ourselves in the Main Lobby of the right campus.  Now we had to find the E elevator....but...once we got on....we both realized we had no clue what floor to get off on.  Quick phone call to Amanda and we hit 6.  She met us at the door and let us in.  Randy looked wonderful.  Today was a good day and he was in rare form.  It made me feel good to see him so chipper.  We took him some Chocolate Chip Cookies.  I called Kat when I got there and Amanda and I sang Happy Birthday to her...since Still Magnolias won't be performing at her birthday party....we gave her the next best thing.  Randy's aunt Norma and her son were there when we got there....then a friend of his from high school came in with her husband....then Randy's sister came...she was having her donor check done today at 1:30.  The room was getting a bit crowded....so we hugged everyone and left.  Norma's son gave us some quick directions to I-85 and they were great...and we headed south.....with one stop in mind.  Frank always fusses that I talk about restaurants that he needs to eat at...but never take him.....today was a take Frank day.  We ate lunch at the Varsity.  We both had a number 1 special (chili dog with either fries or onion rings).  I had fries, Frank got onion rings and we split them.  The place was crowded as usual.  It seats 800 inside...and serves 400 in the drive through. It is the World's largest drive-in.  Frank loved it....so we can cross The Varsity off the list.  I still owe him The Whistlestop Cafe in Irondale.  After lunch we got back on the interstate and headed for Rock Mills.  This time in Newnan we took the 34 by-pass....WRONG MOVE.  They are four laning the road...and traffic was a nightmare.  Oh well...next time we will know better.  We got back home at 1:30 and spent the rest of the day napping and unpacking boxes.  I counted them today...20 more to go for real...and still can't find the can-opener.  I have been opening cans with a bottle opener.  We cooked supper ( I did the sides/Frank grilled hamburger steaks)....we ate...I cleaned up...and here I am.  I thought I would blog and check my emails tonight....tomorrow is Kat's party...so I am going to work at the house til we get ready to leave.  Happy Thursday.

Happy 30th Birthday to My Sweetest Little Rosebud

Wow...it does not seem like 30 years since Kat was born...but yep...here it is.  She is officially 30 today and I am feeling a bit old.  Kat was not due until July 23rd....but due to pre-eclampsia and toxemia...labor had to be induced at 6 AM on June 23rd.  I had been having light labor pains for a couple of days...had been in the hospital since Friday....and then...there she was.  She was the cutest thing I have ever seen.  She had the prettiest little munchkin face...and the very first thing she did when they handed her to me...was take my finger...and when she did...she took my heart and has held on to it ever since.  Kat was my salvation.  This child made me the person I am today.  I always wanted to be the best for her.  I came up short a lot of times...but no matter what....I knew she loved me.  I have told you tales of Kat several times in my blogging career....I wish you could meet her.  You would love her.  Everyone does...she is something else.  I don't know how she became so wonderful...because I certainly have my faults...but I would love to think that she takes after me....to an extent...and then she way surpasses me.  I don't know if she will ever know how proud I am of her.  If I ever did anything right in this lifetime...she is it.  My mom kept Kat when I went back to school...two days a week. 

My mom taught her responsibilities, how to cook, how to sew, ...my mom loves her unconditionally.  When Kat was two...mom and Kat went to James Longs Depot (the local Kellyton pack a sack)....this was back before car seats were required....so Kat was standing up beside my mom in the seat of her 1972 Chevy Impala.  When they pulled up at the store...the train had stopped behind the store and the engineer and some of the guys had gotten off to run into the store for a snack.  Kat moved over to the window of the car...and leaned out...and said to one of the men, "Pardon me boys, is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo?"  She was an instant hit.  The railroad guys looked forward to seeing her every week.  When Kat was a baby....I used to sing her to sleep everynight....she was not much for the Lullaby and Goodnight thing...nope...she usually dozed off to Chattanooga Choo Choo, Sweetest Little Rosebud, Rock a by your baby...with a Dixie Melody, and her all time favorite...Sentimental Journey.  She grew up listening to my music....and has a large repertoire of music today.  She knows it all.  When she was almost 3 I thought I would give my mom a break from keeping her....

so I enrolled my oldest two in Kids College at AUM and Kat in the Child Development Program...she lasted just shy of three days.  One the third day when I went to get her....Mrs. Jeannette asked me why I did not tell her it was Kat's last day.  I was confused...and she pressed on by telling me that Kat had come in that morning, told them it was her last day, she could spell her name - "XYZ" and her granny needed her.  I called my mom...and Kat was through with AUM....funny continuance to that...years later...when she got her BS from AUM....she worked at the Child Development Center....for Mrs. Jeannette...and Jeannette remembered her.  LOL...now 10 years later...she has a Masters....and Education Specialist....from....AUM.  It makes me smile.  She is so brilliant.  I am not bragging because she is mine...I would tell you this is she belonged to anyone. She is one of my favorite traveling buddies.  I would go anywhere with her....except maybe skydiving.  To sum up my ramblings...Thirty years ago...I did something right....it must have been a blue moon.  I received one of the greatest blessings ever bestowed on a person.  I became a mother....but more than that....I became Kat's mother....and that....that has made all the difference.  She is that one shining moment.  She is my biggest fan....and I am hers.  She is what makes me a star.  Happy Birthday Munchkin.  Here is to many many more.  I love you!  "Sweetest little rosebud, everybody knows, don't know what to call you...mighty like a rose.  Sweetest little baby, sweet as she can be...she's my little honey...and her name is Kathryn Leigh."

