Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas my dear friends and family. This has definately been a Christmas to remember at our house. This morning at 1:30 we were finally able to put up a small tree and get our presents around it. We brought out a couple of Caleb's nutcrackers from his collection so that we could feel somewhat at home in our new house. We are surrounded by boxes and have so many more to come over to the new house but God has been good. We've been able to be with almost all the family in the last few days and celebrate Christmas. From our house to yours may your New Year be blessed with God's love.

Prayer Request

Please continue to remember our friend and dear brother in Christ, Papaw (John Price). Wayne had the wonderful opportunity with the Seeds of Abraham motorcycle club to participate in a benefit to help Papaw yesterday. He is now home from rehab and is looking much better but continues to have some neurological deficits. His wife and family also need our prayers as they are standing by his side.

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!

I received this poem from a friend of mine and honestly it made me stop and think. I know our soldiers are involved in war and I follow some of the stories that come out but I tend to forget the personal side of the soldiers involved. This Christmas as we enjoy the freedom of celebrating Christ birth, try and remember a lonely soldier that helped to defend our country so that we can celebrate. This month say an extra prayer for our soldiers as they are away from their families and all the celebrations of their home. If you get a chance send a card to a recovering soldier to the following address:

A Recovering American Soldier

C/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center

6900 Georgia Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20307-5001

A Different Christmas Poem

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light, I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight. My wife was asleep, her head on my chest, My daughter beside me, angelic in rest. Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white, Transforming the yard to a winter delight. The sparkling lights in the tree I believe, Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve. My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep, Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep. In perfect contentment, or so it would seem, So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream. The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near, But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear. Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow. My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear, And I crept to the door just to see who was near. Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night, A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight. A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old, Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold. Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled, Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child. "What are you doing?" I asked without fear, "Come in this moment, it's freezing out here! Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve, You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!" For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift, Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts.. To the window that danced with a warm fire's light Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right, I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night." "It's my duty to stand at the front of the line, That separates you from the darkest of times. No one had to ask or beg or implore me, I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me. My Gramps died at ' Pearl on a day in December," Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers." My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ', And now it is my turn and so, here I am. I've not seen my own son in more than a while, But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile. Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag, The red, white, and blue... an American flag. I can live through the cold and the being alone, Away from my family, my house and my home. I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet, I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat. I can carry the weight of killing another, Or lay down my life with my sister and brother.. Who stand at the front against any and all, To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall." "So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright, Your family is waiting and I'll be all right." "But isn't there something I can do, at the least, "Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast? It seems all too little for all that you've done, For being away from your wife and your son." Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret, "Just tell us you love us, and never forget. To fight for our rights back at home while w e're gone, To stand your own watch, no matter how long. For when we come home, either standing or dead, To know you remember we fought and we bled. Is payment enough, and with that we will trust, That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

-Merry Christmas-

Coleslaw Recipe

This is a favorite recipe of mine that I received from my sister-in-law Aytha, who happens to be an awesome cook. I made this recipe several times this summer and fall and we so enjoyed it. A friend had e-mailed me about posting this recipe again so here it is:

Bacon Ranch Coleslaw

2 bags shredded cabbage coleslaw

12 oz jar ranch dressing

1 pkg. bacon bits

1 pkg. craisins

1 cup sugar

Combine dressing, bacon bits, craisins, sugar and cabbage, mix well. Refrigerate to combine flavors until chilled. Serves 12 people.

Parrot Humor

My friend, Lisa sent me this e-mail and I thought it was so cute that I decided to post it since we've all come through the Thanksgiving celebration. Enjoy!

A young man named John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a badattitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious, and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing
soft music, and anything else he could think of to 'clean up' the bird's vocabulary.
Finally, John was fed up, and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot, and the parrot got angrier and even ruder.
John, in desperation, threw up his hands, grabbed the bird, and put him in the freezer.
For a few minutes, the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute.
Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer.
The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's outstretched arms and said to John 'I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions.
I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior.'
John was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude. Just as he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued, 'May I ask what the turkey did?'

Thanksgiving Moments

We had the wonderful priviledge of sharing Thanksgiving with my family this year, we try to alternate my family and Wayne's every year. It has been a tradition of my dad's family to meet at my aunt's house every year since she has the largest home and it is more central for everyone to meet at. We had the typical Thanksgiving fare with turkey and all the trimmings, every plate that I saw was loaded up. Holidays are just not the same without my grandparents, my grandma passed on a few years ago and her favorite thing to do on Thanksgiving was bring out the card games, she absolutely loved to play cards. Grandpa passed away last year a few days before Christmas and he was truly the sweetest soul, making sure everyone had everything they needed and of course we loved his hugs. Grandpa and Grandma have passed on but they are having a great time in Heaven sharing together and I like to believe they are looking down and watching over us all. I've included some pictures of the family gathering. Enjoy!

This is Caleb with a couple of his cousins playing a favorite game, my cousins and and I have primarily had boys so we have lots of testosterone running around and these boys are only a few years apart in age. They always have such a great time getting together.

The two ladies that are sitting at the table facing the camera are my two aunts, Linda and Annette, my dad's sisters.

This is my aunt Doris and her husband Bob. My dad's oldest sister.

