Sunroof Snapshots

Broken Bones

2008-12-08T18:09:00.003-05:00

It seems to be the season of injuries and broken bones. We're just getting started with T's physical therapy for his dislocated shoulder and I get a call from school saying they believe A has broken his leg. The picture below is fuzzy, but it shows A's leg as we are waiting at the hospital for them to take the Xrays.

I didn't feel bad taking pictures because he was sitting there taking pictures on his phone and sending them to his friends. At the time he was in very little pain and claiming he didn't think it was broken. It's a whole different story now.

Oklahoma City Memorial

2008-11-27T11:21:00.007-05:00

I'm spending this Thanksgiving in Oklahoma City getting familiar with the area I will be moving to next summer. While here, we took some time to visit the Oklahoma City Memorial. I couldn't believe what a moving experience it was. We didn't get to go into the museum this visit, but just standing where such a devastating event in our history took place, seeing the pictures of a couple of the children who died hung on the fence outside and the momentos left by loved ones and by complete strangers, I couldn't help but feel a small part of the sadness and anger that must have been felt by the people that were actually here experiencing this. And then, as I entered the memorial, the pool below was beautiful and just so peaceful despite the fact that the wind was blowing so hard that I had to have my husband stand behind me and hold me still so I could take a picture.

There was a wall made of tiles that had been made by children all over the country in memory of the victims. The wall stretches along the front of the museum and is covered on both sides by these tiles.
The tree below is known as the "Survivor Tree". This is the only tree that survived the blast and is absolutely beautiful. It stretches out in a beautiful canopy and they have built a deck beneath it that overlooks the pool.
These small memorials are probably the most moving. There is one for each victim with the children's being smaller, like the second one in the picture below. There is a name engraved on the front of the base of each.

The building that houses the museum has these words painted on the side. They were written by one of the rescue workers. Many people in the building were injured, some critically, when windows were blown out. Fortunately, no one was killed. I couldn't get the bottom line in the picture, so I'll end with them here.

"And God Demands it!"

Relandscaping

2008-11-10T19:27:00.002-05:00

Well, the house is now officially on the market. And when I looked at the pictures the realtor had taken and put online, I couldn't believe how bad the front of the house looked. Here's what I saw.I kept telling my hubby that we needed to relandscape along the front of the house. I wanted to get rid of that big bush under the middle garage window because it dies off in the winter and turns to just sticks. It wasn't until the realtor told him we needed to do it that he was finally convinced. But I still had to do it! Below is the result of my efforts.

Not an elaborate landscape plan, but I got such a fantastic deal on the little pointed trees and I needed to keep everything else sized accordingly. They will grow to 10' tall x 3' wide and fill in the area between the windows. We now have some symmetry to the landscaping, plus there is something on both sides of the porch. I just wish I was going to be around to see it grow. Oh well, Oklahoma will just present new and interesting landscaping challanges. I keep picturing tumbleweeds and a cactus.

By the way...If you know of anyone who is looking for a house up this way, here's a link to look at ours on Realtor.com. Please feel free to pass it along! Thanks!
BEAUTIFUL HOUSE FOR SALE!

25 Years Ago...

2008-10-10T12:45:00.006-04:00

...I graduated from Appalachian State University. Last weekend I went to my 25th year reunion and the homecoming football game with five ladies that I graduated with. Some of them I hadn't seen in 24 years, since the last reunion I went to. I wish I had some "Then" picture to post, but at least I can post a "Now" picture. Here is the crew (minus me since I was taking the picture).

Our lives have taken different paths, different professions. But it was amazing how we could get back together and I could almost imagine that we had only been home from college for the weekend. As long as I didn't look in a mirror, that is!

I must say, I don't remember the cheerleaders looking quite the same when I was up there. These were cute, but they weren't quite so hairy when I was there. But the football game was great. We won 51-21.

2008-09-26T20:39:00.003-04:00

I spent Wednesday night with my sister and her family which includes my two nieces and one nephew. But it also includes my two four-legged nieces, Spunky and Ruby-doo, and my four-legged nephew, Max. This time, after having a small misadventure with them, I decided I would take some pictures of them. You see, after arriving while my sister and family were at church I let the dogs out of their crates and into the backyard. But, we got locked out of the house and in the back yard in the cold night air for a short time before I finally had to climb over the privacy fence (since the gates were padlocked), tearing my pants and breaking off a piece of the wooden fence in the process. I was able to get back in the unlocked front door and let a freezing little Ruby-doo and the other two very excited dogs back in the house. We were all comfortably settled in the chair when my sister and her crew walked in the door from church.

Latest Sunroof

2008-09-19T12:46:00.004-04:00

Mr. Moon was fading away on one side of the sky this morning...

...as the clouds rolled in with the sun on the other side of the sky.
We've had some beautiful weather these past few days. Cool crisp mornings and warm afternoons. I have even seen a few leaves starting to change.