Week One in Rock Mills

Today is Tuesday and I am supposed to get a teenager...who is going to come and help me organize...if nothing better comes along.  I worked in the office today....had a major spill...tripped over a cable cord...hurt my pride more than anything else.  I laid on the floor for a few minutes...and since Frank was up at his office getting it in order....cried like a baby.  I thought it would make me feel good...but it just made me have a sinus headache....sigh!  Teenager obviously found something better than helping a middle aged preachers wife unpack boxes...but I got a lot done.  There are 5 liquor boxes left in the office...and three of those go in the cedar chest...there are 10 boxes in the living room, 2 in the den, and 2 in the guest bedroom...and I am done.  We went to Clark Brothers Meat today...and bought a small family package of meat...came home and divided it up into Frank and Karen sized packages.  It was fun...we are having pork chops for supper...with some fresh squash our neighbor, Mrs. Gloria, brought us.  We have eaten chicken...in some form or fashion....5 times in the 7 days we have been here....NO MORE CHICKEN!  I do not feel like chicken tonight at all!....NEWS FLASH....no porkchops or squash tonight...we got a call from East Alabama Hospital and had to go to Opelika...our first official member in the hospital visit.  We ended up eating at Red Lobster.  I came home and tried to finish up a Google Doc class project I am working on for CEU's.  I ended up crying out of frustration and going to bed.  Tomorrow is another day Mrs. Scarlett.

Just Another Manic Monday

Monday morning we got up and hit the ground running.  The landlord of the house in Alexander City was meeting us at the house at 10 AM to get the keys and tell us if we were good tenants.  Since we are now an hour away from Alex City we left the house by a bit after 6 so we could meet my sweet friend Mary at the house by a bit after 7.  She works the third shift at the hospital right now filling in for a friend.  Anywho...she was going to come...straight from work...without any sleep....and help us clean the house.  We beat her there because she went home and got out of her uniform.  I did a quick and thorough wipe down of the window sills.  I hate dusty window sills.  While I was doing that, Frank was loading up my plants and the few things left in the shed.  He was also nice and picked up the trash around the yard.  Mary's husband Bill cut the grass for us on Saturday...he is such a love.  WE sold our lawn mowers before we could cut the grass again.  Once Mary got there we all began a specific chore.  My job was to get rid of the food from the fridge that we did not take.  Mary was mopping, Frank was sweeping.  As we all know...men are not the best at sweeping...and Frank is no exception.  Mary ran the dust mop after he had finished...just to make sure.  Then we mopped.  The kitchen was the only floor with vinyl that could be straight mopped.  The other floors in the house were hardwood...OLD hardwood.....ABUSED hardwood.  I did not want to buy a bunch of new cleaning supplies...so we used up my hardwood floor cleaner on the first 4 rooms and the hallway.  Then....we mixed up some Murphy's Oil Soap...also great on hardwood floors and cleaned 1.5 more floors.  The last floor...it was done with Fabuloso...lavender scent.  The house looked fabulous.  Frank went and turned in the cable modems and stuff...Mary and I visited.  Mr. Landlord showed up at 10 on the dot.  Did a walk through...told us we were great tenants...took the keys and we were through.  After the marathon cleaning, we visited my mom, and then headed back to Rock Mills...to unpack some more.  Sigh....I think the boxes are like rabbits...and multiplying. 