My mom and Wayne.

My dad talking with his brother Daryl.

My cousin Joni and I. Joni and I can go for months without seeing each other but when we meet up again it is like we've not ever been apart.
My cousin Josh and Marcello.

Beautiful Flowers

We've had a very busy last couple of weeks. Our house is up for sale and we've put an offer on another house so we've had showings and lots of paperwork and decisions to deal with. It looks like we could be closing on our house in the next few weeks and moving into our new home before Christmas. I've also picked up extra days at the hospital because Christmas will be here before we know it. My dear husband knew that I was under alot of stress because I've been having to deal with the majority of this, he has been out of town. Last weekend he brought me home this gorgeous bouquet of flowers, so I thought I'd include a couple of pictures. The flower arrangement has lilies, roses, sunflowers, and a few other flowers I'm not going to attempt to name but they are beautiful. I normally hate for Wayne to spend the money for flowers because they just die but this time I decided they were definately deserved. Each day I receive lots of pleasure from looking at these flowers, so I decided to take some pictures so that they can be put in my scrapbook. This picture below captured the pollen that had fallen onto the petals. Enjoy sharing my flowers with me.

Playing in the mud

This picture was taken in September before the rain came, our pond was so low that the kids thought they would take the john boat out and row in the pond. They didn't get to far they realized that playing in the mud was much more enjoyable than rowing a john boat. This is Caleb along with Bethany and Caitlin Myers. These clothes were alot of fun to clean up, the mud smelled so bad on them they had to be hosed down outside before they were allowed to enter the house.

This is one very, very, very dirty little boy but he had such a great time playing in the mud. It definately makes for an interesting scrapbook page. I'm thinking the title should be "Fun in the Mud or Mud Boy". What do you think?

Then the guys (Wayne & Joe) decided they needed to play in the water and row around for awhile after they saw what fun the kids were having. The pond became the lowest it has ever been in several years this summer because of the lack of rain in Southern Indiana. We've since had rain which has brought the pond back to where it needed to be.

Mirage of Thoughts

I've got so many thoughts running through my head tonight that I thought I'd at least share a couple. This past week has been absolutely nutty at our house.

1. Update on John Price (Papaw): we went and saw him on Sunday after church, he is not able to talk to us because of the trach in his throat but he did recognize us. It appears that his neuro status is not completely back to baseline. He has a very long road of recovery before him but at least he was moved on Sunday to a rehab unit at University instead of the ICU. Continue to pray for him and his family.
2. I had to make a lady DNR this week which simply means that she has made a decision to not be revived when her time of life is up. I fell in love with her and her family, she is the sweetest 90 year old lady and just found out that she has colon cancer that has spread throughout her body with less than a year to live. She has an absolutely awesome attitude about her situation even though her body is filled with cancer and blood clots.
3. I've dealt with a patient who was admitted with multiple bed sores on her body because of not being taken care of properly, needless to say social services had to be involved, such a sad case.
4. I've had open heart patients that are 3 and 4 days post-op and they are still confused, what a busy day that makes for me trying to continously reorient them and still get all my work done. Whew!
5. I've had so much going on that I actually stood a friend up for lunch today, talk about feeling bad. I was eating humble pie.
6. This list could go on and on but I'm going to stop for now.

Thanks to all who have told me that they are praying for me and to hang in there. God's perfect plan still hasn't been revealed yet but I'm learning to trust and hang closer.

Feeling Anxious

Yesterday afternoon I received a phone call that caused me great anxiety regarding an important decision that we are in the process of making, 5 minutes later I received another phone call from the same source again causing those horrible anxious feelings to surface. I immediately starting fretting, and thinking of all the worse case scenarios that could happen. I tried to call a couple of people to discuss what was going on because isn't that what friends are for, but no answer anywhere only voice mail. Then inside of me that small voice of God telling me to not be anxious, just to trust Him in everything and He would work it out and then the words to one of my favorite songs "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee". I wish I could tell you all the questions and anxiety went away immediately but that wouldn't be true. I still have a ton of thoughts and questions in my head regarding how everything will work out but God reminded me again this morning that His plan is so much better than my own. I'm such a control freak that I need to know how every t will be crossed and every i dotted but God is the one in absolute control of our lives even though I tend to only be hanging by my fingertips at times. You know I have this mental picture of me hanging onto a ledge and when I get tired and anxious God is right there with His shoulders just letting me sit there to continue hangin on. What an awesome thought about our ever faithful God.
By the way I did receive phone calls later that evening but God had already done the work and I could actually laugh about my anxious feelings. The situation is far from resolved but I do have perfect peace.

Update on John Price

This is a picture of Papaw along with a few others in the group, he is the one behind the motorcyle in the long sleeve black shirt with his mouth open, white hair and sunglasses.

Just wanted to give everyone an update on Papaw (John Price). He is now breathing on his own, ventilator is off, and the chest tube is out, there is no change with the blood clot on the brain. The problem is that he still has 9 broken ribs, is in a drug induced coma, is now running a low grade temp and still isn't responding appropriately to questions being asked. There is still some swelling on the brain and the neurologist feel somewhat hopeful that his neuro status will clear up but only time and prayer will tell the true outcome. His wife is very exhausted as she is spending all of her time at his side, please continue to lift her up in your prayers.