A Special Visitor

2008-09-15T06:25:00.006-04:00

This past week, Paul Coleman, lead guitarist for the Newsboys (also with the Paul Coleman Trio) was performing at an event in Manassas, VA. Wherever he is, he always finds a church to worship with and this Sunday, because of a friendship with someone in our church, he came to ours and led the worship for both of our services. It was fantastic! Five of our youth, including my youngest son (in the red tshirt) got to play as his band. They even got to perform one of his latest songs, "The One Thing". And considering they only got meet and practice with him at 8 am that morning, they were awesome! Even he was impressed.

But what I was most impressed with was the way he interacted with the youth. A, my son, was not originally playing with them. But he needed another percussionist and A is the other percussionist for the youth praise band so he got the job on the bongos.

Apparantly, A made quite an impression on Paul. When we went to say goodbye to him, Paul's first comment to me when he found out I was A's mom was "Who did A get that unique personality from?" Before I could answer, A said "It's all me." Paul just laughed and responded with "That's the perfect answer from you, A. That fits your personality."
Paul led the musical worship for both services and then gave some interactive testimony with our minister that was so good it's hard to describe. I stayed in both services to listen to him and he gave different testimony in both. Both were fantastic.

After his testimony in the second service, all of the youth left to go to their own service and Paul went with them to spend the rest of the time talking with them and answering questions. I went to that and listened. Again, he was fantastic with the youth. We had a youth group of about 40-50 visiting from Maryland so there was quite a crowd and he kept their attention past the end of the regular service.

I took a video of them playing his song "The One Thing" but it took too long to download on this post. I'll try downloading it on another post tonight. If you ever have a chance to see Paul, I would highly recommend it. He's great!

Corny Sunrise

2008-09-09T12:36:00.001-04:00

My latest sunroof snapshot...

Sunrise over the cornfield on my way to work the other morning.

My Girl Alyeska

2008-08-22T18:14:00.005-04:00

"Somebody play with me!!!"

"Fine, I didn't want to play with you anyway."

"But you can take my picture. Here...this is my good side."

Return of the Sunroof Snapshots

2008-08-21T08:54:00.002-04:00

I'm back with a couple of new sunroof snapshots I took last week. To all my friends in Florida, it was wonderful seeing you guys again! It just made me realize how much I miss you!

This first shot was taken just a few minutes and a few miles before the second one.

Stormy Skywatch Friday

2008-04-03T18:52:00.004-04:00

I'm not really sure if I should call these

SUNroof snapshots or STORMrooof snapshots!

This is how my skies looked as I drove to work this morning.

Sunroof Skywatch and Cherry Blossoms

2008-03-28T15:10:00.003-04:00

My latest sunroof snapshots...this time I opened the sunroof, pointed the camera straight up and starting snapping. My first impression when I looked at this one was of a big fluffy white rabbit's head.

I pass these trees everytime I drive into town. Since this weekend is the beginning of the Washington, DC Cherry Blossom Festival, I thought I'd try a sunroof snapshot of them.

Skywatch Friday

2008-03-20T20:40:00.006-04:00

Skywatch, starwatch, something like that.

Here are some more pictures from our trip to the

Air and Space Museum at Dulles Airport.

Wonder what they are all looking at?

The theme of this post is satelites!

Here's a nice selection of satelites.

The one in the picture below was one of my favorites.

I like all the sparkling lights!

I'm not sure what this one is,

but it reminded me of a robot wearing sunglasses.

And in the true spirit of Skywatch Friday,

I took this picture just for my Skywatch post this week.

It's a view of the clouds through the windows at the top

of the hangar which houses the museum. See my last post for a

good view of the main part of the hangar. A really cool place!

Inside-Skywatch

2008-03-17T18:47:00.007-04:00

My sister and her family came up this past weekend and we visited the Air & Space Museum located near Dulles Airport. It's also part of the Smithsonian Museums. I really like this one much better than the Air & Space Museum located on the mall in DC. It was much less crowded and had more to see. Below are the boys sitting in front of what I though was a Stealth. I was quickly informed by my husband that is is a Blackbird (whatever that is).

The next three pictures show you why I titled this "Inside-Skywatch."

We had a blast and I'm looking forward to going back again. They have an IMAX theater there and we will plan on seeing a movie next time. I took a lot more pictures and will post some more later, including the Enterprise Space Shuttle and the Concorde.

Now That's a Haircut!

2008-03-08T20:56:00.005-05:00

A decided he wanted to get his hair cut off.

Before....

After....

Now if I could only get him to smile for the camera!

Bright Morning Sun

2008-03-06T21:37:00.002-05:00

The latest of my "Sunroof Snapshots", taken this morning.

I was trying to capture the "steamy" waters. When I got to

a computer and looked at the picture, it was the morning sun

and the prism of color on the trees that I loved.

Flu Season

2008-03-03T09:15:00.002-05:00

It's here. And A is down with the Flu Type B. He's been in bed since Friday night with a coughing, high fever and sore throat. He was having trouble breathing yesterday and needed his inhaler.

I'm doing my best to keep anyone else in the house from getting it. Especially since T has playoffs this coming weekend.

Prayers would be appreciated!