The House That Built Me

Yesterday, my friend Leigh over at Tales of Bloggeritaville posted a very touching piece about the "House That Built Me."  I was too tired yesterday to deal with it but thought since today was Father's Day I would address it today.  Today is a hard day for me....this is my first Father's Day without my father and I woke up feeling weepy. My dad was an apprentice in the union program when I was a child so we were poor.  My first house was a basement apartment owned by Ethel Morton.  I adored her.  Later, when my dad finished the program we moved into the house next door to the basement apartment.  I was the only child on the block and our house was directly across the street from Palm Beach High School's front yard.  What a big yard it was.  In the evenings my parents would take me across the street to run and rip in the Big Yard.  We would place chase, throw the ball, race....and yes I said We....they played with me.  That is a lot different from the way it is today with many families.  Life was good in the house on Georgia Avenue.  Dougie, my brother, and I were both born while we lived on that street.  When I was five we moved to the house I lived in until I moved away.  We moved to Vedado Park and to 1127 El Prado.  It is amazing that I even remember the number.  The first day I lived there I met the first of my amazing childhood friends.  I met Carol Geiger.  She was 5 too and we became inseperable.  Carol lived in the house directly behind mine.  What made it nice is that her parents Valerie and Harland also became my parents best friends and her sister Cathy"Hun" became my brother's best friend.  Our families had bbq's, went to the beach, hung out together and shared in each others lives.  That same year I met my other dear friend, Susan Johnson.  She lived just around the corner on Locust St.  Carol, Susan and I all started Vedado Park Kindergarten that year.  We started school back in the day when kindergarten was not required.  I love neighborhood schools and when we were six we started Belvedere Elementary.  We were the Belvedere Bee's.  When I was 9 and my brother was 5, Dougie died at the house.  He accidentally hung while swinging on a rope swing in the ficus tree in our backyard.  My fractured family dealt with the loss and pain due to the wonderful neighbors and friends we had on El Prado. I remember Halloween's back when they were safe...trick or treating in the neighborhood was fun.  We had one guy on the corner who made snow cones for every child that came by.  We could eat apples then without worrying about some sicko putting a razor blade in it.  Neighbors made homemade brownies and cookies....and Mrs. Dobson gave each of us a roll of pennies.  A&W had a rootbeer stand not far from the house and we would go there after a day at the beach.  We had hurricane parties...not the drunken bashes that people have today....but the Geigers and my families would stay in one house and play cards. We had BBQ's and Fish Fries and everyone in the neighborhood and my Uncle Cecils family all came and brought a dish.  These were huge events.  Carol and I would do little mini operettas....sometimes we would pretend we were the Beatles....fix our hair like them, dress up like them, and make guitars out of cardboard and string to play.  We had fruit trees in our back yard and I would sit outside in the evening and eat Duncan grapefruits right off the tree.  You have not lived til you have eaten a Duncan grapefruit.  We also had two Temple orange trees....another great delicasy and they are very hard to find today.  I became a Conniston Blue Devil in the 7th grade.  It was another neighborhood school.  My dad and I buried Peanuts under the grapefruit tree.  Peanuts was my first teacup Chihuahua.  A speeding car hit him less than 20 feet from me.  If she had swerved...she would have hit me.  My mom actually wrote a note to the school that day telling them that there had been a death in the family.  It was the only time she ever did anything like that.  Funny what memories writing will bring back up.  We either walked to school or were taken...on rainy days.  I had my first childhood kiss under the orange tree in my back yard.  I had my first real kiss in the neighborhood.  I remember it to this day.  Steve McLeod was my first big kiss.  I was 13...he was 16.  High School was not a neighborhood school so we had to ride a bus for the first time.  We attended Forest Hill High School and were the Falcons.  By now the loss of my brother was weighing heavy on my family and I could not wait to leave home and go to college.  I ended up at Palm Beach Junior College for just shy of two years....and then I quit....a quarter before finishing....how stupid I was.  I moved to Alabama to help my grandmother, went to work in a cotton mill banding sleeves on Jeerzees T-shirts, lived with my future sister-in-law, and met my first husband....but that is another day....today is the House That Built me.  It was a peach colored stucco house with a stoop and beautiful hibicus bushes in the front...and these red little flower bushes...that we would pick and remove the stems and suck the necture from the.  We also had Florida cherry bushes...we did not eat them...we used them as weapons in the neighborhood when we played war, or pirates, or whatever.  They actually hurt when they hit you...and would leave a terrible stain on your clothes.  My mother had a beautiful flame bush....and it flourished until....my mom was on some health kick...and made me take Castor Oil every morning before I left for school.  I learned how to roll it to the back of my mouth...and I would spit it on the flame bush as I left for school....the bush died....I am telling you people....Castor Oil is BAD!  My mom never understood why it died.  My dad and I would go fishing out of the turnpike, at the end of the street, or in Lake Okeechobee.  My childhood....in the House that built me, was memorable.  Some of the memories are bad....most of them are wonderful.  I went home a few years ago...I took Frank to see where I became me....and was saddened because progress has removed all of what I held dear.  The house and apartment on Georgia Ave.  were removed to make room for City Center...a big commercial mecca near the Kravitz Center of Performing Arts (on the grounds of Palm Beach High School).  My El Prado neighborhood is all gone.  It was to be made into a practice sports area for one of the area colleges.  I can't remember if it is FAU or FIU.  The only thing that remained are the driveways, the bushes that stood next to the houses, and it looked like some nuclear site where a bomb went off...and the world disappeared.  I cried as we drove away.  It is like "I" never exsisted in Florida.....but for a brief shining moment....when I was young....the House that Built Me...was.  Happy Father's Day...Hug those special Dad's in Your Life.

Chicken Q and Classic Car Show

It is not even daylight when we get up and head to the church this morning.  I have no idea what to expect.  Some of the men have been cooking since 1 AM.  Frank falls in with the guys outside and I go in to become part of the ladies brigade.  My job for the first part was watching Ms. Celia (Hope's wife) make from scratch bisquits.  I did not think anyone did that anymore.  I personally get mine from a bag our of the freezer section.  Marcia is the one in charge...although she says she is not.  Her sister Sherry arrives shortly thereafter.  Job two...breaking eggs in a bowl to be scrambled.  This, it turns out, is not just a BBQ...they serve the guys breakfast.  YUMMY!  Tenderloin...right off the grill, eggs, homemade biscuits and preserves, and homemade sourdough bread.  We ate...then began the process of preparing for the enslaught of customers to retrieve their Chicken with tickets sold.  I had a blast.  These people were so much fun to work with and so Frank and I got in their and got busy.  It was a good day and I am tired.  No unpacking was done today.  Marcia's daughter, Lyndi is coming on Tuesday to help me.  Was that not sweet?  How many juniors in high school would give up a summer day to come help their pastor's wife undo boxes....tomorrow is the big day.  Our first Sunday at Rock Mills.  The bulletins are run, Frank's sermon is done....oh...and Kat and I are singing.  This will be her second time to sing in public with me.  I am thrilled beyond measure.  The only thing that would make it perfect would be if Amy could be here too.  Happy Saturday to all.  Pictures will be posted next week.  There is so much to tell and so much to see.  Have a great Saturday.

TGIF

I would think that was a good thing...but right now..it is just another day of unpacking boxes.  Frank got them all in the house...so at least we don't have to go out in the sweltering heat.  We had to meet Blue at 10:30 at Waverly and turn over the keys...then we went by Mary's and visited with her for a bit, picked up some stuff from the other house (we turn the keys to it over on Monday), ate a Sub at Subway, gassed up, visited my mom and were back in Rock Mills before 2.  Beau was so funny...when we got ready to leave...he actually howled...he has never done that.  It was the most mournful sound.  Frank is on the ball, sermon ready, I am getting more and more nervous the closer we get to Sunday.  Ooops...got to run...Frank is wondering where I am.  I am actually hiding behind some boxes at my desk.  I can't believe how much kitchen crap I have.  Iron Chef America could take place in my kitchen for all the stuff.  Tomorrow is the Chicken Q.