Need a Laugh?

A friend of mine sent this to me today, I've seen it before but got a good laugh out of it none the less. Enjoy!

Country Funeral
As a young minister, I was asked by a funeral director to hold a grave-side service for a homeless man, with no family or friends. The funeral was to be held at a cemetery way back in the country, and this man would be the first to be laid to rest there. As I was not familiar with the backwoods area, I became lost; and being a typical man did not stop for directions. I finally arrived an hour late.

I saw the backhoe and the crew, who was eating lunch, but the hearse was nowhere in sight. I apologized to the workers for my tardiness, and stepped to the side of the open grave, where I saw the vault lid already in place. I assured theworkers I would not hold them up for long, but this was the proper thing to do. The workers gathered around, still eating their lunch.

I poured out my heart and soul. As I preached the workers began to say "Amen," "Praise the Lord," and "Glory"! I preached, and I preached, like I'd never preached before: from Genesis all the way to Revelations.

I closed the lengthy service with a prayer and walked to my car.

As I was opening the door and taking off my coat, I overheard one of the workers saying to another, "I ain't never seen anything like that before and I've been putting in septic tanks for twenty years."

Prayer Request

Some of you may know that Wayne rides in a motorcycle club called the Seed of Abraham whose sole purpose is to minister to other motorcylists who do not know Christ as their personal Savior. One of the guys (John is his real name but he is known as Papaw to the group) in Wayne's club was involved in a very serious motorcyle accident on Sunday afternoon. The details are still sketchy as far as what happened but we do know that he was riding to work and went down on the Sherman Minton Bridge. John was stat flighted to our local University hospital (Level 4 trauma center). The injuries sustained are brain swelling, blood clot in the brain, crushed eye socket, punctured lung just to name a few. He is in a drug induced coma at this time to try and prevent any more intracranial pressure from movement. As of yesterday, John is responding to verbal commands but just not appropriately, when told to move 2 fingers he moves his entire hand. He has been upgraded from critical to serious and will be undergoing surgery today to repair the crushed eye socket. John and his family and the Seeds would certainly appreciate any prayers. This is a guy who has been riding for 30 plus years, his wife has been by his side since the accident and certainly needs God's sustaining strength to help her get through this difficult time. You can check out the Seed of Abraham club link by clicking: http://soamc.org/indiana.htm

Alcohol Anyone??

I had to take care of a patient today that had cirrhosis of the liver, liver failure and needed to have a transplant that isn't going to happen due to other issues. This patient has been told he has less than 6 months to live with 4 of those months already gone. I felt empathy, sadness and disgust all at the same time because I knew that this patient's condition was brought on by alcohol abuse. This individual is an alcoholic who has lost all of their material possessions, and familial ties except for a mother who currently has multiple myeloma. It literally broke my heart to see how sick this individual was but how their lifestyle brought on this horrible illness so thus my title. I have never seen a person so juandiced (yellow) in all of my life, even his hair looked yellow; it is a picture that will stay in my mind for a long time. Again I ask, alcohol anyone???????

Miracles on the Roof

Wayne and I had been dreading this past weekend because we knew there was going to be very little if any time spent together. I was going to have to work this weekend and Wayne was going to put a new roof on his parent's house. Wayne's parents needed a new roof put on and Wayne was the man for the job. The roof ended up being worse than originally thought (isn't it always) so the job was going to take longer and cost more money than they planned. Wayne's dad started tearing off some of the shingles on Friday morning and by afternoon his knees were really bothering him, he continued to work like a trooper though. On Saturday the job was continued and miraculously Wayne's dad had gotten off the roof to get a drink of water because as he was coming out of the house he went down on the back steps he was having severe chest pain. To make a long story short Larry (Wayne's dad) had to be rushed to the ER for severe chest pain that was unrelieved by 3 nitro pills. Larry has a history of heart disease, open heart surgery, and stent placement. ER ruled that Larry had a mild heart attack but no permanent heart damage was done, what a miracle.

Wayne was feeling very overwhelmed with a torn up roof that had to be covered and his dad in the ER. He started calling around asking some friends if they could help out and from the moment that folks started arriving to help there were always five people on the roof working even though people came and went all day long. God lifted this burden and other people were there to share the load. Another miracle on the roof. I'm happy to report that the roof is complete and Larry is feeling somewhat better. He is still in the hospital and there are some more test that are being ran to check out a few other things but things are improved.

Review of the past couple of weeks

It has been a busy couple of weeks around our house we've had the school play, been on fall break and celebrated a graduation. Caleb was the sheriff in his school play How the West was Dunn what a great job learning the lines and performing he did. We were so proud of him. That evening before the play he said to me, mom, my stomach feels real funny, I just don't know if I can do it. Once Caleb hit the stage he didn't appear nervous at all. The cast and teachers at St. John's did a great job on the play, jitters and all.