An Icy Skywatch Friday

2008-02-22T12:34:00.005-05:00

Not much of a sky to watch today. But as I was sitting in my car waiting for the ice to melt on the windows, I decided to hurry it along by putting my window down. The window went down, but the ice didn't. This first picture is a look of the sky through the sheet of ice that was left behind after I put the window down. The two pictures following were taken as I broke the ice away.

Hockey pics

2008-02-19T18:02:00.005-05:00

The day after Christmas, T's team got to play a game against the alumni team in Verizon Center. This is where the NHL teams play. Each player was recently given a DVD of the game and a CD full of pictures. These are a few of my favorites. T is number 13 in the red jersey and white helmet. In this first picture, he's got the puck and is on his way down the ice.

This next one is kind of comical. Both of them are wondering where the puck went. It seems they skated right over it.

I don't know what was going on in this last one, but it's one of several pictures where T is on the ice...but not on his skates!

This team just returned from a trip to Canada where they had the opportunity to play against a couple of different teams. While they didn't win, they held their own in the first two games and tied the final game. They are currently in first or second place in their division. And T has the second most points on his team.

Not to leave A out, his hockey team (I don't have any pictures yet.) just made the playoffs for their division. They will be playing their first playoff game this Friday night.

Am I proud of my boys? Oh yeah!

Skywatch Friday.

2008-02-15T18:05:00.000-05:00

What Time of Day Are You?

2008-02-15T17:50:00.001-05:00

You are 11:59 a.m.

You are late-sleepy relaxation, the half-awake moment when you realize it's morning, but you don't have to get up, because there's no place you have to be. You are that cozy spot under the covers where everything feels temporarily perfect, even if you know you'll eventually have to wiggle out and start the day. Maybe you're the artistic type, who doesn't function well on a normal schedule. Sleep's important to you, and you like the freedom of sleeping as late as you want (especially since that is closely related to the freedom to stay up as late as you want). You like to roll out of bed, put on some comfy clothes, and get a laid back start to the day. If not everything on your list gets accomplished, no worries. Your only priority is having no priorities – you just want to take things at a slow, mellow pace.

Down with Bronchitis

2008-02-10T08:22:00.001-05:00

As I lay in my recliner, coughing, my cat kept

wanting to drink out of my water glass.

I finally gave up and got her a glass of water all her own.

Next time, maybe I'll get one that's a bit wider at the top.

Sunrise over the Rappahannock River

2008-02-05T09:36:00.000-05:00

Each morning as I go to work, I cross the Rappahannock River.

Depending on my timing, I usually get a beautiful view of the sunrise.

This morning I was prepared and took this sunroof snapshop

as I crossed the southbound bridge.

Skywatch Friday

2008-01-25T13:34:00.000-05:00

Interesting cloud formation at the bottom of the picture.

Looks kind of like an alligator or crocodile tail, maybe?

Hangin' Out with the Cousins

2008-01-22T19:55:00.000-05:00

I found these pictures on my computer the other day.

They are from Thanksgiving when a group of cousins,

aunts and uncles went to Washington DC for some sightseeing.

K and S got matching hats.

Of course, A had to teach S the proper way to wear her hat!

I'm not sure who took these pictures, but they returned

from DC tired, hungry and happy. They must have had a lot of fun.

Skywatch Friday...

2008-01-18T10:02:00.000-05:00

Today, we have beautiful blue skies...

...after yesterday's snow, sleet and rain.

After taking my skywatch picture, I was having fun
with the melting snow and my camera.

I call this one "Sidewalk Slush".

In this picture, I tried to get the dripping water in focus.

Instead I got the rocks. But I love the colors.

These guys are my front porch sentries

thawing out in the sun.

Sunshine and Snowflakes

2008-01-16T08:43:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, we had a couple of snow flurries.

Nothing unusual...except that we also had

blue skies and bright sunshine at the same time.

Notice the shadows on the blue truck and the blue skies?

Skywatch Friday

2008-01-11T08:09:00.000-05:00

Sky? What sky? I can't see it!

But it's there. I can see it's reflection on the lake.

Silver Lining

2008-01-09T10:37:00.000-05:00

Ever used the phrase "Every cloud has a silver lining"?

I love this phrase! And here are the pictures to prove it!

What does it mean? Those silver linings around the edge of a

dark cloud remind us that even tough situations have a bright

side and we should never feel hopeless. Brighter days are ahead.

For me, the bright side is that God is in control.

This phrase reminds of another phrase found in the Bible,

"And it came to pass" and what Mark Lowry had to say

about it in the video below. If you've never heard Mark

Lowry before, be prepared to laugh. But be sure to

watch the video through to the end to hear the best part.

mY cRAZY cAT

2008-01-07T07:04:00.000-05:00

Khaki was enjoying the warmth of the lamp when my son

decided she needed a bit more insulation.

So he put a travel pillow on her. I was amazed that she let him do

this. Normally, she would have run if he got anywhere near her

with this thing.

Blue Skies and Buzzards

2008-01-04T15:37:00.000-05:00

Skywatch Friday

2007-12-28T12:20:00.000-05:00

Nothin' but gray skies.

