Family fotos!!

Our four girls were together on Friday along with all their children. (Tim was there as well.) Of course, it was an awesome photo op so thought I'd share a few photos here.

Photo on right: Marley (Teri's), Kasi (Roxanne's), Regan & Bailey (Teri's)

Above: Tyler (Sandi's), RJ (Shonna's), Kamen (Roxanne's), Rudy (Teri's)

RJ, Shonna, Regan, Teri, Rudy, Sandi, Tyler, Roxanne, Kamen, Bailey, Kasi, Marley

Can't put everything in a title!!

Well ... my title would be way too long if I tried to put everything there ... so, perhaps I should just do the bullet thing!! (Don't worry -- no guns involved!)

• I arrived safe and sound and guess what -- Keelan was right there to welcome me. Remember when I said if I didn't pay attention, watch out! Oh, he got my attention okay -- bouncing up and down -- and a big yellow lab jumping is quite interesting. He 'talked' and then went racing for his new toy! He brought it to me for me to take one end and for him to pull relentlessly for as long as I could stand it. He's one strong dog! As I am typing, he lays behind me.
• BIG NEWS!! Our son-in-law, Chris, just received his Bachelor's degree in Church Ministries! We are very proud of him. He has worked hard to complete this -- I saw the final exam and it was long and tedious! Congratulations, Chris! He is also now a licensed minister! I know his mother is even prouder than we are ... Chris has such a testimony and we know that God will bless his ministry.
• All four girls and their children were together yesterday to exchange gifts between the grandchildren. I was on my way to Atlanta so missed this particular celebration. (Maybe all the activity would have 'spazzed' me out and the girls would be wishing I would leave! lol!) Pictures will follow, I'm sure!
• It's supposed to rain here in Atlanta ... BIG PTL!!! They have needed rain desperately and it looks like we may get 2 inches in the next 24 hours!
• My dad spent a few hours in the hospital this evening. He was having some shortness of breath and since he has had some more serious episodes in the past, the nursing home decided to send him to the hospital -- we were glad to here he has returned to the nursing home and he is okay. This is a difficult time of the year for him. With my mother's passing -- and his best friend there faces the prospect of losing his leg due to diabetes.
• My mother-in-law got to meet William Brown II recently and was excited to tell me. William and Tammy were at a Cracker Barrel in the Indianapolis area (Southport Road) with Randy and Jane Huff. I'm afraid whenever I see or hear about Jane (better known to our family as Janie), I am taken back to Central Nazarene Church in Indianapolis where we met her family for the first time -- I think Janie was 9 years old! Bob was serving as Youth Pastor / Minister of Music. What memories we have from over the years -- picking her and her brother and sister up for church, she and her sister, Lisa, staying with our girls, Janie going on the trip to Jamaica when our girls were just 12 and 13 (and I know she was such a comfort to them), seeing the picture of Janie kissing WHO? Oh, Frisch's Big Boy -- she was soooo glad to be back on American soil! Of course, then there have been the Homecoming events when the girls volleyball teams of years gone by have played the current teams. (Janie's niece, Robin, has promised to play if Roxanne will come to one of those events! Roxanne was on a team with two of Janie's nieces!) So, even though Janie is all grown up and mom of two boys and has a husband that we are sure God had especially picked out for her, I still see the little girl sitting on the same seat as Grandma Palmer beside her little sister, Lisa. I remember telling her and Randy when we visited them a few years ago in Kentucky that I don't ever remember Janie being anything but sweet ... when other kids might have bad attitudes and knowing that her life had been anything but perfect -- she always had a great attitude. Whomever she serves will be blessed, I'm sure! Why did I write all of this? Maybe it's because Bob and I talked today about gratitude and how important it is to share gratitude! It can change your perspective on life in general.

Okay, so now I have rambled! I do wish I could find the photo of Janie kissing that 'boy'. I'm sure her boys would be thrilled to see it as well.

And, congratulations again, Chris!

Things change ... plans change ...

I got up, packed the van and got ready to head towards Atlanta. However, I didn't like the sound of my van -- Tim says it sounds like something to do with the fuel injectors. Anyway, as I headed towards the interstate, I really was second guessing whether I should drive it that far -- by myself.

So, I headed back towards home, called Sandi and asked her to check on rental cars. Right! In Florida -- in Tampa / St Pete between Christmas and New Year's! None to be had .. anywhere. Well, maybe Rent-a-Wreck but that wouldn't be too comforting.

So, as I drove back, Sandi got on-line and found a flight through Charlotte to Atlanta. However, I wasn't excited about paying anything much for a flight so headed home to see what I could find out. I still had Delta frequent flyer miles and to make a long story short since I need to leave in a few minutes, I had enough for a flight .. and amazingly enough, there were several itineraries from which to choose! Wow! Now, on to a car ... my brother has vehicles but they are always in use so I thought I'd check -- yup, a car for less than $100!! By the time I did pay the fee for getting a frequent flyer ticket this close to the flight, it was still less than it would have been had I driven up and back -- due to the gas prices right now!

So, I am blessed -- I will lean back, enjoy the flight -- and leave the driving (um, flying) to someone else!!

One of my best friends!

I am heading to Atlanta tomorrow and when I arrive at my brother's home, I will be met by Kelan (I never can remember how to spell it!) who is pictured here with Kamen. He's so excited that he actually 'talks' to me ... it's quite intriguing actually. (And if I ignore him -- watch out!) He has his own 'dog' language. He can really carry on a 'conversation' with Susan. He's pretty docile in this photo and really is a good dog. I enjoy him a lot .. except when I get in the way of his tail! Talk about power! It can almost knock you down!!

What is wrong with this picture?!! It is December 27th -- isn't it supposed to be cold or at least a little cooler? I just realized that my airconditioner was running -- I have the thermostat set on 79 degrees! So, I checked the forecast ... I'm sure it must be wrong ... then again?

• Thursday: Lots of sunshine. Warm. High around 80F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
• Thursday night: Partly cloudy. Low 63F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.
• Friday: Sunshine and clouds mixed. Warm. High 82F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.

My dad ...

A couple photos ... one of Tim, Sandi and Tyler when they visited my dad a couple weeks ago and one of Thad and my dad taken on Christmas Eve.

Just what I always wanted!! A "Samplifier"

Have you ever heard of a Samplifier? I hadn't either until Christmas Eve. Tim and Sandi told Tyler he could open one gift so he opened his 'favorite' gift -- which he told me was a "Samplifier"! I asked him what that meant after he instructed me to look through a glass and see 'pollen'!

He said, "I get samples and put them there and then I can look at them!" Of course, he was describing a microscope but to him, it was a "Samplifier". Hey, it magnifies 'samples' so obviously, it must be a 'samplifier'. Makes sense to me ...

Christmas Past! And birthdays present!

My dad was lonely on Christmas this year -- not because family wasn't with him. Several were able to be there and Rachel was with him for Christmas dinner. He wasn't quite up to going to her house so she went to him. What an awesome sister I have!! We are blessed beyond measure. But, this was my dad's second Christmas without my mother. Last year, he really wasn't feeling very well and I think he probably was still somewhat in shock over her passing. This year seemed to be more difficult.

I will never forget when we took the last load out of their apartment as we moved him to his studio apartment. We weren't able to take my mother's "prayer chair" -- where she spent many an hour praying for all of us -- and many friends, as well. He asked if he could have some time alone there and I heard him talking to her -- how do you say "good-bye" to someone who had been his soul mate for well over 60 years? He still has her picture near his bed as a constant reminder of their love. And, of course, all six of us and the many grandchildren are a daily reminder of all that she represented.