Caleb gets two weeks in the fall for break because St. John's has a balanced school calendar so he has enjoyed himself immensly. We were able to visit the children's museum in Indianapolis as one of our fun trips. It had been a few years since I'd been there and so much has changed. They have the coolest display of hand blown glass 3,200 pieces to be exact that were blown in Seattle and flown to Indy for this display. The display stands approximately 48 feet tall and weighs 18,000 pounds. The glass is simply beautiful, several variations of color and shape. Some of the highlights of the day were the train center, game center, robotics center, the race car and of course the carousel ride and so many others things. When I asked Caleb what his favorite section was the science center took the number one spot. In the science center we were able to dam water, play with the display of the balls that would bounce and turn depending upon which lever you turned, made DNA of wheat germ and got to take some home (yummy). Caleb was asked to be part of a video that was being filmed that day and he had to act like he was running off of a slide. The day was so packed with interesting things to do and it helped to stimulate Caleb's brain that had been on vacation for a week. He has already asked when we can go again.


Another highlight for us this past weekend was that my mom graduated from college. She is 51 years old and got her college degree. She has worked so very hard the past few years to achieve this personal goal that she had set for herself. We celebrated by having a open house for her with friends and family. Mom I just want you to know that I'm very proud of you, what an achievement. My mom has some very serious health issues but decided she wanted to achieve this goal overcoming personal obstacles. Way to go!!!!!!




This was a favorite picture taken this weekend of Wayne & Spencer (nephew). Wayne had just taken Spencer over to pet the horses in the background. I took numerous photo's but my computer is just way too slow to try and load them all.

photos of the wreck

These pictures are not the greatest quality because they were taken by Wayne's cell phone but you get the picture. Wayne took these pictures at the police impoundment lot when he got my stuff out of the car. Interestingly enough if you have a wreck in the state of Kentucky your car will get towed to a salvage yard in Cincinnati, Ohio, if you have a wreck in the state of Indiana your car will be towed to a salvage yard in Indianapolis, Indiana. This info is courtesy of Progressive insurance which has a very quick turn around for settling their driver's claims.

What a wreck

What a day yesterday was. I was on my way to work driving in dark, cloudy, rainy weather yesterday morning when I had a wreck, not a small one but a major wreck. It happened at 6:30am, I was in the left hand of traffic of a 3 lane interstate, saw the truck ahead of me start to hydroplane, I started slowing down because I knew there was a car in the middle lane beside me, I hit the water and hydroplaned myself. My car spun out of control, shot across the 3 lane interstate, hit the concrete barrier on the right, I took my hands off the steering wheel and was screaming and holding my head while my car was spinning a 360, then it shot across the interstate again and hit the other concrete barrier and came to rest facing oncoming interstate traffic. I was so scared and my chest was hurting badly. Two other vehicles were involved, there was a truck behind me that also hydroplaned and hit the concrete barrier, a car that also got hit during this whole process and had damage to all of the right side of his car, but it was drivable and he was ok. The guy behind me that also hit the concrete barrier rushed up to my car to check on me and started freaking out because he thought my car was on fire but it was just smoke from both airbags popping out. I was shaking so bad and my chest was hurting terribly that all I could do was sit there and cry. I had glass all over me from the windshield shattering but no cuts, no broken bones but lots of chest trauma. They were concerned about my heart because of all the chest pain & trauma but the CT of the chest didn't show any damage. All I can say is that God kept his hand on my car & me protecting me from what could have been a very different situation. I'm so thankful for God's protection. I did get to take my first ambulance ride but the neck collar and the strapping me down on the board was a terrible experience (those EMS guys wouldn't hear to making the straps a little less tight, but I did have to ask). I did manage to call Wayne from the scene, he was 2 hours away but needless to say he made it to the hospital in record time to be with me. I have a huge bruise starting at my left shoulder all across my body in a diagonal pattern going to my right hip. My seatbelt did it's job but I'm so very sore. The insurance company already settled up this morning and I've been able to purchase another vehicle. God's blessings are amazing.

I've been tagged

Thanks Ladonna & Dorcas! I've been tagged to write 7 random things about myself that you'll may not know.

1. I took my first plane ride when I was 16 years old for a short term mission trip to Turks & Caicos Islands with TLC out of Hobe Sound, Florida.
2. I've wanted to be a nurse since I was 5 years old.
3. I married my husband 6 days after I turned 18.
4. I collect cookbooks and can say that I probably have over 250 of them, in fact I bought another one this past weekend.
5. I enjoy playing volleyball.
6. I've made a CD with a ladies trio.
7. I love to travel and my dream vacation would be to go to Europe.

God's Message to Women

My cousin Kelli sent this beautiful poem to me and the author is unknown but I wanted to share it with you'll.

God's Message To Women.