"No Regrets"

2007-12-27T21:26:00.000-05:00

A daughter and granddaughter...

...a big sister...

...a professional musician...

...a Christian woman...

...a wife...

...a mother...

...a grandmother of 14, a/k/a "Mom-Mom"...

My mother, Catherine.

May 13, 1930 - December 18, 2007

She told my sister and I at our family Thanksgiving this year,

"If I die tomorrow, I have no regrets. I have lived a wonderful life."

I love you, Mom. See you in heaven.

A Tree of Memories

2007-12-15T18:50:00.001-05:00

As I put up our Christmas Tree this year, I realized just how many memories it has gathered.

"Our First Christmas Together."

1987 Our oldest son's first Christmas.

1990

Our youngest son's first Christmas.

1992

A collection of roses and snowflakes that I've added through the years.

And of course, the Angel that has been on the top of our tree for many years.

As the years go by, our tree has grown with so many memories and traditions.

My own special tradition since I was a child has been, once the tree is decorated, turn off all the lights except the tree and shut out all the noise and just enjoy.

Sunrise on the Range

2007-12-12T08:15:00.000-05:00

As I got out of the car at work, I was greeted by the sun peeking through the trees on the nearby range. I couldn't resist snapping a picture.

Sunsets of the Week

2007-12-07T08:55:00.000-05:00

Just a few sunsets from this past week.

Doodles in the Sky

2007-12-04T10:17:00.001-05:00

I took these pictures on my way home from work Friday, but I accidently took them on the internal storage of the camera. Since I left the cords at work that I needed to get the images from the camera, I couldn't post them until I came back to work.

As you can see, my drive home was entertaining as I got to watch as various aircraft made "doodles" in the sky as the sun was setting. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Christmas and Ketchup

2007-12-02T15:32:00.000-05:00

So what does Ketchup have to do with Christmas? That’s exactly the question my preacher asked this morning when he started his Christmas sermon series called “A 4-Star Christmas.” The first sermon in the series was titled “Star of Anticipation” and he opened this morning with the song “Anticipation” playing and him holding up a bottle of ketchup. The scripture he used was Romans 8:18-25, a scripture about “Future Glory.”

Have you ever thought of this time before Christmas as the anticipation of the birth of the baby Jesus? But since this has already happened, how can we anticipate it? “Star of Anticipation” was about what we, as Christians, actually anticipate…the hope of our creation, “the glorious freedom of the children of God.” (verse 21)

My favorite verses in these scriptures ...

24For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

So this Christmas, when you come across a bottle or packet of ketchup, remember that as a Christian our hope and our anticipate is not in the birth of Christ, but the salvation that he brought us when he was born. Next week, “Star of Preparation.”

Skywatch Friday

2007-11-30T12:05:00.001-05:00

I was late leaving for work this morning, so I got to see the sunrise.

I think I may just be late more often!

Fridge Magnets

2007-11-29T19:48:00.000-05:00

Aren't they wonderful? On my fridge, they may hold the schedules and important phone numbers. And they've held many of my sons' drawings and school papers that I've proudly displayed over the years. But the magnets themselves that are happy little reminders of important events and loved ones in my life. Like the ones my boys gave me on Mother's Day a few years ago, the ones we bought when we lived in Alaska, and the ones that are pictures of my sons in various sports uniforms. I still haven't found all of them since we moved, so I'm missing a few on my fridge right now. And I hope to add many more happy little reminders in the years to come!

Skywatch Friday

2007-11-23T18:39:00.001-05:00

We started Thanksgiving warm and sunny.

But just as we finished getting our afternoon dinner ready

and started eating, my sister took this picture as the clouds rolled in.

And the rains came down.

In search of my roots...

2007-11-19T20:40:00.001-05:00

Before my Aunt Millie passed away, she had a lot of stories to tell about my family tree. One of the most prominant characters in her stories was my great-great grandfather, Levi Bryant Jones, aka L.B. Jones, of Paint Rock, Alabama. I spent several years researching this branch of my family tree and eventually my dad and I went to Paint Rock, where his mother was born on the family's plantation, and located several of the gravesites, including that of L.B. Jones. Even though he had an older brother, L.B. became the patriarch of the family. He married three times. His first two wives were sisters and the third wife was a cousin. He had six daughters, two from each wife, but only one daughter from each wife survived. One of those daughters was my great grandmother, Nancy Ann, aka Annie Pearl. C. JONES

I believe this is L.B.'s older brother.

The lines at the bottom of the gravestone read

"Loving husband of Mary, dear

lies buried here."

This is me posing in the graveyard. We found several graves here, but were unable to find the old plantation site where the family graveyard would have been. I think there's a railroad or a highway running over it now. Paint Rock is now only a few roads on either side of a highway. I don't think there are even any stoplights! But as we drove around the area, I tried to imagine how it was when my grandmother was born there in 1898. When I saw this dirt road leading back to a farm with the foothills of the Tennessee mountains in the background, I had to take a picture. And this picture is what comes to mind whenever I think of Paint Rock and my roots there.