Day Two in Rock Mills

We tackled the truck before 6 and actually turned it in at the UHaul place in Roanoke before 10.  We just unloaded everything into the carport.  Now...let's hope it does not rain.  I unloaded boxes, we did a few errands....made sure the cable was in our name....and then had lunch at Gedneys.  Wonderful place to eat.  They are renovating their Wal-mart here...it looks like ours did about 2 years ago...frightening...can't find anything.  It is a small...very very small Supercenter....but hey...it is Walmart. Unpacking is not fun and Frank and I decided that next move...we are hiring movers.  I would not mind unpacking boxes IF, and only if, I didn't have to load and unload them too.  That is what you get for trying to save the church a few dollars.  Sigh!  Today is Thursday and I am anticipating the big Rock Mills Chicken Q on Saturday.  I so want this congregation to like us.

We Are Here!

We Are Here!  Just a brief update to let you know we are now residents of Rock Mills, AL.  I am so excited.  We could not move in until 12 noon today and it was a thousand degrees in the shade when we got here.  Poor Frank...the only help he had was me...and my sweet friend Mary...who had to work third shift at the hospital.  We got about half the truck unloaded and decided to leave the other half til morning.  Good idea.  The people of the church brought us some wonderful food...and I hope they don't make snap judgments on first impressions...I was one dirty bird...and stunk.  They hugged us anyway, welcomed us to the community, fed us, and we ate ravenously.  I am going to like Rock Mills.  I will share pictures later this week.

Twas the Day Before Moving.....

I swear we have taken three carloads to the Mission Thrift Store and my stuff seems to be like rabbits...it just keeps multiplying.  I am wondering now if the 24 foot truck we are renting will be big enough for all this.  It is overwhelming.  When it seems like we have everything done...something comes out of the woodwork and we have to pack more.  The truck will be ready for pick up after 4 today and we have some friends coming to help us load after 5.  We are taking Beau to our friend Marion.  He is going to visit with his 5 buddies there until we unload on Weds.  He is really stressing out over this move.  All of his stuff is moving and being boxed and all he does is sit right up under you when we do take a moment to sit down. Poor little guy.  That is why we are taking his to Marion.  He loves her.  I think if anything ever happens to us she will have to take custody of the dog.  My sweet Mary is coming to Rock Mills tomorrow...on her birthday to help us unload/unpack. What great friends we have.  I penned a little ditty about this event and I thought it might make you laugh today.

Twas the Day Before Moving

Twas the day before moving and all through this house

Nothing was unboxed, except for resident mouse.

This day is a long one so I hope I survive

And keep all my marbles til the UHaul arrives

Poor Beau he sits silent and shivers with fear

That his master and mistress might just leave him here.

The clothes they are all packed in big wardrobe bins

The skillets, the dried food, and even the tins.

There's nothing to sit on the chair has been sold

My dad's coins packed up and we sold all the gold.

We sold dining room table and crock pot OH NO!

I really did not mean for that item to go.

We have visited the ABC store many a day

And with each trip carried a number of boxes a way.

The church at Rock Mills will think we are lushes

Each box is the kind that eventually crushes.

I sit and I blog before Frank shuts this down

And we leave Alex City I'll sure miss this town

And they'll hear us exclaim as we drive out of site....

Next time we hire movers...it will be a delight!

You may not hear from me tomorrow.  Who knows if I will be back up by then...but as soon as I am...there will be pictures of the new house...before I unpack....and after.  I can see a lot of good posting oppotunities coming.  This town has a Doll Museum and lots of other things to blog about.  So Happy Tuesday to All ...and to all a big Hug!  Pray we survive this.

The Faces of Waverly UMC

Barbara, Martha Ann, and Miss Nell  - Barbara was the choir director. She is my coughing buddy. We seem to cough in time and I love harmonizing with her. Her granddaughter was christened while we were here. Barbara is from Michigan and I love to hear her stories of Garth. Martha Ann teaches Sunday School, Frank  christened her first granddaughter and she was so precious.  Miss Nell lived right next door to the church and is a love. Need a good hug....well these are some great hugging ladies.               

Picture number 4 is Stacy, the mother of Blake (our only child). She is such a bubbly person. Stacy is a single mom who works at Rite Aid. She loves her son and Bisquits Baseball. Miss Louise is 94 and lives next door to the Community Center. She still climbs the church steps every Sunday and believe me...they are steep. She has the sweetest personality and what a spunky lady. You just want to hug her.

Jackie is the best cook. I looked forward to fruits and vegetables from her gardens and thank heavens for Southern Living...she was always trying out some remarkable recipe. I think I gained 10 pounds while I was there. When she found out Frank and I were diabetic...she switched over and made stuff for us with Splenda. Marcus and Carolyn...Marcus was a retired Commandant from Lyman Ward Military Academy, retired veteran, awesome storyteller and writer, and called me, Mrs. Preacher from day one. Carolyn runs the Senior Citizens Center....and is very involved in their lives. They love to travel and have taken some great trips since our tenure here. I love hearing their tales of the trips.

Mr. High isn't he just the cutest thing?  His personality matches too.   He has an awesome antebellum house(furnished in period), behind the Waverly Post Office. He lives alone and is in his 90's. He has an infectious smile and laugh and still drives! Mark and Marilyn have really touched us. Marilyn was a rock when my dad was diagnosed and Mark is a quasi retired pharmacist. They are both great fun. Frank christened their grandchild. What a special memory.

Miss Inez is the piano player....I love it when she pulls out the old hymns for offeratory music. One Sunday she played "Ivory Palaces" from the old brown Cokesbury Hymnal and it made my year. Sometimes it is all I can do to keep from singing out loud. She is a big historian and I have enjoyed her tales of Waverly and Tallapoosa Co.  Blake is our precious little man. He helps Frank light the candles when he is there and is just adorable. Don't get me wrong...he is all boy and strong willed....but he is such a joy. I told Stacy yesterday that we still expected to be invited to his birthday parties.