When I created the heavens and the earth,I spoke them into being.When I created man,I formed him and breathed life into his nostrils.But you , woman, I fashioned.After I breathed the breath of life into man,Because your nostrils are to delicate.I allowed a deep sleep to come over him,So I could patiently and perfectly fashion you.Man was put to sleepSo that he could not interfere with the creativity.From one bone I fashioned you.I chose the bone that protects man's life.I chose the rib, which protects his heart and lungs.And supports him, as you were meant to do.Around this one bone I shaped you.I modeled you.I created you perfectly and beautifully.Your characteristics are as the rib,Strong yet delicate and fragile.You provide protection for the most delicate organ in man,His heart.His heart is the center of his being;His lungs hold the breath of life.The rib cage will allow itself to be broken.Before it will allow damage to the heart.Support man as the rib cage supports the body.You were not taken from his feet, to be under him,Nor were you taken from his head, to be above him.You were taken from his side,To stand beside him and be held close to his side.You are my perfect angel, my beautiful little girl.You have grown to be a splendid woman of excellence,And my eyes fill when I see the virtues in your heart.Your eyes are beautiful,Your lips, how lovely when they part in prayer.Your nose, so perfect in form,Your hands so gentle to touch.I've caressed your face in your deepest sleep,I've held your heart close to mine.Of all that lives and breathes, you are the most like me.Adam walked with me in the cool of the day,Yet he was lonely.He could not see me or touch me.He could only feel me.So everything I wanted Adam to share and experience with me,I have fashioned in you:My holiness, my strength, my purity, my love,My protection and support.You are special because you are the extension of me.Man represents my image - Woman, my emotions.Together, you represent the totality of God.So man, treat woman well.Love her, respect her, for she is fragile.In hurting her, you hurt me.What you do to her, you do to me.In hurting her, you only damage your own heart,The heart of your Father and the heart of her Father.Woman, support man.In humility, show him the power of emotion I have given you.In gentle quietness show your strength.In love, show him that you are the rib,That protects his inner self.Did you know that woman was so special in God's eyes?~Author Unknown~

Random thoughts

This past weekend was a whirlwind of activity for us. Caleb was in the parade for his school band and then for his baseball team that won the district championship this summer. We just were not sure how everything would work out and it had been quite the topic of discussion for the past few weeks. The school float was #41 and the baseball team was #109 so there was little lull in between so Caleb was able to participate with both floats it kept Wayne & I very busy but we made it. We stayed at the festival the rest of the day and watched the tractor pull that night, the crowd just keeps getting bigger every year.
I just also want to say that there was something that I had been stressing over, praying about and just asking God for a miracle and that miracle happened this past week in a way that I never could have imagined. I'm a person that has to know how everything is going to work out, how plan A is going to fit into plan B and so on and when the exact time table is going to take place. My friends call me a control freak. God decided to take my little time schedule and toss it out the window and work His miracle in such a marvelous way. What a lesson in faith that has been for me.

On Tuesday evening I had the wonderful opportunity to be with a very dear and close friend of mine, we've been scheduling a time to get together for the past few months but life has happened and our schedules have not meshed together. We had a delightful evening out by the river at Captain's Quarters watching all the boats and birds as they flew in formation. I sat by the river on the pier and just thought about what an amazing world God has created, He gives us the beauty of the trees that are changing with the seasons, water that can be calm one moment but swirling with waves the next, birds that fly in formation but then land and pick a worm and then dear friends with whom we share some of life's most intimate moments. Thanks dear friend for an amazing evening and for letting me share my heart with you. I'm so very blessed to have you in my life.

Trumpet & Tractors

This week I've been listening to alot of trumpet noise, Caleb has been practicing "America the Beautiful" all week. Alot of the times he is hitting the right notes but when he hits the wrong ones watch out for your ears. He is supposed to play in the parade on Saturday with his school. The one benefit of playing the trumpet is that Wayne can help him out with his notes & music and I beat out the notes on the piano but it is just not the same. I'm excited that Caleb has the opportunity to play in the parade but I get so tired of this long parade. It is a local festival parade that literally goes for 11/2 - 2 hours, every antique tractor that can be found in the barns surrounding the area enters in the parade. The problem is that we've attended the parade for the past several years and not much changes. On the positive note of the festival is that we will be attending the truck and tractor pulls that take place tonight and tomorrow evening. My favorite is the alcohol burning tractors because they can really light up the night sky with the flames shooting out of their pipes (for lack of a more technical term) and of course all of the excitement that comes along with the trucks and tractors making a full pull.

Dinner & Camping

This past weekend the guys from our Sunday school class decided they were going to go on a primitave camping trip; unfortunately, not all of the class was able to attend. They went to the woods where there were no bathroom's, no electricity, no running water only tents and a campfire. The guys went tubing down the river, jumped off a rope into the river, ate numerous hotdogs & hamburgers and just had a great time overall. Caleb and Tyler (son of a friend) also went on this camping trip and didn't sleep too well because of the ghostly stories that were told about the old camper sitting out in the woods. The guys had a great time making up the sound effects that went along with the story. Caleb truly believed this story and it was the first thing out of his mouth when he saw me, in fact he tells me that it is a legend. What big guys don't tell little boys. The guys all had a great time they came home on Sunday morning to get showers and show up for church but there were alot of nodding heads in church on Sunday.

The guys went camping and the girls went out for dinner and a movie. Not all of the girls were able to meet for dinner but I've included a picture for those of us who went. We had a wonderful time of fellowship at Macaroni Grill where we had some yummy, yummy pasta, and a waiter that kept trying to sell us mixed drinks and then loved our special guest "Laura" so much he gave her a tablecloth to take home along with some crayons. We then went and watched the movie "No Reservations" which is definately a chic flick but so heartwarming. The evening was topped off with frozen custard sitting under the stars sharing with each other. We girls had a great laugh because we enjoyed the comforts of home while the guys had to rough it.