Fall Colors

2007-11-17T12:05:00.000-05:00

We did have some color after all! Some of these pictures are from my yard and some are from where I work. There are some other areas I'd love to get some picture, but it would involve stopping traffic while I took them! Let's just say I have a beautiful ride to and from work. Click on the picture to see the slide show. Enjoy!

Almost Time for Turkey...and lots of company!

2007-11-10T16:25:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again. In 11 days, I have nine adults and ten

youngsters arriving on my doorstep. With the four of us, that makes a

total of 23 people for Thanksgiving. So I added some color to my front

door to get me in the spirit of Thanksgiving.

And I started shopping yesterday...beginning with a 24+ pound turkey!

I haven't finished yet! I still have more food to buy such as fresh produce and dairy products. Paper plates and disposal pans are a necessity. But with three sisters and my mother, I'll be very thankful to have lots of help in the kitchen!

They will be here beginning at dinner time Wednesday night thru breakfast Saturday morning. I have my friend below ready to greet them when they walk in the front door.

Fall Color and Halloween Beetles

2007-11-02T18:20:00.000-04:00

D asked for some pictures of the fall color up here. But we didn't get enough

of this wet stuff on my windshield this summer to bring a lot of color this fall.

However, we did get a little bit of color. So here are a few pictures.

And below is just a small sample of what we had to put up with at work yesterday. These are called Halloween beetles. They look like ladybugs, but I've been told they bite and they swarm down here at this time of year. You have to keep your mouth closed when you walk outside.

Homecoming Weekend

2007-10-27T20:50:00.001-04:00

Tonight is the homecoming dance at A's school.

A and his girlfriend, K, before the homecoming dance.

K is a sweetheart. They met in marching band.

Dinner first at Carrabas with a group of friends.

Then to the dance followed up by a small party at a friend's house.

As you can see, A's still quite social.

Below, A and K go through the flower exchange.

Red Silk Elephant

2007-10-17T21:04:00.000-04:00

One of the guys I work with travels to other countries for work and he just returned from Bangkok. He brought each of us one of these red silk elephants.

My new elephant and D's blog about "Baby Blue" made me think of "Ellie", a friend from my childhood. So I climbed to the top shelf in my closet where "Ellie" sat and pulled her down. "Ellie" went with me to sleepovers when I was little. Her back is a zippered pouch where I would put my pajamas.

Chicken Fat Song

2007-10-11T08:53:00.000-04:00

A trip down memory lane! I was talking to a friend at work this morning about needing to exercise and this song from my childhood popped into my mind. To my complete surprise, no one in my office had ever heard of it before. I mean, we used to have to exercise to this song in my gym class in Jr. High! Didn't everyone? So I went online and looked up the song and found it.
Click on the chicken to go to the website and hear the song.

My coworkers listened to it, but still no one had ever heard it. Since they are all from the north, they figured it's a southern thing.

Game Night

2007-10-06T10:52:00.000-04:00

I've been to all of the home football games for the boys high school,

but I've been working in the concessions stand at those games.

Last night, the band went to a local away game and I got to sit in the stands.

It brought back lots of memories!

In case you're wondering, A didn't have his hair cut. It's very long right now.

But they can't have any hair hanging out of their uniform hats, so he's

wearing a skull cap under his ball cap in these pictures/videos.

Below are a couple of videos of the band playing in the stands.

Oh yeah, in case you're wondering, we lost...42 to 7. Ouch!

Fort McHenry Tunnel

2007-09-29T16:24:00.001-04:00

This is the tunnel I was driving through very early this morning as

T and I were on our way to his hockey game in Abingdon, MD.

You have a choice of two tunnels you can go through on

your way through Baltimore. I haven't tried the other one yet.

Colors of Fall

2007-09-28T16:13:00.000-04:00

Fall is my favorite time of year!

Here are some pictures I took in my

backyard this afternoon.

Don't you just love the colors?

I'm not sure what these are, but they were pretty.

Even the sun had to get in on the colors!

I also had a chance to spend some time with Aly.

She's such a pretty girl!

This is her "I want to play" look.

Sunrise

2007-09-26T08:35:00.000-04:00

On my way to work this morning, I couldn't

resist snapping a picture of the sunrise.

By the time I got to work, it was completely daylight.

Church Search

2007-09-23T19:59:00.000-04:00

I may have found the right place. I visited Stafford County Christian Church several weeks ago and, while it is a contemporary worship style, I liked the preacher. The website states that they are a New Testament Non-denominational church, Bible-based, baptism by immersion. But there were still more churches to consider. This morning I got up with every intention of visiting one of those other churches and taking Adam with me. But yesterday, at a very long, very hot all day marching band competition, one of the other drummers told Adam about his church and the youth band and youth group. Guess which church it turned out to be. So when I finally got Adam out of bed this morning, he wanted to try SCCC.

We went to the 9:30 service because all the youth go to that service and then to 11:00 Sunday School. As we sat down in the church, Adam started recognizing kids from his school. And two of the youth band members were from his marching band. By the time the service was over, with a quick "See you later," he took off to catch up with his friends. I found an adult Sunday school class and ran into a band parent that I know. Everyone was very friendly and it was a very interesting class. The best part was that from what I could tell, I agreed with what they were discussing.