Okay ... so back to Christmas past! Perhaps one particular Christmas! My brother, Joel, just celebrated his ....???... birthday ... okay, he doesn't care if I share it. He just turned 50 but he has always insisted that age does not matter! And that is true! He was born on December 21st and it seems that we usually forget his birthday. It just gets lost in the celebration of Christmas. Because of that, I made sure I sent him a card and called him on his birthday this year. I forgot to call all my siblings to remind them -- I'm sure I would have heard, "Yes, Mother" since it was always my mom who called us to remind us. (Which we didn't always take too graciously!)

We talked about his birth and how well I remembered that he came home on Christmas Eve. What a great Christmas present although perhaps we all thought he took the attention away from all of our gifts. No, I don't remember that part of it at all. He was my third brother and by that time, I had resigned myself to not having a sister (although she came along later!) I was 10 years old when Joel arrived and had learned the role of second mom pretty well.

So, I am blessed with Joel as a brother. Joel is different from the rest of us. He doesn't have much to say (imagine that!) But, he is as steady as a rock. You can depend on what he says even though he doesn't say much. His life has not always been easy by any stretch of the imagination. He worked two jobs for many years -- without a complaint. He was an awesome dad to Jacinta and Joel II (who we call Joey ... poor guy!) He loves his three grandchildren and I love to hear the latest stories from him about them. I look at Nyah and see Joel when he was just a little guy.

I mentioned that he doesn't say much ... However, if you can get him into a conversation, you can talk for hours. He is very much into living a healthy lifestyle and especially researches things that he feels would be good for my dad. Over the last couple years of my mother's life, Joel would go to the grocery store for them. My mother would give him a list and there were many times when we knew he paid for the groceries himself. He would check in on them often as his schedule would permit. He continues to do that. Thanks, Joel!

So, Joel ... since we don't always say "Happy Birthday" on the day -- yet I rememebered this year -- I'll say it again. Happy Birthday!! I know you are a 'middle child' but we want to assure you that you are definitely not a forgotten one. We all love you! I thought I'd also include a photo of my dad with the 'four little ones' ... well, the four youngest ones, that is! They get to see him most often and I know he treasures every visit. I'll share a photo of Thad with him in my post tomorrow. Photo: Mark, Rachel, Joel (standing) and Thad.

Nana, Do you like my "wig-wap"??

That was Tyler's question to me today ... that was after Sandi had tried for about an hour to figure out how to put the wigwam together for Tyler. Lots of poles -- no instructions included! I guess they figured there's only so much you can do with poles!! Finally, Tim took over the task and when he was done, it did look like a wigwam. Tyler later proudly announced that he now had a WIG-WAP!! I asked him to repeat it and he assured me he knew what it was ... a WIG-WAP!! I'm sure we'll have fun telling his children about it!

I took my turn at playing Air Hockey with Tyler today. He's very competitive so I did have to work hard to beat him. I did -- ooops! Not good to do to a grandchild so I graciously lost the next game although he was certain it was because of his great skill that he beat "Nana". And it well could be!!

Our family was scattered several places today but we all talked on the phone and all of us had a wonderful day! We are going to go look at Christmas lights soon -- oh, it's still about 66 degrees and 6:30pm so it will be a nice drive. There are some areas here which decorate to the max -- one area we try to always go to because it is also a fund raiser for Hospice. An entire residential area decks out all their homes -- we were going to go through it last night but when Tyler told us he really needed to go to the bathroom and the traffic going into the decorated area was at an almost standstill, we opted to go tonight. We will have two boys with us tonight -- RJ and Tyler -- we'll see how long they last before they do the 'brother' thing. What do brothers do? They love each other and drive each other crazy!

Which reminds me of my brother, Tim. His wife, Susan, called to say "Merry Christmas" and then handed the phone to Tim. I heard this lilting, charismatic voice say, "Hey, Sis!" And I wondered where I was ... I pulled the phone away from my ear to double check to make sure it was really Susan who had called because I would have sworn it was Mark on the phone. Tim got a huge laugh out of that one! I called Rachel to tell her what he had done -- yup, he had done it to her, too!! I think he was a quite pleased with himself today!!

Where has the time gone??

I was going through old photos this morning (like I really had time) and found this one ... Since RJ is almost 5, this must have been a few years ago! Then I compared it with the one I just posted a few days ago! Wow! How quickly life changes!!

Cookie decorating lasted all of ... about ten minutes!!

Sandi and I thought it was a brilliant idea to have the kids decorate sugar cookies for Christmas. However, she was sick today and wasn't feeling particularly festive so I thought I would undertake this challenge. Challenge? Well, today it was going to be just Tyler and RJ and they don't necessarily agree on much of anything right now. They truly are like brothers. They love each other -- and I do believe that -- however, there are times when I don't think they necessarily like each other at that moment.

But, they both seemed excited about the project at hand. And we had two different colors of icing -- I cheated on this one and bought 'rolled out cookie dough'. I didn't know that there were packages of icing -- red and green -- with the dough so was a little relieved that I didn't have use my Kitchen Aid mixer which seems to project confectioners sugar all over the kitchen before I get it nicely mixed. The outcome of the icing is great -- but, I'm not particularly fond of the process. Mine is a little older mixer and it doesn't have the shield. I've tried all kinds of things -- including spreading a big towel over the counter and setting the mixer on it. Maybe that would work -- it didn't so I just gave up on that and resigned myself to cleaning up after mixing. I'm glad I did take that cake decorating class years ago so the icing comes out nice and actually dries so that the cookies aren't gooey.

Okay ... all that to say that for about 10 minutes, RJ and Tyler managed to control their urges to chase each other through the house and settled in to decorate cookies. I thought we were doing a pretty good job until Tyler reached for the little 'balls' and said he really needed to add a pimple to his cookie. Pimple? (It's right below an eye!)

I asked RJ how he liked his creations and he assured me he they were very colorful. Tyler kept wanting to mix red and green but Tim and Sandi assured him he would not want the color it produced. I would probably still have the cookies long after the holiday season passed. Of course, my camera was handy!!!

As you can tell, RJ became more interested in eating the "sprinkles" rather than using them. And while I am writing this, he has told me thought he would like to eat one of the cookies and promptly came back to say, "Thank you for the cookies, Nina!"

I raised four girls so decorating cookies seemed to be part of the territory. However, I think roping these little guys into the project and trying to sell them on the idea that it's going to be LOTS of fun was a little stretch. Before too long, they began to get a little antsy and Tyler informed me he thought he was done now. Oh, well ... it was fun while it lasted and I go some good photos!

Three disciples ... or three kings?

Tyler was watching me go through my blog yesterday and said, "Stop!" He had seen the picture of Rudy in his sister's school play. He said, "Are those girls the 'three disciples'?" After I said, "What?" because I wasn't sure exactly what he had said, he corrected himself. "I mean -- are those the three kings who came from 'the far'?

I guess he's getting used to me blogging about him so if he says something cute when he is here and I'm sitting at my computer, he will ask, "Are you going to write that down?"

I don't dare share any secrets .. he's a good reader now and can read pretty quickly. However, if he can't read it all fast enough for his liking, he will say, "Nana, read it all to me. PLEASE!" If it's about him, he will laugh hysterically! Oh, well ...

Gotta get ready for church -- have a wonderful Sunday!

To: Bailey; From: WHOM???

Teri called me and said, "Mom, you gotta blog about that!" About what? About what happened when you were wrapping gifts for the girls. Okay ... so I felt rather silly, why would I want to blog about that? Then again, why would I not want to blog about it? Isn't part of blogging to make fun of yourself and enjoy the laughter along with everyone else. And believe me, there are plenty of times I have to make fun of myself!

I was wrapping gifts last week -- with eight grandchildren, I like to keep some track of what I am giving them as I collect things sometimes throughout the year -- okay, if the truth be known, for the past couple months. Although, I am pretty proud of myself actually. Not long after Christmas, I came upon a sale on clothes for my girls and their guys. It was one of those 75 percent off the already sale price so I made a real steal. I put them in the back of my closet and promptly forgot them! Fortunately, I needed to find something in my closet (which is one of those long walk-in closets) -- and voila! There was Christmas! I had lots of stuff I had forgotten I had.