This is Christa, Lyndsey & Laura

This is Heather, Laura & myself

Weekend of Memories

This is my cousin Danny and his wife Pam along with their four boys, Codi age 14,

Anthony age 11, Joseph age 6 and Jesse age 2.
Codi & Jesse having fun in the pool, although, Jesse wasn't too thrilled about posing for a pictures. Codi has a very sweet disposition and is quite the entreprenuer, he will sell you anything and for a great price but you can count on that he will be making a profit. Jesse is only 2 years old but because he has 3 older brothers he acts and moves much older. Wayne found him outside on the deck laying over the top railing with a look on his face that said " do I jump", he then proceded to go down the steps and jump the remaining couple of steps. This little guy also loves brownies with chocolate icing.

We just had a wonderful time of fellowship with my cousin, just so glad they decided to take a mini-vacation over the holiday.

Fall is coming

This past week I went into Old Time Pottery because they were having a sale. Every week they have sales but this time they had something I wanted. When I walked in the store, there were ceramic, paper mache and metal pumpkins that greeted me along with the various colors of mums, straw bales and gourds. It immediately put me in the mood for decorating. I have 2 totes full of fall decorations that I plan to put up within the next week. Needless to say I only bought some artifical flowers for the deck since I didn't need any more fall decorations. The cool mornings that we've been having along with the dry, dry weather are already starting to turn a few trees in our woods. I absolutely love all the wonderful colors that fall brings. God created such a beautiful world.

Right now I have a house full of company, my cousin Danny, his wife Pam and their four boys are visiting. Caleb has had a wonderful time visiting, the boys have been swimming, riding the dirt bikes, hiking the trails in the woods and camped out last night. The boys set up the tent, made their own camp fire (made me a little nervous), roasted marshmellows and made smores. What wonderful memories they are making. Danny and I are only 1 day apart in age and have managed to stay in touch through the years. I am tickled to death to have them here for the weekend, they went to Holiday World today so things are little quiet right now. I'll be posting some pictures later in the week. We were digging through some old family pictures last night and I was able to share some photos with him that he had never seen of our grandparents and of his mom. Thanks mom for letting me make copies of your treasured photos. Danny was really excited to see some of the photos of his mom when she was a little girl. It brought back some interesting and fun memories.

School is in Full Force

Well, school is definately in full swing at our house. Caleb will be in school for one month this week and it already seems like it has been longer. He has already turned in a science project with another one due in 3 weeks that is supposed to display a model of the planets in his own creative way. He has a book report that has to be in the form of a diorama (scene made in a shoebox). He also has chosen an early culture to study and has to prepare a story board about this culture. I've decided my next investment should be in poster board supplies. I am so thankful Caleb has the opportunity to go to a Christian school but I'm amazed at the amount of projects that 5th grade has brought.
The 5th grade has brought some fun stuff that Caleb truly enjoys. He plays the trumpet in band at school and they will be participating in the local fall festival parade in just a couple of weeks. It has brought the opportunity to participate in the fall play in which Caleb will be playing a sheriff in "How the West was Dunn". The month of August has started fall baseball up although it has been so hot, practice had to be cancelled twice last week. As Caleb gets older it is exciting to see how his personality and interests develop, but it also is sad to watch my son start dispensing with his toys that he always played with, his music taste are changing to more grown up sounds. It seems each week bring something new that he wants to get rid because he feels it is too childish for him.
I've been reading a book called "Celebrations of Faith" and the author talks about the fleeting moments (kairos) with your children and how to make the most of each moment. My heart has been convicted as I read it because I realize how quickly life is changing and my little man is turning into a young man. My prayer has been for the Lord to help me with the kairos of life that these few moments will last a lifetime in my son's heart and mind.

Celebrating Wayne's Birthday

This is the birthday guy! Happy 36th birthday Sweetheart!

We celebrated Wayne's birthday by going to Claudia Sander's Dinner House in Shelbyville, KY. We had not been there for a quite a while and Wayne thought it would be the perfect opportunity to take a motorcycle ride with our friends, Joe & Tracy as well as celebrate his birthday. The ride down wasn't bad but we decided to take the scenic ride home which was beautiful but needless to say we girls were ready to call it quits, our derriere's were not quite used to riding on the bikes that long. The dinner house was started by Colonel Sander's wife and was actually the place where KFC's corporate headquarters were first located before they moved to Louisville, KY. They will serve off the menu or you can be served family style. It is a neat place to go and visit and was actually featured in the Taste of Home magazine some time ago.

This is a picture of our dear friends Joe & Tracy. We are truly blessed to have them in our lives.

Notice the bad hair day, this is what motorcycle helmets will do for you.

Here I am pretending to drive this big bike, the seat is quite comfy but I'm not a driver of motorcycles it has taken a big effort on my part to ride behind my husband. It still is not my favorite mode of transportation but we have a good time while riding.

Here are the four of us, some nice man was gracious enough to take our picture. There were alot of fun memories made that day.