Bob and Marie Slaughter (my hat lady) are so cute.  Marie plays the organ and fills in on the piano when Miss Inez is out.  She has an infectious smile too and wears the cutest hats.  She is a fashionista for sure.  I love to see how she will be dressed each week.  Bob is a veteran and has the funniest laugh.  When I hear his laugh I want to join in.  He is a doll.  Harold and Ailene are the green thumbs.  She brings the most beautiful flowers to church on Sundays.  They spend some of their year in Alaska and bring back the most awesome Eagle pictures.  I love to hear their stories and it makes me want to visit Alaska that much more.  One of these days I am going. Harold always has the coolest factoids that he shares in Sunday School.  He is a learned man and I love hearing him share.  David and Kayla(below) are some of the youngest members of the church.  They are the sweetest couple.  David loves lighthouses....and so I so we had common ground from the start.  Kayla is a Dental Assistant and we are the shoe queens.  Kayla's mom Patsy also attends...but she hates having her picture made so I am going to honor her on that one.  She is a great cook and has a knack of always making you feel good.  She is a fashionista too and I love seeing what she will be wearing.  Patsy's sister Robin comes too.  Robin has the biggest smile and a warm personality.  I have enjoyed getting to know her.

These past three years in Waverly have been a joy.  I looked forward to every single Sunday....except yesterday.  Yesterday was our last service at Waverly UMC.  I have grown to love this sweet little town.  There is something very comforting about the clip clop road sound you get when you enter the town's space.  The road is concrete and sings to you as you go through....or it always has to me.  It has a distinct tune....duh da, duh da, duh da, duh da, duh da da da da da da da, duh da.  Waverly is a town in both Chambers AND Lee Counties.  It is located on the foothills of the Appalachian mountains.  The town population is less than 200 yet, it has a post office and the three churches in Waverly sponsor most of the town's activities.  There is a major bbq in October.  Let me tell you, the people of Waverly know how to do bbq.  I have never liked Brunswick stew...in my whole life....until I tasted Waverly Brunswick stew.  It is awesome.  There is also an artsy craftsy music thing in April called 280 Boogie and it is great fun too. The history of the town according to Wikipedia is, "Waverly was settled in the 1830s as "Pea Ridge", but saw little growth until the 1870s. In 1871, the Central of Georgia railroad was extended from Opelika to Dadeville. As planned, the railroad was to take a route roughly one mile (1.6 km) north of the town. However, topographical problems forced the railroad engineer to "waver" the route to the south, passing through Pea Ridge. The townspeople, appreciative of this "waver" which gave their community a rail connection, renamed the town "Waverly". Some say the community was named for the Waverley novels of Sir Walter Scott."  Highway 280 used to run right through the heart of Waverly and it was considered a speed trap...but when the four laning of Hwy 280 took place it bypassed the town.  Now the only reminder that it is there is a sign on the highway pointing to Waverly Business District.  But that is not the Waverly I know.  The one I know has warm and caring people in it.  The ones I have met attend the Methodist and Baptist churches and they are wonderful people.  I know this because for the past three years my husband, Frank, has been the pastor of the Waverly UMC and we have become friends with the congregation of the Waverly Baptist Church.  Yesterday was our last day in Waverly as their pastor.  We will be their friends forever.  They are like your first kiss to us both.  You know...the one you never forget.  They were our first church.  God sent us to Waverly for a purpose.  I thought it was to minister to them....but that really wasn't it at all.  God sent us there because he knew I would need them. When my father and aunt were both diagnosed with lung cancer the prayer warriors of Waverly took a stand and began praying.  When my parents were missing, when my father died, when my mom had to be placed in the nursing home they mothered me.  I needed mothering so badly and they did.  They will never know how much those hugs meant to me each and every Sunday.  The service yesterday was sweet...the Baptist church joined us for service and lunch and I have never felt so wanted in my whole life.  Before the service started....they presented Frank with an Arthur Court tray that they had engraved and I thought my strong husband was going to come apart right then and there.  I was singing "Friends" yesterday...but when we got to the church and Frank went to cue it...there was nothing there.  We had picked up the wrong CD.  I did not let that stop me.  I wanted them to know how I felt...so I sang the song accapella.  My song and Frank's sermon were both delivered with our eyes closed.  Neither of us could look at those precious faces.  Lunch was great and then the goodbyes began and I cried all the way to Dadeville on the way home.  I know this is really not goodbye...we all serve the same Lord and we will meet again one day.  I know that we will see them between now and then....but it will be different.  Next Sunday we will be at Rock Mills UMC and I am excited about the new ministry.  I don't know what God has in store for us there...but I am up for the challenge.  God Bless Your Monday!

I Love a Good Mondegreen....Don't You?

I am notorious for mishearing lyrics to songs. One of my all time bombs and one I did in concert once is “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding. His line is: “Watching the ships roll in….and the first time I heard the song, I heard it wrong…and substituted the sh** word for ships. Shame on me. It was at that time that I realized how many times I do this…and I am not alone. I began researching it and discovered that it actually has a name….misheard lyrics are called mondegreens. A mondegreen is the mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase, typically a standardized phrase such as a line in a poem or a lyric in a song, due to near homophony in a way that gives it a new meaning.[ American writer Sylvia Wright coined the term in her essay "The Death of Lady Mondegreen," published in Harper’s Magazine in November 1954. In the essay, Wright described how, as a young girl, she misheard the final line of the first stanza from the 17th-century ballad “The Bonny Earl O’Moray." The lines she wrote were:

When I was a child, my mother used to read aloud to me from Percy’s Reliques and one of my favorite poems began, as I remember:

Ye Highlands and ye Lowlands,

Oh, where hae ye been?