So now I have gotten sidetracked from the 'real story. I made the list, checked it twice and it didn't matter who was naughty or nice, they were all getting approximately the same value -- give or take a little. I asked Shonna to help me load up the gifts for Teri and her girls in bigger bags so as not to make oodles of trips to my van. She did and then stopped! "Uh, Mom ... who is "Pants"?" "Pants? What do you mean, 'Who is Pants?'" She brought a gift to me and very nicely and neatly, I had written -- "To: Bailey; From: Pants".

I guess I really got carried away when I was making my list -- didn't check it twice obviously -- or I would have caught that I wrote what the 'gift' for Bailey was on the "From" line -- rather than on the actual list itself. I better find out if I wrote "Nana" on the gift list. Perhaps I am giving myself away this year!

Oh, well ... so, girls .. I have done what you asked. I blogged about a crazy thing in my life. Of course, to do so is not a stretch most days! It seems to be a daily occurrence!

"Christmas Without Snow" -- Snow foolin'!

I opened our newspaper (St. Pete Times) this morning and there was an entire page dedicated to "Christmas Without Snow" .... along with the urging to send this link to your northern friends. It's cute ... Enjoy!! And you may want to even sing along ... lol!

"Christmas Without Snow"

Kids will sing and laugh and play on a sunny shore today;
Santa will not need a sleigh, Christmas without snow!
Bright star just like Bethlehem, Palm trees we've a lot of them;
Come now let us sing a hymn, Christmas without snow!

Chorus:
Snow, snow, snow, No, no, no, So, so so, Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!!

Santa pack your summer clothes and some salve for Rudolph's nose;
Sunburn always makes it glow, Christmas without snow!
Santa bring your water skis, Ice cream snowballs if you please;
It is 81 degrees, Christmas without snow!
(Chorus)

Even jolly Frosty Snowman will leave town as fast as he can
To avoid a fatal suntan, Christmas without snow!
Even little Suzy Snowflake will become a crispy cornflake
When she hits our torrid landscape, Christmas without snow!
(Chorus)

Santa's elves will wear their shades way down in the Everglades,
Never mind the hurricanes, Christmas without snow!
Alligators celebrate, They think Christmas Day is great!
They all look like they just ate, Christmas without snow!
(Chorus)

Dolphins wear their Christmas hats and resemble acrobats,
Reindeer wish they could do that, Christmas without snow!
A happy bird will get his wish on Christmas Eve his favorite dish,
That pelican can really fish, Christmas without snow!
(Chorus)

Christmas kitty's little will get a case of sandy claws,
Where Mr. Shark shows off his jaws, Christmas without snow!
In Florida old Mr. Scrooge will change his humbug attitude,
Hawaiian shirts improve his mood,
Christmas without snow!
(Chorus)

If you like sleet and yucky slush or husky dogs that you can mush,
Away from here you better rush, Christmas without snow!
If you like Christmas in the sun and pink flamingos by the ton
Then join us for some yuletide fun, Christmas without snow!
(Chorus)

Tasha Lee ....

That is the name that Tyler has given his baby sister -- except that his parents seem to know nothing about this other than what he is telling them. He is emphatic that he will have a new baby sister by next Christmas. I think his mom is a little scared about this since he prayed for snow in Indiana and they got a blizzard -- does that mean that there might actually be a baby sister and that it might even be twins?!

Grandchildren make life so interesting and lots of fun ... at least, for the most part. I was raised with four brothers but I think my three grandsons who live nearby have way more energy than my four brothers did! Or maybe I was too entranced by 'guys' to be too stressed by active brothers. Who knows?

By the way, I love the song, "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" ... but our weather hasn't cooperated too much so I guess I'll just have to rely on the 'look' of brilliantly decorated homes and long lines at the shopping centers. With lows in the 60's and highs in the mid-70's, it just doesn't lend itself for even using our fireplace! Oh, well .. I should be happy I'm not shoveling snow or scraping ice off the windshields. I'll trade singing that song any day before I'd want to do that on a regular basis.

Have a wonderful weekend!

An awesome Christmas!!

I love it when our kids outdo themselves with their Christmas gifts. And the excitement they have takes me back when they were little girls -- so excited by the things they made for Mom and Dad -- knowing that those gifts are the most special.

Soooo ... last night, we celebrate Christmas with three of the girls. We all contributed to dinner -- a turkey (25 pounds so it will last ALL through the holiday season for sure), mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, green salad, bread, and all kinds of Christmas goodies for desert. We decided to not have dressing/stuffing this time. Roxanne set the table complete with candlelight. I was finishing up dinner when I heard Tim and Sandi arrive with the strict instruction to me, "Stay in the kitchen!!" We have a somewhat open floor plan in our living room / dining room / living room so that meant I had to stay in one corner of my kitchen. I am not claustrophobic but having to stay right there for a little while was beginning to make me think I could become -- just a little claustrophobic. My sink looks into the living room which meant I couldn't even venture that far away from my corner. Hey, I was good when I was a kid and NEVER had to stand or stay in a corner. You'd think that after 58 years, I wouldn't have to do it now. I wondered if I might look like a dog or something when I heard the words, "Stay!"

I heard Tim call for Chris and Ron to help him and I was beginning to wonder 'what in the world' was going on. Then I heard them say they were going into my bedroom. Horrors! I had stuff all over the place from wrapping gifts and addressing Christmas card envelopes!! Finally, they said, "Okay, let's eat -- but, Mom, you have to stay out of your bedroom!!" Okay, then!!

We ate amidst lots of activity - when you have three boys, ages 4, 7 and 9, things can get a little hectic. I have a perfect racetrack in my house -- even though there are a couple steps along the way, they never seem to lose momentum!! So, we ate and then the girls just couldn't wait anymore! "Mom, you gotta see this!!" And this is what I found in my bedroom! The perfect gift since I have been wanting to get one for quite a while and know it is really necessary if I am going to stay healthy and drop some of those unnecessary pounds that seem to be so stubborn to lose.

They did tell me that it was just one part of my gift but quite frankly, this was rather overwhelming to say the least. I have been wanting to walk more but it seems to easy to put off going to the mall to walk or going around our neighborhood. I have NO more excuses!! And that is good!

We shared more gifts and had lots of fun and laughter -- again, sometimes amid boys having fun or acting more like brothers than cousins! They love each other but can also irritate each other in a heartbeat! If it gets too crazy for me, I just go in another room for a few minutes .. take a deep breath and enter the fray again!

The girls handed me a box that weighed nothing at all! I thought .. what in the world is this? Just a bunch of air although if you shook it, there was some slight movement. Inside, I found this:

This certificate entitles

Mom

to a

"Girls' Weekend (or weeknights) Away"

From the women in your life --

Roxanne, Sandi, Teri and Shonna

and Rachel will be joing us as well!!

Merry Christmas!!

Wow, what a gift!! I enjoy friends but the most fun I have is spending time with my girls and my sister. We laugh -- we can talk (all of us a mile a minute -- scary, huh?) I'm sure we will have a great time -- what greater gift could I ask for -- and the treadmill was just the icing on the cake -- or Christmas cookies! Thanks, girls, for an awesome Christmas already! I am indeed blessed beyond measure!!

Four plus four equals grandkids!!

I have spent time with all eight of the grandkids this week ... this evening, it was Christmas with the St. Pete crowd since Roxanne and Chris are heading to Atlanta for Christmas. On Tuesday, it was Christmas in Winter Haven with the four Messner young'uns! So ... thought I'd share a couple photos, of course! What's a blog without a photo ... just that, a blog!