My husband

This has been a rough week for me with work, emotional rollercoasters and just life in general but my husband put a smile on my face tonight. Wayne has been out of town all week with work, he came home last night and then left again today for a weekend of bonding with the guys at Promise Keepers. I was having a bad day at work because I had some very sick patients that needed my every second, it was so bad that I think I may have sat down 15 minutes in a 8 hour period and mind you I still had 4 more hours to go. Wayne called my cell phone to tell me he was leaving town and asked me about my day and with tears welling up I said it was not going well. Needless to say when I walked in the door of the house there was a precious note laying on the table that my husband had quickly written before he left town. That note was a welcome sight and just kinda set my world a little straighter. Thanks baby! By the way Wayne will be turning a year older on Monday, he will proudly be able to say that he is on the other side of 35. Happy Birthday!!!!

Protection Angel

I had a protective angel watching over me last night and I just wanted to share this with you. I've had a very busy week this week with work and just life in general. Yesterday I sat in a class for 8-9 hours, rushed to meet a friend for shopping and dinner got into town approximately 9:30pm picked up Caleb, spent a few minutes with my in-laws, rushed over to a friends house to make a delivery and then it happened as Caleb and I pulled into their driveway. I heard this pop as I drove into their driveway and I thought I must have gotten my tire partly on the driveway and grass I hope I didn't hit anything. I get out of my car to open the trunk and there is my left rear tire popped.
The story behind this tire is that I had gotten a screw in my original left rear tire and Wayne decided to try putting some slime (it is supposed to help with tractors, ATV's, ect.) in the tire and then use a plug, well the slime set up in the tire and was causing quite the bumpy ride at slow speeds. So my dear husband was going to fix the tire this weekend but because of other obligations on Saturday we arrived at the tire place just as it was closing so the tire couldn't be fixed. Plan B was to get a tire from another source have it put on, remove the slime from the original tire and replug it, rebalance it and thus I'd have a new tire, well the plan worked except that the tire that we got had different lugnuts and now we are at the end of the weekend and my husband will be gone all week. Wayne calls a good friend of his and the friend offered to remove the slime from the original tire, put on the spare tire and then change back to my original tire once my tire was fixed. Sounds confusing, I apologize.
The bottom line was I was at the friend's house who was going to change my tire back to the original tire that had been repaired when the spare tire popped right in their driveway. It was simply a miracle for me that the spare tire did not pop as I was driving the many miles of highway that I was on yesterday and that God kept his hand over me and sent his guardian angel to protect me. I'm truly helpless when it comes to changing tires, airing up my tires or doing any maintenance with my car. God gave me a wonderful husband who is very mechanically inclined that takes care of those things for me. I also appreciate that we have some wonderful and dear friends that help us out but that we have close fellowship with as well.

Bible Promises

HANDY LITTLE CHART
God has a positive answer:

You say: "It's impossible"
God says: All things are possible
(Luke 18:27)
You say: "I'm too tired"
God says: I will give you rest
(Matthew 11:28-30)
You say: "Nobody really loves me"
God says: I love you
(John 3:1 6 & John 3:34 )
You say: "I can't go on"
God says: My grace is sufficient
(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)
You say: "I can't figure things out"
God says: I will direct your steps
(Proverbs 3:5- 6)
You say: "I can't do it"
God says: You can do all things
(Philippians 4:13)
You say: "I'm not able"
God says: I am able
(II Corinthians 9:8)
You say: "It's not worth it"
God says: It will be worth it
(Roman 8:28 )
You say: "I can't forgive myself"
God says: I Forgive you
(I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)
You say: "I can't manage"
God says: I will supply all your needs
(Philippians 4:19)
You say: "I'm afraid"
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear
(II Timothy 1:7)
You say: "I'm always worried and frustrated"
God says: Cast all your cares on ME
(I Peter 5:7)
You say: "I'm not smart enough"
God says: I give you wisdom
(I Corinthians 1:30)
You say: "I feel all alone"
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you
(Hebrews 13:5

Summer Treat

My sister-in-law, Aytha brought me this wonderful recipe the last time she visited and I have made it several times since. I enjoy cooking and trying new recipe's, the best kind are those that are quick and easy but taste absolutely wonderful. I thought I'd share this with you'll. Enjoy!

Bacon Ranch Coleslaw
2 bags shredded cabbage coleslaw
12 oz jar ranch dressing
1 pkg. bacon bits
1 pkg. craisins
1 cup sugar

Combine dressing, bacon bits, craisins, sugar and cabbage, mix well. Refrigerate to combine flavors until chilled. Serves 12 people.

Simple Pleasures

You know you are in redneck country when you enjoy going to demolition derby's, truck and tractor pulls but I truly enjoy the simple pleasures that it brings. This week has been our county fair and we have enjoyed it immensly. It started with Wayne and Joe running in the demolition derby, watching these ugly, beaten up redneck cars being hit from every side, feeling sorry for those whose radiator or engine would tear up. Caleb went to the fair with his papa on Thursday night as Wayne and I were both working and Caleb got to see the big cars wrecking and tearing up. Caleb got to have a front row seat because his papa is one of the firefighters working the derby so pure enjoyment for him. Last night we went again to the fair to watch the tractor and truck pulls, they had the two wheel drive, four wheel drive and construction class of trucks. There were row back cages on the tractors, modified long nose tractors (that is what I call them because only the back of the tractor remains the same but the front is all customized with a big ole' long snout), we stayed at that silly pull until after midnight but again it is all simple pleasures. I will never forget the first time I went to a tractor pull, Wayne just thought I had to go and I thought I'd absolutely hate it but yours truly found it very interesting and I keep going back for more.
Don't get me wrong I truly enjoy the finer things in life too, fine arts, excellent eating establishments, beautiful clothes but there is something about the simple pleasure of being at the county fair watching cars crash, trucks and tractors lose their drive trains and front axle's that makes me enjoy a little bit of redneck country.