They hae slain the Earl O' Moray,

And Lady Mondegreen.

The actual fourth line is in reality "And laid him on the green". Wright explained the need for a new term: "The point about what I shall hereafter call mondegreens, since no one else has thought up a word for them, is that sometimes they are better than the original," and more often than not…funnier. Here are a couple I have thoroughly enjoyed over the years. In fact I have sung them the wrong way so many times that I can’t remember the right way.
"There's a bathroom on the right "(the line at the end of each verse of "Bad Moon Rising" by one of my favorite old school groups, Creedence Clearwater Revival: "There's a bad moon on the rise")
And nobody can forget Woodstock when Jimi Hendrix belted out “'Scuse me while I kiss this guy (from a lyric in the song "Purple Haze") was actually "'Scuse me while I kiss the sky".
My son(who is tone deaf) actually gave me one when he was about 5 when we were singing a hymn at church. I looked at that sweet little angel belting out his rendition of “In the Garden…” and then paid attention to his words when I noticed he was saying, “Andy walks with me, Andy talks with me.” I asked him after church if he knew what God’s name was….and yep…you got it. Our of the mouth of babes came, “Andy.” I thought for a bit and decided to let it ride…it was not important…if he said, “Andy” or “and He.” His little heart was all that mattered.  As an English teacher, writer, singer, songwriter I have always loved playing with words and mondegreens give me great pleasure that is for sure. Can you think of some mondegreens you have used before? If you have one or two be sure to share them in the comments section. I would love to know there are others out there who hear things differently than I do. Have a Blessed Sunday.

Will the Real Wilma Please Stand Up?

Last week Frank and I went to visit my mom at the Adams Dementia Unit.  When we entered the doors and walked down her hall there she was coming towards us with her arms open...waiting for hugs.  It was such a touching sight.  I immediately went into her arms, the ones that comforted me when I was a child and felt safe for a moment.  Then she hugged Frank, grabbed both of our hands, and we moved into the sunroom to visit.  I was glad to see that she was not in bed today.  Many times, because of the Sundowners, when I go to visit my mom during the day she is in the bed asleep....so our visits are nothing more than me holding her hand while she sleeps and kissing her forhead when I leave.  We were having a great visit in the sunroom....or so I thought.  After about 15 minutes(length of her attention span these days)...Mom excused herself to go to her room.  I figured she was going to the bathroom.  She was gone a few minutes and returned to our table.  Five more minutes passed and she excused herself to walk down the hallway.  She said her legs needed to stretch.  I smiled and looked at Frank...he was getting a bit antsy so I knew our visit would be over soon.  She returned from her walk....but she did not come back to our table....nope...she went to the other side of the sunroom and sat down in the chair she had vacated when we arrived.  I watched her stare down the hall, watching the doors to see who was going to come through them.  We sat like that for about five or so minutes when she finally looked to the other side of the sunroom and noticed us sitting there.  Her face lit up and she returned to the table.  Five minutes passed and I knew our visiting time was over.  She was off in her world and it was as if we were not there.  We hugged and kissed her and left.  That same week I had gone to see her during my planning period.  We were having a lovely visit in the sunroom....and she excused herself....this time she did not return and I got a little worried....so I went to her room to check on her.  There she was....sitting on the side of her bed, taking off her shoes, readying herself to take a nap.  I told the nurse I was leaving....and left.  My cell phone rang at 8p.m. and it was my mom....wondering why I had not visited her today.  Somedays I can't win for losing....somedays I cry when I see her....most days, I have to laugh at her antics and remember that the woman who is housed in that body....is not my mom.  Will the real Wilma please stand up?  God bless you all today.  Stay safe over the weekend.  If you have one, hug your momma...or at least call her and tell her you love her.  Ciao!

Letter From Amanda

Amanda set up a Caring Bridge page for Randy.  She posted in the journal this most heartfelt post and I felt the need to share it with all of you.  If you would like to visit Randys site and leave him some words of encouragement please do.  His Caring Bridge address is:  Randy Brown.  Caring Bridge is a really awesome website for people to feel connected to their loved one and for the loved one to know that people care!  Any ways Amanda's post began with this:  "Dr. Pippas, the hematologis​t just stopped in to check on Randy and asked a few questions about his history of sarcoidosis and Addison's disease. He's very attentive, not interruptin​g, just listens carefully to what you are saying. He also informed us the leukemia is not the result of, or connected in any way to, the sarcoidosis or the Addision's.​ He also said it was ok if we didn't get to Emory today. He will most likely work in tandem with Dr. Langston, handling the one-day chemo infusions in Columbus, while the four-day regimens are handled in Emory."  P.S.  He is at Emory as this comes to post.  I was talking with them on Skype when the ambulance arrived.   PTL!
Her request is this:  "Pray that everything goes smoothly for the transfer tomorrow. I know that God is in every detail and is making sure things are where they need to be when they need to be there."
Then she shared the most wonderful story she had read:  "I read a wonderful story today that speaks to that very thing. One of the doctors here in Columbus, an orthopedic surgeon, spent some time in Haiti after the earthquake and shared his experience there and the lessons he learned:
"Fi​rst, I learned that relationshi​ps mean everything.​ The relationshi​ps formed with patients adn co-workers are what occupy my thoughts now. Everyone has a story to tell. Most of these stories are so impactful. My relationshi​p with God was also strengthene​d while I was there. I practiced more of the spiritual disciplines and felt God's presence unmistakabl​y. Secondly, I saw how God multiplies effort. Through small acts of kindness, gentleness, smiles and service, I witnessed utter chaos turn into a palpable peace, easy to see on patient's faces. As an example, a primary care doctor named Meg lost her grandmother while we were there. Everyone was silent as I made rounds with her one morning. Then, one by one, each person approached her and started loving on her just as she had been doing for them. Her efforts were multiplied many times over. Thirdly, I witnessed God's abundant provision and the generosity and commitment of St. Francis Hospital, my brother (another orthopedic surgeon), and others who worked very hard to gather and send much needed medical supplies. Just as we ran out of essential equipment, pallets of supplies arrived from St. Francis Hospital. Members of our own team went to the airport at 11 pm that Friday night to bring the supplies back to the hospital. Another true story involves an anesthesia ​monitor that broke. It was going to be difficult to replace. Then, the hospital administrat​or came in one day with exactly the monitor needed. He told us that he had won it as a door prize two years ago at a medical meeting in the United States. The lesson - God often has the solution before we have the problem."
"God has put many things in place to bring us exactly where we are today and He will most surely take us through this. I marvel at His greatness!"  I love these two people with all my heart.  When I was floundering in my first marriage....Randy and Amanda were my strength.  They have always been there for me....and now it is my turn to return the favor.  Their daughter, Ramona, shared a song with me yesterday and I am going to share it with you today.  Pray for them as they make this journey. TGIF!