In the photo above, it's Regan, 10, me (duh), Rudy, 7 months, Marley, 11 and Bailey, 8.

The St Pete bunch .. Kamen, 9, Tyler, 7, Rudy, 4, Kasi, 17 (and me!)

I actually got one good photo!!!

Kamen wasn't necessarily thrilled by his mom and Nana's insistence on a photo op right after his program. And it wasn't necessarily easy to even find him amid about 150 kids or so -- give or take a few! By the time they dismissed and urged the parents to come find their kids, everything was chaotic! I'm sure there must have been some lost parents along the way.

It was pretty funny watching a couple first graders make shadow puppets on the wall as they stood, singing. Top row -- turning totally around and facing the wall. You could see the teachers on their way. Who me??? What was I doing??

I wondered what must go on in the minds of those little ones -- they had to sit for about thirty minutes or so. They amused each other or their parents -- or rather, their parents were probably not particularly amused by their antics. Yet, you could see parents waving back to the kids who loved to wave as they were singing -- on tune? Maybe, part of the time. But, that's what makes a kids' program so special. It is simply kids -- doing what kids do best. Sing a little, wave when they find Mom or Dad or Grandma ... turn around in circles a couple times, oops, losing our balance, are we? No one fell of the stage. Well, I take that back -- no one actually fell of the stage but the emergency personnel came when one of the kids barrelled down the aisle prior to the program and promptly landed (head first) on the pointed edge of one of the rows of seats. He appeared to be okay other than blood spurting from the wound.

Me? I was racing in at the last minute -- making it through Tampa traffic (a little after rush hour), dropping Shonna off and all of her belongings -- and finding a parking place at the back of the lot -- in a dark parking lot -- okay, I'm sort of adding to the story for effects although it was dark where I was parking. (I didn't mention that there were a lot of other folks arriving -- enough to have a cop directing the traffic.)

You always enjoy seeing a child who so enjoys what he or she is doing that they sing above the rest of the crowd. You are always afraid that if you laugh, you will find out that a parent of that child is sitting right next to you!!

What a neat evening! Lots of fun ... it's such a delight to watch a room full of kindergarten through third graders try to dazzle their parents. And the parents try to dazzle the crowd by dressing them to the nines in their Christmas dresses. Too bad they don't always train their girls to sit properly on a stage ... lol!! Oh, well ...

On to the good photo of Kamen and his mom ...

An unhappy Jesus ...

Teri's girls told me about their Christmas program. I'm sure there was much singing and a Nativity scene as well. Rudy played the part of Jesus ... well, perhaps he insisted that he would rather not play the part of Jesus so as the kids sang, Rudy "howled", as Teri described it! I'm sure Jesus cried as any baby would -- but his crying was not an angry cry such as Rudy's was!

What photos!!

Our friends, Bob and Roxanne Bair, forwarded these photos of their granddaughter. We've known her mommy, Kim, since she was born -- actually, (my) Bob performed the wedding of her parents. Her daddy, Bob, attended our first pastorate -- way back in 1969!! Wow! I just had to share these two when Shy was heading out on her first sledding adventure!!

I'm sure I will have pictures of Tyler in the snow as soon as they get home!! They had to buy snow boots for him in Indiana. The sun was so bright today when they were driving home that Tim had to buy sun glasses!! Go figure!

The Christmas Rewind, Part Two

Well ... sort of. Here is the inside of Roxanne's program. It was an awesome program -- filled with tradition yet also a different approach to the Christmas story. You could feel the Spirit of Christ in the service along with lots of laughter as a five-member cast brought the Christmas story to the 21st century.

Now we are in the countdown mode -- and that's a little scary to see if we can get everything done!

Be careful what you pray for ...

Be careful what you pray for ... Our son-in-law, Tim, REALLY wanted their son, Tyler, to see snow while they were in Indiana. So, Tyler, 7, did what Tyler does well ... he prays! (His prayers have been answered so often that young people have actually asked him to pray for them when taking a test!) Tyler prayed for snow! Has anyone checked the forecast for Indianapolis -- or for that matter, anywhere in the mid-section of the country? A possible 8-12+ inches of snow today and tomorrow with blizzard-like conditions tomorrow! They were planning to start home sometime tomorrow but it appears that Tyler will be enjoying the snow instead! (Probably from inside part of the time since 40 mph winds are also forecast!) God truly answered Tyler's prayer! However, I'm not sure Sandi was particularly amused when Tim told her that Tyler had also prayed for a baby sister! --Linda

What we won't do for our kids ....

I returned home after a weekend in Atlanta to immediately go to work ... for my oldest daughter!! Last week, she asked me if I would help her put together the bulletin/program for this Sunday. (Click on photo for 'full' size.) Since I spent quite a few years doing that type of thing (Free Methodist Church in Indianapolis and others), I told her I could probably handle that. So, here's the front page -- I won't share the inside until after Sunday. She has worked diligently in preparing .. I'm sure she will be ready to 'crash' once it is over!!

You might be a Floridian if ....

You might be a Floridian if...

• "Down South" means Key West" and Panhandling" means going to Pensacola. And it's about 16 hours driving time between the two!! Yikes!
• You think no-one over 70 should be allowed to drive. Well ... that depends!
• Flip-flops are everyday wear. I don't like flip-flops but my girls wear them year 'round!
• Shoes are for business meetings and church.No, wait, flip flops are good for church too
• Orange juice from concentrate makes you vomit Not vomit but it's not as good as the real thing.
• Sweet tea can be served at any meal.
• An alligator once walked through your neighborhood. We were closer to alligators when we lived in Auburndale around the lakes.
• You smirk when a game show's "Grand Prize" is a trip to Florida.
• You measure distance in minutes.
• You have a drawer full of bathing suits, and one sweatshirt.
• You get annoyed at the tourists who feed seagulls. Seagulls know how to attack food if you are not careful!! I know -- been there, done that!!
• You never use an umbrella because you know the rain will be over in five minutes
• All the local festivals are named after a fruit.
• A mountain is any hill 100 feet above sea level. Now that's funny -- but true!
• A good parking place has nothing to do with distance from the store, but everything to do with shade.
• Your winter coat is made of denim And I just bought three grandsons denim coats!
• You can tell the difference between fire ant bites and mosquito bites
• You're younger than thirty but some of your friends are over 65 I'm not younger than 35 -- but a couple of my kids are and they have friends over 65 -- many!!
• You know the four seasons really are: almost summer, summer,not summer but really hot, and Christmas.
• It's not "pop." It's "soda" or "coke."
• Anything under 70 is chilly. And Sunday it is supposed to be 68 -- brrrr!
• You've hosted a hurricane party. Done that before! Even when the power was off!
• You go to a theme park for an afternoon, and know when to get on the best rides. Yup!!
• You pass on the right and honk at the elderly. I may pass on the right but try not to honk at the elderly!
• You understand the futility of exterminating cockroaches. Horrors!! And Florida cockroaches are not little!!!!
• You can pronounce Okeechobee, Kissimmee, Withlacoochee, Okahumpka and Loxahatchee. I can do that!
• You understand why it's better to have a friend with a boat than have a boat yourself.
• You've driven through Yeehaw Junction. Anyone know where that is? If you're from Florida, you probably do - been through there several times!
• Bumper stickers on the pickup in front of you include various fish, the NRA and a confederate flag.
• You've worn shorts and used the A/C on Christmas. And had a fire in the fireplace. Now that's a little crazy!!
• You know what the "stingray shuffle" is and why it's important! Especially early in the morning!
• You know that no other grocery store can compare to Publix. There are two within about a mile of our house!
• Every other house had blue roofs in 2004-2005 We were fortunate!
• You’ve gotten out of school early on Halloween to trick or treat before it got dark That would relate to my grandkids!
• You know that anything under a Category 3 just isn't worth waking up for.
• You dread lovebug season. And they are hard to clean off your car. If you are driving through the middle of the state during 'love bug' season, you may have to stop periodically to clean your windshield! I've done that before!!
• You are on a first name basis with the Hurricane list. They aren't Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances...but Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. Ain't that the truth?!!
• You know what a snowbird is and you hate them. I actually like snowbirds! Except at 11am in Walmart!