After class, I went to pick up Adam and there were around to 30 kids just in the Senior High Room. My thought was this will be great for Adam, but Thad will only have one more year of High School. Do they have anything for college kids? As I waited for Adam's class to finish up, my question was answered. A group of college kids congregated in the hallway near me. So I'm planning on taking Thad as soon as I can (He had a hockey game this morning and had to be at the rink in Dale City by 11 am. But that's not every week, only occasionally.)

I'm not sure where my place would be in this church. There are plenty of opportunities. Being contemporary, they don't have a choir, just a praise band. But they announced this morning that they will be starting a choir this week to work on Christmas music. Also, they are starting a children's choir this Wednesday that will be year-round. But this morning's lesson in SS was that we can start to put our service before our personal relationship with God. And I feel like maybe it was a message for me. So, whatever church we end up at, I'll take things slow as far as getting involved. I want to be sure my relationship with God is always my first priority. Then God will put everything else in place.

Check out the website and let me know what you think about this church.
http://staffordcountychristianchurch.org/

First Hockey Tournament of the Season

2007-09-16T20:25:00.000-04:00

The Silver Sticks Tournament in West Chester, PA. It was a fun weekend, even though the team didn't do very well. T did good, getting two assist and one goal. Considering they only scored four goals in the whole tournament, he did great. In fact, he had more points than anyone else on the team for this tournament.

I'm not sure what the referee was saying to T in this picture, but this shows you how focused T was. He was ready for the face off before anyone else.

While the team didn't do too well in the tournament, they are a wonderful group of young men, parents and coaches. This weekend gave both T and I a chance to get to know them better. And it also helped T and I to renew our mother/son relationship. He is slowing becoming the loving son that he was before the move. And I can't tell you how happy that makes me!!!!

Housewarming Party

2007-09-09T21:52:00.001-04:00

We had a wonderful housewarming party yesterday where we served Frogmore Stew. I got the fun job of cutting up the onions...lots of them.

Mert cut up the red potatoes...too many of them. I ended up throwing away a bowl of uncooked, cut potatoes.

Add to that shrimp, sausage, corn on the cob and green beans and you have Frogmore Stew, a/k/a Low Country Boil (sorry, no frogs in this stew). M and his buddies cooked four pots of it.

So we could feed about 35 people. We had enough left over to send a bag of stew home with anyone who wanted some.

And of course, there was dessert. This little guy had eyes bigger than his stomach. We found this plate of cookies and cake almost completely untouched the next morning.

One more surprise, when M drove the van back to the garage from where we had parked it during the party, a colony of yellow jackets had decided to take up residence in the crack of the back door. He had to spray it down before he could open the back of the van.

Similar to D's disclaimer on her blog, a lot of yellow jackets were injured in the making of these pictures.

I'm Back!

2007-09-03T11:40:00.001-04:00

Life has been a bit busy this past week. We had orientation at the boys high school, my parents came to visit this weekend, we are planning and preparing for a huge housewarming party for this weekend, the marching band peformed demo for parents, T of course had hockey practice the same night as orientation and M was out of town all week. It's no wonder I ended up with a nasty head cold! But the weather is beautiful here, just a hint of Fall in the cool breeze. I can't wait for the leaves to start changing. I'll be taking lots of picture then!

HUMMINGBIRD BLUE

This morning, a hummingbird found it's way into our garage and couldn't find it's way out. While M went for a broom to help guide the little fellow out, I took the opportunity to get this silhouette.

He eventually found his way out, but not until he took a little break. He was so exhausted that it took a couple of tries to get him started toward the door again.

NEW HIGH SCHOOL

A and T start school tomorrow. Back to the halls of education. I took these pictures of their new school at dusk just after the marching band peformance for parents.

The first football game is this Friday night and A will be on the field at halftime as a "Marching Wildcat." I'm told there's a heck of a tailgate party before the first game. I'm looking forward to it!

This and That!

2007-08-23T12:59:00.001-04:00

Khaki has this habit of finding anything that has been left on the floor and sitting on it. It can be a small piece of paper, or in this case, a very skinny box that the new window blinds came in. If it's on the floor, she's holding it down.

More wildlife at work!

We were coming back to work from a ladies lunch the other day and I was able to get this picture of a doe enjoying the shade.

County roads, take me home!

I was driving home yesterday and enjoying the winding, curving country roads that take me there. They are so peaceful that I thought I'd share them with you. So I snapped some pictures as I was driving. No, I wasn't looking at the camera...I was looking at the road while I took the pictures. I just kept snapping pictures so I had some to choose from. Most of the pictures turned out to be sideways or of a bunch of bushes on the side of the road.

There's also a one lane bridge that I have to cross on the road I live on. You have to be sure there's no one coming around the curve on the other side before you can go across.

Home Improvements

2007-08-17T20:36:00.001-04:00

My new dining room rug.

No dining room furniture yet, but the floor's covered!

BATHROOM BLUES

...........

The half bath downstairs looked like this when we moved in.

