Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Italy, France and the Alps
We are doing some fundraising to help our son, Matthew, take an Education First Tour to Europe next summer! After telling him he could go, we had some difficulties and a pretty major crisis in our lives. However, he has been such a fabulous student and done such great work this year that we would still like for him to be able to take this trip. So, we are asking for sponsors! The trip breaks down into an approximate cost of $13 per hour. He will be touring Italy, France and the Alps, and it will be an incredible adventure for him. If you would like to sponsor Matthew, that would be an amazing and generous thing!
Just to brag a bit on Matthew, he earned high honors this year - NATION wide! On his Benchmark exam, he scored the highest math score in the NATION for his grade! Also, he beat the national average time for taking a timed translation test in Spanish by almost half! National average time was 17 minutes, he did it in 9 minutes! Hopefully, you can see why we are so proud and want him to experience this trip.
Thanks for reading this, if you did. Please pass it along to any of your friends who you think might like to help us out!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Back at last!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Bye-bye, Bunny!
So, boys, hope you enjoy this last morning of Easter baskets. The Easter Bunny is retiring.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Oh, the irony!
Tonight, after dinner, we took a family walk. Andrew and Jacob chose to ride their bikes. Yes, they wore helmets. No, injury was not involved, although I know that is what you expect to read following my opening paragraph. Hopefully, you will see the irony that I saw when Andrew, riding lazy circles in the street, called back over his shoulder what he wanted to be when he grows up.
A professional stunt man.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
A Love Story - Our Beginning
I was 13 years old, and it was Good Friday. My church youth group was meeting at our church, and then all going to a church member's lake house for a Good Friday service. Those of us who were already at the church were playing softball while we waited for everyone else to arrive. I was on third base, waiting to run home, and noticed a friend walking up with a strange boy I had never seen. I thought to myself that he was kinda cute, then finished the ball game.
Our mutual friend introduced everyone to his best friend from high school. It was Gilbert - my unknown-to-me-at-the-time future husband! He was 16 at the time, and a sophomore in high school. He came along with us to the Good Friday service, and we got to chat and get to know each other a bit. He started attending our church the very next Sunday, and went every Sunday after that.
For the next year or so, Gilbert followed me around like a sick puppy, obviously had a crush on me, and became one of my closest friends. He eventually asked me to a dance after a high school football game. I said yes, but I was so nervous that I made myself sick. After the football game, he had to take me home. I was young and oh, so nervous!!
I think he tried to ask me out a few times after that, but my dad wouldn't let me go. Finally, his senior year of high school, he gave up and began dating someone else. He brought her to church a few times, and I quickly realized that I was very upset at this turn of events! I kept it to myself though. At least, for a while.
Gilbert was (and is) highly intelligent, and received a Congressional appointment to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. The day before he was scheduled to leave, our youth group all went to the lake. I worked up the courage to tell him, just as we were gathering up to go home, that I really liked him much more than a friend, and I was very sad to see him leave. I forget his exact words, but the gist was along the lines of - "You're telling me this NOW?!!"
Right after he left for Colorado Springs, my parents divorced and we moved to Atlanta, GA. Gilbert and I had a long-distance telephone and letter relationship for about a year, at which point I moved back to Arkansas. He was home for the summer, and we finally went on our first real date. We went to the movies to see "Romancing the Stone." That movie has had a special place in our hearts ever since!
Gilbert went back to the Air Force Academy for another year, then decided at that point that he didn't want a military life. He came home, finished his aviation degree at the university where I was beginning a music degree. Long story short, we dated for about 6 years, and were married in 1990. The rest is, as they say, history!
And that is the story of our beginning. The beginning of our ongoing love story.
Truly - we are not alone.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
need continued prayers
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Getting Together
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Productivity Rocks!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Great site
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Sometimes it's good to be a bother.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Announcing....
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Hmmm, just wondering....
But it was his job!
Where were you when...?
Monday, January 19, 2009
ABC Game
B. Best friend? Yes
C. Cake or pie? It depends on my mood. I like both
D. Dog or cat? If you know me, you know that I have a multitude of dogs, and 1 cat. I think I would say I am a dog person, though.
E. Essential item? cell phone
F. Favorite color? Royal blue, though green is a close second
G. Gummy bears or worms? Neither. I do like Gummy Lifesavers, though!
H. Hometown? I consider Malvern, Arkansas, to be my hometown. I was born in Memphis, but grew up in Malvern.
I. Favorite indulgence? internet
J. January or July? July
K. Kids? Yes, I have three. : )
L. Life isn’t complete without? My family and friends.
M. Marriage date? October 6, 1990
N. Number of brothers and sisters? 2 sisters, 2 brothers.
O. Oranges or apples? Both
P. Phobias? Nothing comes to mind right now.
Q. Quote? "Bless it and release it!" My kids would say it should be, "Lose the attitude!"
R. Reasons to smile? My kids and husband
S. Season of choice? Fall
T. Travel dreams? I love to travel and am game for anywhere. I have never been to Europe or Australia and would love to visit there.
U. Unknown fact about me? I have a secret desire to be an avid scrapbooker. Own all the supplies, but have never done it!