Kudos to my daughter ...

For those of you who know our family, you know that we all polar opposites. Take a personality test in our family, and you will get all four personalities and various combinations of them all! (Especially when you add in sons-in-laws, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, etc.) However, that's what makes a family 'tick' well. We have our typical problems as does any family. Relationships are strained at times -- but the bottom line is that we stand together.

One of the things we get frustrated about (among many things -- ugh!) is how common gossip, evil speaking occurs. Oh, we've been on the receiving end of that -- and part of me wants to shake folks and say, "Why don't you come talk to us?" It's like when there is a divorce and you listen to one side. And I've been caught up in the rumor mill at times and usually Bob is the first one to urge me to not discuss it outside our home. It's easy to get carried away when someone tells us something 'juicy'. Why is it that we seem to feed on negative things we hear about others? I guess we've lost sight of the "Whatsoever things are pure ... think on these things." I'm talking to myself, too!! I'll be honest, if I wrote about all the 'juicy' stuff I 'think' I know about people, I'd write a huge book! And it would probably be a work of fiction!

Recently, Bob reminded me of John Wesley's sermon on "The Cure of Evil Speaking" and as I read it, I had to say, "Ouch, Amen!!" Wow!!

Anyway, back to the "kudos" thing ... Sandi (on the right in the photo above) posted the following on her blog recently. I read it and knew that everything she said was true. However, one of the interesting things about this is that the youth of our church and conference absolutely love her. She may speak "truth" to them and will not listen to "gossip", but when their home is open to the young people, lots of them show up!! I remember her telling us about some issues at youth camp and when she dealt with them, the girls were issued an order which they followed -- do not talk about this especially as it related to 'evil speaking'. (I couldn't even tell you who the girls were.)

Rather than ramble on ... I am going to include a portion of what she wrote ... and I am going to strive to be more like her in this way! We have learned to 'learn' from each other. I learn stuff from my grandkids and kids! Hopefully, they won't learn the rambling technique I seem to have mastered so well!!

"I am never the first on anyone's list to ask out to dinner or the movies and that is partly my own fault. Through my own experiences and stuggles, I have developed my own set of "rules" for myself and they include not allowing gossip when I am around and never talking to someone about an issue unless they are the person involved or seeking advice only from those in my level of leadership or above. That can make friendships interesting to say the least. There are many times when I walk in a room that conversation stops. And I can understand why people would feel that I am not the most "fun" person to be around. I also made a decision about 4-5 years ago that I would rather be respected than liked. That can be very lonely place to be but I feel like it was something I needed to do and God was calling me to a different place in my relationship with Him and with others." --Sandi's blog

Hopefully, when I grow up, I will be more like her!!

I'm Dreamin' of a Warm Christmas ....

Somebody needs to write a song about this -- actually, I am going to attend Kamen's Christmas program (at Northside Baptist Church) and they usually have an interesting rendition of common Christmas songs adapted to our lovely warm weather. I think it must be warmer than usual -- it is 80+ degrees in December!! Come on! We need a little bit of snow. I think I will go back to Cracker Barrel (I stopped there yesterday) and pick up one of those snow globes -- except this was a plastic thingy which recycled the snow so that it fell throughout a song. (Isn't that an awesome description?)

After Christmas Eve service, we usually join Tim, Sandi and Tyler for a ride looking at Christmas decorations. While it may be warm here, I can assure you that there is no lack of decorating for the Christmas season. Some leave the lights up through -- maybe March or so!! I hate to take the tree down too soon!!

I haven't even picked up wood for my fireplace yet. We are still running the air conditioner. I was in Atlanta over the weekend and my brother had his airconditioner going full blast. I think he's just having hot flashes and if he reads this blog, my guest room may not be available the next time I arrive. (Then again, I help Michael with dish washing chores so he welcomes my visits!!)

While I sort of (and stress "sort of") miss a White Christmas, I can assure you that I do not miss the 'white stuff' which makes it 'white'!! I had plenty of years sliding in the stuff and trying to clean it off my car! I will happily enjoy my Warm Christmas -- while I sing about a "White Christmas" and remember that it is ONLY in my dreams!

I guess I am a true Floridian now!!

Far away yet close to home!

When I saw the news yesterday about the killings in Denver, I took note quickly that the church listed was "Faith Bible Chapel". We have visited the church several times with friends, Geof and Anjila Stimack who live in Arvada (where the church is located). I called Geof wanting to confirm that this was the church and he did. They had actually attended another church where a friend was speaking but Geof's son, Scott, called and alerted them as to what had happened. Geof and Anjila went by the church on their way home and spoke with the missions director. He gave Geof the information that later appeared on the news -- which I thought was interesting since news reports seem to always get something wrong!!

This church's focus is its missions ministry. Geof and Anjila have often hired youth with WYWAM so they wondered at first if it could possibly one of those they knew. But, they didn't recognize the names.

So sad!! So while it may have been far away from us, having been there several times made it seem like it was right next door!!!

Okay .. carrying on the 'tradition' ...

A little Christmas Survey....
I saw this on Amy Benson's blog and then on Mary Ellen's blog, so here goes ...

1. Christmas tree up yet? Yes -- I usually get it up the day after Thanksgiving -- this year, it was a week later.

2. Any Christmas decorations up yet? Some -- I got the tree done!

3. What are you asking for for Christmas? Nothing in particular -- except framed photos of my kids and their families!!

4.What do you usually do on Christmas Eve? Go to a late Christmas Eve service (11pm). This year, I am actually helping with the choir at our church's 7pm service. We always have liked the late service, too.

5. What do you usually do on Christmas Day? The kids come over in the afternoon. I almost always make scalloped potatoes/ham. If I don't, they would think I was sick!! We open gifts --usually we eat first but we changed that last year and let the kids open gifts first!

6. Do you own any Christmas clothes or jewelry? Earrings and some sweaters.

7. Do you use white or colored Christmas lights? All white.

8. Do you bake Christmas cookies? Usually -- and I get the grandkids involved. Although that gets pretty crazy when you involve little boys. They get more confectioners sugar on them then on the cookies. Oh, well!!

9. Do you buy Christmas presents for your whole family? That depends on who you describe as the 'whole family'. Our whole family -- meaning our kids and grandkids, yes. Other than that, no. Mom, Dad, etc., yes.

10. How many friends do you buy presents for? A few

11. Is there a Santa Claus? Well, my kids thought there might be one until they were about 10.
They actually knew all along who was the real Santa!!

12. Favorite Christmas Carol? I'd love to play Christmas music all year long! However, Silver Bells has always been a favorite.

13. Would you rather it be a white Christmas, or a warm Christmas? I like to SEE a white Christmas but I like to be in a warm one!

14. Was last year a good christmas? Each Christmas is different but when there are children involved, it's always good no matter what!

15. Which Christmas color do you like better? Red

16. Do you get a real Christmas tree, or is it artificial? Prelit 9ft tree!

17. When you get older, will you get a real or artificial tree? When I get older?? How old do you have to be to be 'older'??

18. Do you hang stockings? Of course - it's the first thing my girls head for -- their kids aren't as anxious as they are. Of course, they all help to fill the kids' stockings!!

19. When opening presents, does your family all open them at the same time? We tried to do one at a time but with a room full of kids, we decided they all want to do it at once. The adults may take a little longer.

20. What is usually in your stocking? Always something interesting.

21. Do you get up early on Christmas day? Not necessarily since the girls have their own family Christmases before they come to our house.