Pretty color, but way too dark for such a small room.

The same border that's around the top of the room above was around the

middle of the walls too. In the picture below, I had already removed it,

but you can still see where it was.

So after alot of primer and some smoky blue paint, we lightened up the small room and transformed it into our new lighthouse bathroom. We just finished putting the shelves and stuff up on the wall tonight. I still need rugs and towels to match. I'm thinking a light rust color that's in the matting on the picture.

I'm still working on the rest of the decor. Our last lighthouse bathroom

was painted yellow so the color scheme was a bit different.

And the white fixtures really stand out now instead of being overwhelmed.

For the Love of "Bankie"

2007-08-16T06:03:00.000-04:00

When "A" was born, a friend of mine made him this blanket with a hood. Needless to say, this blanket became one of his favorites as a child, since he could wear it around like a cape. I was down in the basement the other night with my husband when "A" walked down to see what we were doing. I had found his blanket and set it aside to put away in his memory box. But when he saw it, he immediately snatched it up and took it upstairs with him. When we came back upstairs, this is how I found him and his blanket. I'll probably need to hide it on his wedding day so he won't wear it as his bride walks down the aisle!

Peanut and Toby

2007-08-10T18:58:00.000-04:00

I work with in an office full of dog lovers. Every once in a while, they have a "Bring Your Dog to Work Day." So some days (like today) I have a couple of four-legged coworkers named Peanut and Toby. Peanut is an adorable pomeranian who loves to play ball. She's also good at tearing the squeaker out of her toys!

Toby (a.k.a. Agent F), is so sweet and she loves to have her back scratched.

She's also good at posing for pictures.

Despite the way they seem to be staring each other down in this picture, Toby and Peanut are really good friends. They even share bones and toys!

Back on the Ice

2007-08-09T05:59:00.000-04:00

Hockey has started again. So we're back to practice. Tonight, I spent three and a half hours at the rink. Thad has made a travel team in Prince William County...the Prince William Panthers. They are using Florida Panthers colors and jerseys. It's funny because in Alaska, their teams used the Tampa Bay Lightning colors. For us, hockey and Florida just seem to go together.

I was trying to take a picture of the zamboni, but the glass kept getting in the way. Then when I looked at this picture on my computer, it had a cool profile of Adam reflected on the glass.

Most of practice, I sat and played solitaire. But Adam finally got bored enough to play a few games of rummy with me.

The Power of the Cross

2007-08-06T12:43:00.000-04:00

We sang this wonderful song in church Sunday morning. I had never heard it before and it's rare that I remember new songs, but this one stuck with me. I felt led to share it. The lyrics are below. After reading them, click on the link at the end to read what the writers had to say about it. Unity...this could be a good one for you. Let me know if you are interested. I may arrange it for SSA using the solo track.

Oh, to see the dawn

Of the darkest day:

Christ on the road to Calvary.

Tried by sinful men,

Torn and beaten, then

Nailed to a cross of wood.

CHORUS:

This, the pow'r of the cross:

Christ became sin for us;

Took the blame, bore the wrath—

We stand forgiven at the cross.

Oh, to see the pain

Written on Your face,

Bearing the awesome weight of sin.

Ev'ry bitter thought,

Ev'ry evil deed

Crowning Your bloodstained brow.

Now the daylight flees;

Now the ground beneath

Quakes as its Maker bows His head.

Curtain torn in two,

Dead are raised to life;

"Finished!" the vict'ry cry.

Oh, to see my name

Written in the wounds,

For through Your suffering I am free.

Death is crushed to death;

Life is mine to live,

Won through Your selfless love.

FINAL CHORUS:

This, the pow'r of the cross:

Son of God—slain for us.

What a love! What a cost!

We stand forgiven at the cross.

Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend

Little Country Church

2007-08-02T22:08:00.000-04:00

This is a small country church that I pass every day on my way to and from work. I finally stopped and took a picture of it because it's so cute.

Elders vs. Deacons...the Church Search continues.
My church search is continuing. I visited a church last Sunday, Stafford Baptist Church (http://www.staffordbaptist.org/). I'm going to go there again this Sunday with Mert and the boys. It is a Southern Baptist church that focuses on beginning new churches, both here and in Iceland/Scandanavia.

But, I was told that they have decided to go from a deacon-led church to an elder-led church. I'm not sure what this means. If anyone has any insight or scripture that might help me understand this better, please let me know.

Otherwise, it seems to be a nice church. They are currently without a music minister, but the youth program has about 30 young people in it. And they have a nice gym where they have had an Upwards basketball program. But the program has grown so large that they can't do it alone. So they are looking for another church to partner with them. I'll let you know more after my second visit, but it may be the one.

Captain Jack

2007-08-01T19:56:00.001-04:00

Meet Captain Jack. A handsome stray with some amazing eyes.

He may look a bit scary at first.

But he has lived at our house for years.

The former homeowner's fed him and

then the man who cut the grass after they left fed him.

Now we feed him.

His right ear is evidence of his life in the wild.
But he is amazingly the most affectionate cat I've

ever encountered. Even when you feed him, he ignores

the food until you give him a good rub.