When Life Knocks Your Feet Out From Under You

Last night(Tuesday) late, my singing partner/cousin/adopted sister Amanda called me and told me she was leaving Boston at 5 a.m. because her sweet husband Randy was in the hospital.  He had a bleeding issue...his blood was not clotting and they were going to be doing some tests on Weds.  Weds. morning I got up and called Amanda about 8 to see where she was.  She was in Newnan, GA and on her way to St. Francis Hospital in Columbus, GA.  I told her we had some meetings but would be there as soon as possible.  As always, our meetings took longer than we thought they would and so we got a late start.  I wanted to be there by 12.  It was 12 by the time we got to Opelika.  30 minutes more before we would be in Columbus.  I pondered throughout the trip about what was happening and prayed that God would touch Randy with his healing hands.  When we got to room 208 and I saw Amanda's face I knew something was wrong.  Amanda then dropped the bombshell...Randy has leukemia...A.L.L.(acute lymphatic leukemia)...something children suffer from....not an adult disease.  It is not the worst leukemia...but it is still leukemia.  They took Randy shortly after we got there to place the port in his arm so that he could begin chemo on Thursday.  Wow...this was all happening to fast and hard to ingest.  Randy's sister, Debbie,  stayed in the room with us and we waited for them to return.  Two hours passed and we had to leave because I had my final band practice tonight.  When I left the word was...it is not curable...but it is treatable...but...right now there is no expiration date.  He would be doing chemo for 7 days at Columbus Medical Center and then he would be doing another type for 2 years.  After that he would be doing another treatment for 12 -18 months and then hopefully he would be in remission.  After I got home and went to band I called to see if there was an update...and there was...he is NOT going to the Cancer Center at Columbus Medical Center...he is going to Emory in Atlanta.  His case is unique (that is just like Randy...nothing plain for him)....and it is the best place for him to be.  UAB in Birmingham is the heart hospital of the south...and Emory is the Cancer place!  Randy will be in good hands there....and I serve a mighty God.  I have entrusted Randy to Him and know that His will will be done.  I love this man....I love this God....and I know He is in control.  Randy has been in my life since I was 18 years old.  He and Amanda married very young and I have always loved him.  He has a gruff voice, is a fabulous cook, he is funny, loves people, loves his family, is a good guy all around.  They don't get much better than Randy.  This man took 4 hormonal women on a 9700 mile Pacific Northwest trip and did not bat an eye.  What a guy!  I am asking that you all please pray for Amanda and Randy as they walk this path....Amanda's mom just died in March...and this is a rough enough road without that.  God bless you all and I will keep you updated.

Wednesday Wickedness According to Old Blue Eyes

I got an email invitation today from Janera Jepson who has a blog called Wednesday Wickedness. She is like other memes in that she will ask you ten questions each and every Wednesday. But her little "twist" (and what was so intriguing to me) is that each week she will pick a famous person and pick ten of their quotes. Each of the questions will be based on the quotes. Here is this week's meme!  The quotes this week came from one of my favorites....old blue eyes himself... Frank Sinatra.
1. “I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day.” How often do you drink alcohol?  Seldom.  I am a tea and Diet coke kind of girl.  I like to be in control.
2. “The best revenge is massive success.” Have you ever gloated or wanted to over success?  Once...the weekend of my twenty year class reunion when I got to tell a former teacher....I had a Master's Degree in Education and had amounted to something....and was successful.  Funny thing...it did not make me feel like I thought it would.  Sigh!
3. “You gotta love livin', baby, 'cause dyin' is a pain in the [butt].” What do enjoy most about your life?  All the blessings God has given me.... my family. my voice, my job, life in general.
4. “I'm not one of those complicated, mixed-up cats. I'm not looking for the secret to life.... I just go on from day to day, taking what comes.” Do you ever overthink a situation in your life?  Always....especially when I was a teenager.  I would overthink my mom's reactions to something.  I have learned with age to just go with my first feeling.  It is usually the right one.
5. “I would like to be remembered as a man who had a wonderful time living life, a man who had good friends, fine family - and I don't think I could ask for anything more than that, actually.” Tell us about your best friend.  They know so much about me...that if we were not friends anymore I would have to kill them.  They are part of what gives my life meaning.
6. “I like intelligent women. When you go out, it shouldn't be a staring contest.” How important is intelligence when picking (or having picked) a s/o to you? Intelligence is more than book learning....but whether the person is a college grad or has mega life experience...everyone should use their brains.
7. “I drink to the confusion of our enemies.” What's the closest situation that you've had to dealing with an enemy?  My fathers illness and death to cancer (bad enemy) and my mother's placement into a dementia unit...(dementia is a nasty enemy too).
8. “Orange is the happiest color.” What's your favorite color?  Blue...any shade...it is a peaceful color....and as an Auburn grad...goes well with Orange. 
9. “Dare to wear the foolish clown face.” Are you ever clown?  I love to.  I love to make people smile, laugh...whatever.  I am a teacher...therefore I act.
10. “Don't get even, get mad.” Have you ever tried getting even?  I don't do that...the only time I ever tried it backfired in my face.  If I am mad I just put on my big girl panties and deal with it.
Thanks for the invitation Janera.  I will return again and play another day!  Happy Wednesday to all.