22. Does your family eat breakfast before or after opening presents? Since they open them after lunch, I suppose it would be after breakfast, too!!

23. Do you have a favorite ornament you hang on the tree? I have a bunch of them -- however, the ones that Sandi has made for the kids are my favorites. Which reminds me, I need to get them on the tree!

24. What Christmas movie do you like to watch the most? I'm not really sure. I enjoy the Rudolph and Charlie Brown programs so maybe it's not a movie but the Christmas shows. My girls enjoyed those when they were little.

25. What do you like better, Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? Both!

Can't kiss the girls??? But, I am charming!!

Last evening was our church Christmas banquet and the kids stayed at the church. When Sandi picked Tyler up, she heard some interesting info he had shared! The lady that was doing child care absolutely loves Tyler and would like to follow him around all day with a video camera, she told Sandi. Last night was classic!

He wanted to kiss the girls! Go figure!! Donna said, "There will be NO kissing tonight!" Tyler looked at her and said, "How 'bout tomorrow?"

So, he couldn't do that so decided to share with one little gal, "You're beautiful. I got a hair cut today. Don't I look charming?" (Yes, he used the word 'charming' ... at seven years old!!)

He really did not want to get a hair cut earlier in the day yesterday -- but guess he was glad he did last night!!

Elf'ing post below ...

It takes a few moments for this to load ... so be patient .. it's probably worth the wait.. Then again, maybe not!!

Am I an Elf? Or am I nuts? Or what??

Thanks to my friend, Theresa Cook, who sent me this .... well, whatever it is! I just had to add a couple photos. I can assure you that this is the only way I would get Bob to dance. LOL!!

Gotta love ya, Allen!!

Okay, so I was going through old photos -- primarily ones that my mother had collected -- and we found one that was a 'keeper'!! Lots of years ago -- probably before kids! (I figured since Mary Ellen could share the photos about William, I'd share this photo of Allen! If you don't hear from me for a couple days, you'll know I got shot down for posting this!)

Actually, my brother-in-law, Allen, is a great guy. He and Bob shared the title of FIL with my mother (Favorite In-Law) .. depending on who was in her good graces at the moment. No, that's not true -- she loved them both and it was an ongoing joke between the three of them!

Rachel has 'liked' Allen since she was about 12 years old -- didn't she say you were throwing rocks at her, Allen? Well, maybe pebbles -- I don't remember the details but it was a long time ago anyway! After twenty-four years of marriage and six children later, he has developed his gray hair! (Actually, I think he dyes it gray just to get us to feel sorry for him. Not really!)

If you are around him for very long, you will laugh .. sometimes because he is laughing at some joke he told you and he found funnier than you did! LOL! Or just because, he is funny! Of course, I get amused and a little deaf when Rachel asks him to call the kids for dinner. He may be standing right next to her in the kitchen and the deafening 'call' ... "KIDS, come to dinner" may leave your ears ringing -- but they definitely heard him!!

Actually, all kidding aside ... I want to say 'thank you' to him for being a great husband and father. And pastor, as well. Also .. he has been a great son-in-law and for that, we are all grateful. My dad lives not too far from them and Rachel spends a lot of time taking care of things my dad needs. Not every husband would take kindly to that and I'm sure there are many times when Allen might think, "This is enough already!" But, he doesn't voice that and if my dad calls for him to come pray with him, he's right there.

He's a good pastor and preacher ... drop in at Spiceland Nazarene Church some time (just south of New Castle, IN) -- you would find a ready welcome, a big smile and the humor that extends ... well ....

I'll finish with this story ... a true one, too! Larry States called Allen to tell him that his sister, Jeannie and her husband, Clint, were going to be visiting church one Sunday morning. Allen had never met them before but Larry, being the prankster that he is, asked Allen to have some fun with them. So, he did ... He announced to his church that they had a 'homeless family' attending church that morning! In spite of that, they have established a great friendship -- after the gasp from Jeannie and Clint! In retrospect, Jeannie said she wished she would have thought quickly enough to get up from her seat and walk out .. she didn't and they have visited Spiceland Nazarene since then!!

Not sure why I posted this today-- except that I found this great photo and just had to share it!! Allen ... are we still friends? Or family? (By the way, he's the only one I can IM and both of us can type fast enough as if we were talking.)

The Twelve Days of Christmas, Florida Style

Loved this ... it was in our newspaper this morning!!

One parrot in a palm tree
Two pink flamingos
Three pounds of grouper
Four swimming pools
Five manatees
Six turtles nesting
Seven swimmers swimming
Eight grills a-grilling
Nine dolphins flipping
Ten boats a-sailing
Eleven tourists tanning
Twelve beach guys drumming

And your name is???

I attended a LINDA Luncheon yesterday -- I had not been able to attend any of them since the national LINDA Convention in July so I was anxious to catch up with friends! It's amazing how a 'name' can connect you! All of us (except for two) were Linda's yesterday. I always get amused at restaurant personnel when they catch on to the fact that we all have the same name. We usually get either, "You really are ALL named Linda" .. or "You must be one of the Linda's!"

We have established close friendships. Linda Chapman (on the right in the photo at left) attended her first luncheon about a year and a half ago. We're sort of a rowdy bunch (no comments), lots of laughter and trying to all talk at the same time -- must be a "Linda" thing. Linda Chapman arrived and didn't have much to say. I won't share some of the topics that we discussed since it had to do with the upper part of the female body and I'm not sure who all reads this. Suffice it to say, another Linda compared herself to Linda Chapman and a smile began to appear on her face. She shared that her husband had died suddenly of a heart attack a couple months before and she was really struggling with that. I assured her that part of what we do as "Linda's" is to be of support to each other. Let's just say that before that lunch was over, she was 'one of us' and had laughed herself almost silly!! Her sister-in-law (another Linda and part of the LINDA organization for years) was so thrilled that she had connected -- and she's as crazy as the rest of us so she was sure Linda Chapman was in good hands!! That began a neat friendship -- especially for me since she is a committed Christian!

Linda Callahan (on the left in the photo on left) has a grandson, Jake, 5, who has Downs Syndrome. Yesterday, she brought a studio photo of her , Jake and Jake's younger brother, 2. We have shared in her celebration of various milestones in Jake's life -- he was written up in the newspaper not long ago -- and we all wanted to see that!

Linda Swafford (on far right in photo above) grew up in my old stomping ground -- I grew up in the Quad Cities area (Rock Island, IL) and she spent most of her growing up years in Muscatine, IA (across the river near Davenport, IA.) Her father has been ill, as mine has, so we have shared both in our luncheons and by email the various challenges we have had!!

Linda Proux (second from left) had back surgery -- and we all encouraged her each time we were together -- that we were praying for her and anxious for her to go to the national convention, which she did! And what a time we had there.

The Linda on the far left I haven't seen real often -- we attended my first convention 2-1/2 years ago but didn't get to go the past two years. So, it was neat to catch up -- and it's interesting that it seemed like we just took up where we left off.

While we don't know lots about each other's lives, we know enough to make us feel connected. And we all share one thing -- our name. No one seems to be a stranger when we arrive -- we all know each other's name and who we are or where we are from doesn't really matter.

I thought how it is or should be with Christians or 'Christ followers'. We share a 'name' .. we should not feel like strangers! We should feel like we belong when we meet! I want to be known more as a "Christ follower" than as a "Linda" because in the end, that is what will count!!