V. Vegetable? I like most vegetables, except for turnip greens.
W. Worst habit? I can be verrrrrrrrrrrrry lazy.
X. X-ray or ultrasound? I have never had an X-ray, and won't have another ultrasound, hopefully, since I don't plan to have more kids. So, I guess X-ray.
Y. Your favorite restaurants? depends on the type of food
Z. Zodiac sign? Leo
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Have you ever...
Saw this on a friend's blog and thought it seemed like fun, so I borrowed it. (Thanks, Liz!) I marked the ones I have done with an asterisk.
Have you ever...
1. Started your own blog *
2. Slept under the stars*
3. Played in a band*
4. Visited Hawaii *
5. Watched a meteor shower*
6. Given more than you can afford to charity **
7. Been to Disneyland *
8. Climbed a mountain *
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo* (ya think? lol)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm *
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch*
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning*
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables *
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight *
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill*
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping*
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse*
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset*
31. Hit a home run*
32. Been on a cruise*
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors *
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language*
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied*
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing*
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke (I know, can you believe it?)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant*
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight*
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling*
52. Kissed in the rain*
53. Played in the mud*
54. Gone to a drive-in theater*
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies*
62. Gone whale watching*
63. Got flowers for no reason*
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma*
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check*
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy*
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial*
71. Eaten caviar*
72. Pieced a quilt*
73. Stood in Times Square*
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person*
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car*
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper*
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House*
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating *(does fishing count?)
88. Had chickenpox*
89. Saved someone’s life*
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous*
92. Joined a book club*
93. Lost a loved one*
94. Had a baby*
95. Seen the Alamo in person*
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a mobile phone*
99. Been stung by a bee*
100. Read an entire book in one day*
It's been a while....
Thursday, January 1, 2009
What did you do last year?
Someone sent me this in an email, and I thought it was pretty good! So here are my answers:
1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
Visited Washington, D.C. Took all three boys horseback riding.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Didn't make any last year. This year my resolution is to nurture my friendships/relationships more, and try to get organized!
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I got back in touch with a good friend from grad school, and she gave birth the month we saw each other for the first time in ten years!
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No one extremely close, but a friend. Also, my husband's cousin's stepmother committed suicide. But I didn't know her.
5. What countries did you visit
Zero. Nada. I do live vicariously through my friend Rusty, who often travels to Europe, and my friend Tricia, who is moving to Japan (military).
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
more date nights with Gilbert
7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
August 13th - the day I turned 40 and the day my husband faced his alcohol dependency. September 10th - the day my husband came home from 28-day rehab.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Supporting my husband in his journey to sobriety, and not killing him when it meant he had to go on long-term unpaid medical leave. Just kidding. Sort of.
9. What was your biggest failure?
The failure to finish wallpapering the bathroom. General failure to lose weight.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
nothing major
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Santa bought the boys a Wii. I have loved listening to them laugh over it, and we have had great fun playing as a family!
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My husband's - he has finally faced his alcoholism and met the challenge with grace and commitment.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
14. Where did most of your money go?
food for three growing boys!
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Learning Ravel's Sheherazade and singing it in PA while my brother danced.
16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
Lifehouse - Whatever It Takes
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? happier mostly
b) thinner or fatter? same, I think
c) richer or poorer? richer in the things that matter
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
exercised, eaten better, spent more time with friends
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
wasted time surfing the internet and being a couch potato
20. How did you spend Christmas?
playing with my boys and sort of nursing a sick (on the mend) husband
21. Did you fall in love in 2008?
nope
22. What was your favorite TV program?
The Starter Wife
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
nope - but am hugely annoyed with a grouch neighbor
24. What was the best book you read?
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
discovery? Sissel. Best musical gift was the new radio/cd player for my car.
26. What did you want and get?
a new digital camera
27. What did you want and not get?
a new refrigerator. Okay, and a new master suite.
28. What was your favorite film of this year?
The Duchess
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 40. I had rehearsal. I cried a lot, for reasons other than turning 40.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
a vacation alone with Gilbert
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
casual, trying to not be frumpy, housewife
32. What kept you sane?
coffee, singing, friends
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Debra Messing; she is so talented! and I think she's gorgeous.
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
People who voted based on race.
35. Who did you miss?
my friends Tricia and Emory
36. Who was the best new person you met?
my new accompanist, James
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
Remember to take things one day at a time, and tell people you love them.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
(this answer is stolen)
"Will Not Be Moved" (Natalie Grant)
I have been the wayward child
I have acted out
I have questioned Sovereignty
And had my share of doubt
And though sometimes my prayers feel like
They're bouncing off the sky
The hand I hold won't let me go
And is the reason why...
I will stumble
I will fall down
But I will not be moved
I will make mistakes
I will face heartache
But I will not be moved
On Christ the Solid Rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
I will not be moved
And I have kept the score
Of all my shattered dreams and though it seemed
That I was far too gone
My brokenness helped me to see
It's grace I'm standing on
And the chaos in my life
Has been a badge I've worn
Though I have been torn
I will not be moved