My Blog is Loved! WOOO HOOO!

Oh how exciting.  I got an award today and it made my day.  I came in from packing up the storage room all grimy and nasty and thought I would read everyone's post before I started supper and Surprise!  Surprise!  My sweet buddy, Mary, Over at Life in a Small Town gave me an award.  I could return it right back at her because I love her blog too.  She lives in one of my favorite places...Tennessee. 

The rules are pretty simple on this one: Just list 10 things you love, then pass the award to 10 blogging friends whose blogs you love to read. You never know when one of these awards will brighten someones day!  It sure did mine!

Okay, Here are the things I ♥:
1) God (that should be obvious, right?)
2) My husband(especially date night)
3) My children
4) My Mom
5) Singing with Amanda (actually...anytime spent with her I love...traveling, singing, writing, just hanging)
6) My adopted siblings (Amanda, Terri, Linda and Miss Priss...that would be Melissa)
7) Being together with family.  I live and breathe for this.  I love my family. 
8) Spending time with friends.  I also live and breathe for this.  I love being with my friends.
9) Watching old movies on a rainy day
10) Reading
Now you have to pass this on to 10 other people. This is the hard part.  The blogs I read on a regular basis (like daily....I love).   But...since I can only pick 10 I will try and find JUST 10.  There are so many good blogs out there to read and I am finding new ones everyday!
 
1. 2nd Cup of Coffee
2. Random Thoughts from Trina
3. This is the Year
4. Tales from Bloggeritaville
5. Sweet Up North Mornings
6. Sweet Tea
7. Mid-Atlantic Martha
8. Mary the 1st I am, I am
9. Marty's Musings
10. Jeannie's Happy World
Thank you all for helping me through dark days with your tablescapes, beach scenes, travel stories, life in general stories and encouragements when I have felt I was sinking.  You all Rock!  Happy Tuesday!

"It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday"

Yesterday was the last time that the whole Praise and Worship Band would be together with me.  I have one more Sunday to sing with them before we move to Rock Mills...but yesterday...every single one of us was there...that has not happened in a long time.  I decided since everyone was going to be there...I would do a little something for them....so I got each one of them a gift to remember me by.  For David, our drummer, and singer when we are in a tight, I got a headset.  Since we lost a Praise and Worship leader a few years ago (who sold David's headset on E-bay) this has been a standing joke and always David's excuse for not singing.  Buck, Brian, Billy, Steve, Roberts T. and G. I gave a lighthouse.  They have all been beacons of light for me during my tenure with the team.  When I could not laugh...they always had a joke, when the music was not there....they gave me a song, these guys all lead me back to port when I was adrift and I will miss them.  The girls all got an angel....different angels...because they are all different....but they have picked me up many times along my way, dusted me off, and followed me for a bit to make sure I did not fall again.  They are my heart.  Blue, got a Joshua cross.  He will be taking over for us at Waverly...and I know that he and his house all serve the Lord.  Greg got a special tie and a book with a CD.  Greg has always been a spiritual peace for me.  The tie reminds me that even though I am not with them anymore I am bound to them through God.  And the book/CD reminds me that in everything I do...I must give God my best.  With each present there was a scroll.  I penned a little ditty for the group and I thought I would leave you all with my wonderful words of wisdom...I am grateful that I get one more week to sing with them on stage.  I will miss them all.  But in the words of an old Still Magnolias song....Life Goes...and Life Goes On.  They will be fine without me.

Ode to the Praise Band.

When we began we were a ragged sight.

I’m surprised that Blue didn’t run in fright.

We all had skill, maybe not the best.

We put Blue’s leadership to the test.

One of us left before we got started

But it didn’t seem to leave us downhearted.

Many have come and gone over the years

We’ve hugged, we’ve laughed, we’ve shed some tears.

Joy sang Alto but never in service.

That very first Sunday we were all quite nervous.

As part of the band, I was quiet from the start

But the alto came out when it flooded my heart.

Blue threatened Rhonda and I with some gizmo

That would cover the harmonies….but we’d never know.

Kelly, Brian, Robert, Cindy, Richard, Jennifer, were a part

Ella left us then and it just broke her heart

Blue Left for bit then Steve did the same.

We had a new guy….Oh what was his name…

He was really a youngster in spite of his age

He even sent some of us off of the stage.

He didn’t last long or we’d all gone to pot.

Then Alan was here and a rock band we’re not.

He wanted us all to be just like Third Day…

We just couldn’t do it…so he went on his way.

When Cindy moved South then Sherri joined in

We were so glad to have her we were whole once again.

For over ten years we have been doing this mission.

I never thought this service would come to fruition.

A family we are and a family we’ll stay

And my heart will be with you even after today.

Each gift in your bag is a piece of my heart

I love each of you….and I have from the start!

Happy Monday to all....God Bless you all and Keep it real today!