A Night at Disney and a Slide Show

I raised four girls – well, Bob and I raised four girls. (Actually, isn’t the correct word “reared” four girls? Oh, well!) So, when I spend time with four boys, my life instantly gets interesting. Fortunately, I did not spend time with all four boys at the same time. I think I would have lost at least some of my sanity!! Yet it is fun and as my girls would tell you, by the end of Tuesday night, I was getting rather “loopy”! I guess singing along with the music on Disney’s Main Street while waiting for the Christmas parade – and I might add, in the RAIN and rather loudly, could instantly make you loopy! Tim (our son-in-law) graciously offered his seat – right! In other words, the place he had picked on the curb! The poncho I had just purchased barely kept the rain from seeping through my jeans – well, the ‘seat’ part of my jeans. But the lower legs, I had to wring out the water a couple times!

Shall I backtrack, which is not unusual for me!! Tim and Sandi invited me to join them along with Roxanne and Kamen at Disney’s “A Very Merry Christmas Party” in Orlando. We stayed at the Port Orleans French Quarter. (Can I interject that when Sandi sent a text message about our hotel, she mistakenly wrote “POST Orleans” so from then on, it was Post Orleans to Roxanne and me! That is, until Roxanne tried to pronounce Concierge as “Consergee” and she decided that she couldn’t tease Sandi any more!)

Disney hosts the Party several nights throughout November and December. While the actual party doesn’t start until 7pm, you can get into the park around 4:30 or so. Sandi was ready and waiting and shooing us all out the door and onto the bus which would take us to the Magic Kingdom. When we got there, we traded our tickets for orange wristbands. After 7pm, anyone without a wristband would be escorted off the property.

Roxanne and Kamen headed back to Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain! This was to be Kamen’s first ride on a roller coaster! Roxanne explained that it was a train ride but it was probably the wildest train ride he had ever been on. Because it wasn’t particularly busy, they got off – and got right back on!!

I headed with Tim, Sandi and Tyler to the Jungle Cruise which took us to the “wild country”!! All kinds of animals – elephants, crocodiles and skeletons! As we were seated on the rustic boat, Tyler said rather loudly, “Nana, don’t be afraid. It will be okay!” I guess he didn’t think I quite got the message so he continued, “Nana, I’m right here. You will be safe!” Needless to say, that brought response from those sitting around us .. “Aaahhh!” This seven year old was committed to my safety. I am indeed blessed!!

I was quite entertained throughout the evening – from being part of a “Monsters Inc” event to entering the world of Buzz Lightyear and trying to aim and fire some sort of a laser gun, I was entertained! We found seats in “Mickey’s ’Twas the Night Before Christmas” although the little guys were not as delighted as us older folks. Then the real fun began!! We decided to grab something to eat – Okay, that wasn’t the real fun .. it was coming! After eating at “Cosmic” something-or-other, I opted out of going to the next attraction since Bob was going to call. And the next challenge was trying to find somewhere that wasn’t so noisy you had to yell to be heard! Granted, it was Christmas music and how can you not like that!! I finally found a spot, he called and just as I finished talking – it began to rain. It had been misting throughout the evening but as I decided to try to find the others, the rain began to pick up.

Try to find the back of the castle when it is spitting rain is difficult! And then it actually begin to blow a little and rain more! Fortunately, we all had cell phones (except for the boys, or course!) I found a kiosk of sorts which actually had a cover – and about 40 other folks (and me) used it for cover until the vendor decided that we had taken up enough room for long enough!! He ran us out about the time the fireworks began – yup, in the rain!

So, in the light of the fireworks, I decided to try to find my way to Main Street and maybe get into one of the little shops. I think I went in a circle to begin with! You would have thought as many times as we have been to the Magic Kingdom, I could get from the castle to the head of Main Street. But, of course, I’m not one to take an easy way – I can’t seem to make anything too easy! Finally!!! I got to one of the shops – AHHH! I’ve found the candy store and fudge!! Exactly what I wanted to get before we left for the night – surely, it is getting close to going back to the hotel room??? It’s like almost 10pm and aren’t we getting just a little tired – and all these people are heading for the entrance and surely it’s time to …. Take a rest!! OF COURSE NOT!!! WE HAVE TO WATCH THE PARADE!! AT 10:45 AT NIGHT!! IN THE RAIN!!! AND IT’S COLD!! AND WE ARE GETTING VERY WET!!

Okay, so I vented!! I’m back to where I began now – we were entertained as we waited by a variety of passerby’s (is that a word?) Tyler was wearing an “It’s my birthday” button so Mickey’s helpers gravitated to anyone who wore such a button – or one that said “1st Visit”. By the way, as we rode in the bus from Post Orleans hotel (yes, I spelled it wrong on purpose), Sandi and Roxanne set next to a family from Australia – yesterday was their first day in the U.S.! What a welcome – both girls did an awesome job representing all of us (collectively speaking). The mother wanted to know what we ate on holidays such as Christmas Day —the girls shared our personal traditions but explained that they were not necessarily the national preference for a certain holiday. (We have scalloped potatoes and ham on Christmas Day. It’s just what we have done for years!)

Anyway, back to the end of the day – we waited for the parade – and waited – and waited some more. Parts of my body (not mentioned here) were beginning to become numb! If only it could have wasted away some of the extra pounds there! Ha!! Finally, about 10:50 or so, we began to see the beginning of the parade. It is a new parade this year and – Cinderella’s castle has a new look for the holidays this year, too. So … it was a fun time! Until one of the floats broke down – all at once, we had to pull our feet back quickly as a little tractor of sorts came flying up beside the parade and guys were running as fast as they could. It seems the parade had come to a screeching halt for a few moments and dancers had to almost dance in place! In about 30 seconds, they had it back moving and were giving the A-Okay sign along the way!

(Check out the slide show … and laugh! It’s okay! I won’t be offended in the least!!)

And just as we were leaving, it began to snow lightly. In 70 degree weather? Right! Hey, anything can happen … after all, it’s the Magic Kingdom! We finished the day looking up into tiny, twinkling snowflakes drifting softly to the ground!

And we were glad to call it a day – well – we went to sleep at 2am! So, last night, I decided to 'call it a night' at 9:30pm!! I must be getting old!!

Check out my Slide Show!

Travel, fog, rain, clouds, sun ...

Put all of that into one day and you have our day! It started out fairly early -- rainy, foggy day in Atlanta!! Yuk!! Two different climates ... rainy and cold in Atlanta -- sunny and WARM in Florida when we arrived home this evening.

Okay, so I'm ahead of myself, sort of. Isn't that the way I usually am! (Teri talked for quite a while yesterday to Phil and Lynne Driscoll. After a while, she said, "I'm my mother's daughter. I'll just keep on talking ... " So .. I'm rambling again!)

Let's backtrack to last night -- Wii game ... my brother has the big screen TV and the game. So, needless to say, his boys are facing the TV, "controllers" in their hands and are ready to play baseball, tennis, golf, bowling. Whatever strikes their fancy at the moment. But, it is pretty funny when one can't manage to hit the golf ball -- that wasn't actually my nephew but a friend of theirs who wanted to try his hand at it. You think Teri was going to miss out on the fun? Hardly! She thought she would put Rudy to bed and then play. WRONG!!! Rudy was not going to miss out on the fun so he positioned himself on Shonna's lap facing his mom (to make sure he knew right where she was at all times) ... and stayed up until .. well, midnight or so!! I was surprised that Teri was ready to go to the airport at 7:35am. Actually, we were supposed to leave at 7:30am but if you know Teri at all, you will know that leaving on time must have sent a shock wave across the world! So, we were only 5 minutes late.

We trudged along (in our van, of course) to the airport amid messy conditions. We were not complaining - Atlanta needs rain desperately!! So, I was happy they had rain even though I wasn't thrilled about driving in it. We arrived safely -- Teri strapped Rudy on (those cloth baby carriers -- I call it a papoose, but I really don't think that is what it is called!), grabbed her diaper bag / purse and her suitcase and headed for the door. I listened to the news as I left her -- an hour wait in security! Imagine my surprise when she called me about 20 minutes later to inform me she was at her gate already!! Huh??? It seems that one of the airport personnel spotted her coming in with her little guy and stuff and promptly said, "Come with me!" He took her down the wheelchair aisle and had her through security in a matter of minutes. She was only going to T2 gate (which for anyone who hasn't traveled through the Atlanta airport doesn't mean a thing -- if you have, you know right where it is!) She was able to get breakfast and change a baby and board her plane (first class on the way home) ... and she was home before we were two hours down the road. We drove through rain until about 40 miles south of Macon.