Demolition Derby

This is Wayne being smashed by two other cars at the demolition derby last night. Thanks goodness we survived a night without injuries, which was my biggest fear. Tracy and I (my good friend who's husband Joe was the mechanic for the car) were both having butterflies before the derby started hoping that #107 would not be the first one to put their flag down. Wayne was not the first one out of the derby but his good ole' radiator overheated, thus the flag went down about midway through the derby.

This was a picture before the derby started, car #107 was voted to be in the pretty car contest, we didn't take home that trophy guess our fan base was not big enough. I was so looking forward to seeing that giant plastic trophy being shared between our garage and Joe & Tracy's. It would have been so funny if the guys had won the trophy because when it was Joe & Tracy's turn they could have put it on their mailbox so their wonderful neighbors could have wondered what rock they climbed out from. Sorry guys, just couldn't resist.

Here are some of the cheerleaders for car #107. Rachel, Heather holding Reagan and Tracy.

Another part of the fan base: Marva (Wayne's niece) and her boyfriend Jonathan, Andrea (Wayne's niece) and her husband David.

Wayne did end up running the car twice last night, there was a break between the two runs, so the guys changed out the radiator and tweeked a few other things. There is an interesting story about the radiator being rigged up the second time but I'll leave that for Wayne and Joe. Plans are already being made for next year but guys Tracy and I hope you will start a little earlier so we are not so exhausted.

Blueberry Muffins

Yesterday morning I had some blueberries that I needed to use before they went to waste so I went in search of a great blueberry muffin recipe and thought I'd share what I found. I modifed the recipe to suit me so here is my version. The original recipe came from my favorite cookbook of all time (The Original Sunday Dinner-Meals from family kitchens). Enjoy!

Maine Blueberry Muffins
1/3 cup salted butter-softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
1 2/3 cups flour
1 3/4 baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pint fresh blueberries

Cream butter and sugar. Add beaten egg, salt, and milk. Add dry ingredients and vanilla. Fold in blueberries. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Makes 12 large muffins.

Scrapes & Cuts

I had to work this past weekend, actually did 3 days in a row (Sat, Sun, Mon) which is exhausting 12-13 hour days on a critical care floor but that means I'm done for a few days. Sunday night as I was driving home and was about 10 minutes from home my cell phone rang and my husband was on the other end asking me what should they do. Alex who is a friend of the family had just wrecked on the dirt bike back in our woods. Alex apparently was riding and crested a hill (going pretty fast and without a helmet I might add) and laid down the bike the foot pedal chewed up his leg. Since I was only 10 minutes from home I told Wayne to wrap it up and I would look at it as soon as I got home. By this time Alex is not feeling so well and is getting really lightheaded. I walked in the house and Alex is all propped up on the couch looking mighty pale, his leg had a three inch gash that cut through the subcutaneous tissue, through the fascia and all the way down to the shiny muscle but at least it did not go through the muscle which was a blessing. His girlfriend got some tylenol out of the cabinet and gave it to him before we left and we headed to the local ER, thinking they will take him back right away but no we ended up waiting 2 1/2 hours before he got back to the trauma room. Needless to say Alex ended up being in the ER for 4 hours and got 12 stitches and a very sore, sore leg. Poor Alex is headed out to catch a flight today for a much anticipated vacation and will be navigating airports with an injured leg. His girlfriend will be keeping us updated on his progress. Needless to say I was pretty exhausted for Monday's events at the hospital but the day progressed quickly and busy. Now I get to go school shopping for Caleb as he starts school on Monday. The joys of being a mom, our jobs are never done.

Summer fun

This was a catfish that Wayne and Caleb caught while fishing in our pond. We feed the fish along with our 6 ducks that we have pretty much every night. They caught this catfish by using a hotdog as bait. We grilled the catfish the next night and it was quite tasty. Wayne was talking on his cellphone to his dad about the big catch because feeding the ducks and fish is something Larry (my father-in-law) totally enjoys. He can stand on the bank for hours watching the ducks and fish.

This is Caleb enjoying the water, he loves to lay on the giant butterfly and float.

This is my nephew Spencer, he was sitting on the patio table, under the umbrella while everyone else was in the pool.

My brother, Jonathan and his wife Aytha holding niece Savannah. They were watching Caleb go down the slide.

Wayne and his dad eating out on the deck at Caleb's birthday party.

This one is for you bubby! Gotcha with your mouth wide open stuffing pizza in as fast as you could. You asked where your picture was well here it is. I almost did the swimming pool picture but thought it just might reveal toooooo much. Love ya!

This is Nathan, my brother and his wife Telesa holding daughter Savannah.