Okay, so now that I have completely bored anyone reading this and quite frankly, almost myself, I'll begin to wind down. The traffic wasn't too bad today! Thank goodness! No cops with radar guns aimed at my oncoming vehicle. A couple fender benders along the way but nothing to write home about. I was truly thankful for the prayers for our safe travel!!

It was nice to drive into the sunshine -- we actually started out in very cold weather (40's) and ended up in 83+ degree weather! Go figure! I began to wish I had just a little bit of the cooler weather. But, you can't have it both ways and I definitely prefer this nice warm weather to cold, bone chilling weather!!

So, there you have the rest of the story -- what was the beginning of the story? I have no clue since my mind is still in a fog from driving with such crazies on the road today! (No, not in the car .. along the road!)

Tomorrow I head for Disney!! Wahoo!! To spend the evening tomorrow night with two daughters and two grandsons (and a son-in-law) at Disney's "Very Merry Christmas Party"!! We'll stay at one of the hotels there on the Disney grounds -- if you are a Florida resident, you get all kinds of perks that out-of-stater's can't take advantage of!

So ... I'll write more in a couple days!! Think I'll call it a night -- or a day -- or whatever! At least, we are home safe! Oh, did I tell you that Shonna and RJ went with me, too? Teri and Rudy flew in to Atlanta to meet us. (I think I told the end of the story before the beginning!)

One funny story -- Teri was nursing Rudy and had put a blanket lightly over him so that she was modest. But, RJ was quite intrigued ... "Aunt Teri, do you have bottles in those?" I'm not sure just how she answered that one!!

Two plus three x two equals noise!!!

Okay ... you take my two girls (well, they are grown -- 31 and 33 years old), add three boys (ages 16, 20 and 23) and my two grandsons, ages 6 months and two years and it produces .. noise!! And lots of fun!! Of course, I had my camera handy and caught a few poses along the way! At midnight last night, they were just beginning to wind down -- Rudy actually fell asleep around 8:30 and slept through all the excitement. The three boys and my brother, Tim, had a great time entertaining or teasing RJ who was not in any hurry to settle down for the evening. Hopefully, he will get some sleep tonight -- or maybe it will be good if he doesn't and he will sleep all the way home tomorrow!

Christopher and Rudy -- the oldest and youngest of the boys seemed to strike up quite a friendship!! All is quiet this evening as the three oldest boys and Shonna headed out to a movie. RJ is hangin' out with Aunt Teri and Rudy!

It's been a nice weekend -- and thanks to my sister-in-law, Susan, who whipped a dinner for nine last night and ten tonight!

Tomorrow, we'll head for home -- it's been rainy here in Atlanta today but they have needed rain so badly that it has truly been a blessing.

Guess I won't ramble any more --

I couldn't pass up passing this on ...

I hope my sister doesn't hurt me too badly for sharing the following email with my friends. She tries to tell her siblings that she is not a writer but I think she sells herself far short. The passing of my mother was particularly difficult for her since she was just 42 years old when my mother went on to heaven. (Sorry for sharing, Rach!) Her oldest child is just 20 years old and her youngest, Seth, just turned 8 in October. While the rest of us miss our mom a lot, I had an extra 15 years with my mother that she didn't have. I am blessed by my family -- my brothers - Tim, Mark, Joel and Thad .. and our sister, Rachel. Thank you, Rachel, for putting into words what we all must feel but you described so eloquently!! I wanted to include a few photos .. and found a treasure -- the one of my mother with Allen and Bob. They shared the name "FIL" (Favorite In-Law) and bantered with her about which one carried the name at that particular moment! What memories to treasure!!

Dear Fam,

On Tuesday I was ordering our Christmas cards and the lady taking my order, which we have known for 10 years or so, put all the pictures down and said I will do this later. She proceeded to say, "Rachel, you lost your mother, my dad has been gone since February and I don't know how I am going to get thru this Thanksgiving. She started to cry and I felt as if Mother's gift of ministering came thru me as I told her how difficult this past year had been, but yet God gave us peace and helped the pain to ease a little.

I told her how last year I felt it very helpful to ease the grief and write a Thanksgiving prayer and thank God for all the things I learned from my mom and it helped me realize how blessed we truly are....On that basis I would like to take this opportunity to write another Thanksgiving prayer.....

"Dear God why did G'ma have to die?"

God, this is the question I hear so often from our Seth Mark.....He will be playing quietly with his legos and out of the blue this question will come. How do I answer this 8 year old who never even had the opportunity to spend as much time with her as the rest of us did? He seems to have a special bond with her.

Thank you God for the memories I can share with him to keep her close to his little heart. ( He was the first to break down and cry when we were at the cemetery on the one year anniversary of her passing)

Here are a few of the memories I want to share with him:

I can still hear her voice as she would call usually around 8:00 a.m. and ask "What do you have planned for today? I am having my devotions and I am praying for you....stay encouraged, God is still on the throne." Man, I sure miss hearing that!

I can still hear her shout praised to God when she was blessed and felt God's reassurance that all of her children were going to make it to Heaven......God will answer her prayers...

G'ma's touch was always so special as she would hug all of us when we came to visit and she loved all the little things the children were involved in and always made over all their accomplishments no matter how small.....Bible quizzing, basketball games, plays, etc. The children always wanted to call and tell G'ma how they did on their Bible quiz since they knew G'ma and &G'pa were praying for them....we still call G'pa and report to him and it he still enjoys sharing in their successes.

She touched our lives with the prayers she prayed daily for each one of us.

I find myself thinking about the smells of wonderful food cooking.....especially on Sundays as Mother would make her famous pork roast, carrot casserole, or chili, and meatloaf....These recipes I am passing on to my children and I tho't about her as I was putting the turkey in the oven today. She would always get up so early.

It's hard to believe over a year has passed, God, you've been so close when a wave of grief has passed over us and we just want to call Mother. The pain is not as fresh, but it is still a dull ache in our hears and lives. I have felt her near many times when I have been so discouraged and so overloaded, I've wanted to just call her. I then realize she has reached her goal...Heaven....I then think of the many times when we could come to visit she would be waiting in the doorway of their apartment and hug each one of us and welcome us home. One day I believe she will waiting at Heaven's gate for us and she will say, "I've been waiting for you, I knew you could make it and I'm so proud of you."

So God, would you tell my mother "Happy Thanksgiving"? Please tell her we are caring for Dad just like she would've wanted us to do.

God, thank You also for letting us have Dad live closer to us. Our children, especially Juliana, Seth, and Shaley have said so many time when we have been with G'pa, "I wish G'ma could've lived closer like G'pa then we could've spent more time with her and she could've come to church with us too.

Thank You for carrying Dad thru many hospital visits this year and allowing him to be with us this Thanksgiving. He has continued to minister to so many people. People stop me regularly to tell me what a blessing he is to them and how much they love him. What a gift he continues to be to us and so many others...in singing and praying with people.

Thank You God for my wonderful sister and brothers, husband and children who have been such a support this last year. Their love for Dad/G'pa and the grief over the loss of Mother/G'ma, has made an even stronger bond between us.

So, God when Seth asks again "Why did G'ma have to die" or Juliana writes me a note saying "I know you miss your mom and I really miss G'ma", help me to continue to instill in them the legacy of prayer and commitment to You that reminds us we can see her again someday!

Amen