Kind of like Captain Jack of the Caribbean.

He looks scary, but is really a pussycat!

I'm a Benevolent Analyst

2007-07-27T19:58:00.000-04:00

You are an Analyst
· Your attention to detail, confidence, sense of order, and focus on functionality combine to make you an ANALYST.
· You are very curious about how things work, delving into the mechanics behind things.
· Along those lines, how well something works is usually more important to you than what it looks like.
· You find beauty and wonder mainly in concrete, functional, earthly things.
· You are very aware of your own abilities, and you believe that you will find the best way of doing things.
· Accordingly, problems do not intimidate you, as you believe in yourself.
· You trust yourself to find solutions within the boundaries of your knowledge.
· You don't spend a lot of time imagining how things could be different—you're well-grounded in the here-and-now.
· It is important for you to follow a routine, and you prefer the familiar to the unknown.
· You prefer to have time to plan for things, feeling better with a schedule than with keeping plans up in the air until the last minute.
· Generally, you believe that you control your life, and that external forces only play a limited role in determining what happens to you.

If you want to be different:
· Try to embrace the imaginative, creative part of your personality more often.
· Try moving beyond the things that you find comfortable—open yourself up to a broader range of experiences.
how you relate to others

You are Benevolent
· You are a great person to interact with—understanding, giving, and trusting—in a word, BENEVOLENT
· You don't mind being in social situations, as you feel comfortable enough with people to be yourself.
· Your caring nature goes beyond a basic concern: you take the time to understand the nuances of people's situations before passing any sort of judgment.
· You're a good listener, and even better at offering advice.
· You're concerned with others at both an individual and societal level—you sympathize with the plights of troubled groups, and you can care about people you've never met.
· Considering many different perspectives is something at which you excel, and you appreciate that quality in others.
· Other people's feelings are important to you, and you're good at mediating disputes.
· Because of your understanding and patience, you tend to bring out the best in people.

If you want to be different:
· You spend a lot of time taking care of others, but don't forget to take care of yourself!
· Sometimes you can get overcommitted, and when you sacrifice spending time with those close to you, it can make them feel unimportant.

Church Search - A new development

2007-07-23T20:42:00.000-04:00

Okay, I know my last blog was a bit long, so I'll keep this short. I just found out that my neighbors, Matt and Margaret (a/k/a M&M) are part of a gospel singing group. They invited me to their church, a Church of God. From what M&M told me, it sounds a lot like KBBC. The service is a combination of traditional and contemporary. No dancing in the aisles (I asked). They have a FLC and a large youth group (approx. 65-70) But it is a Pentecostal church. So I thought I'd ask for some opinions. If you want, check out their website and let me know what your impression is. http://www.spotsychurchofgod.com/index.html I think I might go there next week just to check it out.

One more thing I'd like to share. God sometimes answers prayer in a way that really can surprise you. This morning, when I was opening my daily email listing available federal jobs, I said a quick prayer to God basically asking Him to provide a job opportunity closer to home for me. When I looked at the list, there it was. A job with the same title I have now that is in Fredericksburg (less than half the distance I travel now). I was so happy and grateful to God because he had answered my prayer. But then it was kind of like God spoke to me in my mind. He said, "I answered that specific prayer. The job is available. But now what." I remembered hearing someone preach about how you should be specific when you pray. God answered my prayer and made the job available just as I asked. I guess now I will need to pray specifically that I will get the job! I love the way God can teach you little lessons along the way using seeds that have been planted in the past.

Pictures to come: Yellow finches, rabbits, and an albino skunk family that live in my neighbors yard. As soon as I can catch them with my camera! Also, some home improvement projects, before and after photos.

Church Search

2007-07-22T13:10:00.001-04:00

I just got home from visiting Ramoth Baptist Church. I liked it. Traditional with hints of contemporary. But I'm not sure if it's the one. As I sat there in the service, naturally I kept comparing everything to KBBC. Even while I knew that I wouldn't find a church exactly like it. The sanctuary itself was very pretty, high arched wooden ceiling, neutral colors, light and about 3/4 the size of KBBC. There were probably around 200 people there for the service.

I was a few minutes late, so no one spoke to me when I went in and sat down. No big surprise there. But they didn't have anything during the service to recognize and welcome visitors and there were no visitor cards in the pews to fill out. Later, I realized they had a welcome table in the vestibule where you filled out a card. I completed a card and handed it to a lady standing with the pastor at the door when I left.

They have a interim pastor who I enjoyed listening to. He reminded me a little of Brother William in the way he began his message with reading the scripture and then praying. But the praying went on and on and on. He prayed so long, I started wondering if that was going to be the whole message. But it wasn't and he went on to use the scripture he read, Psalm 85, to give a message titled "Crushed or Crowned?" He used an analogy of a checkers game. The black represented evil. The red represented being covered by the blood of Jesus. While I still have trouble relating the message to the scripture, it was all good. And I felt like the congregation was attentive, giving an occasional "amen" here and there. And there was the one man that kept saying "Preach on, Brother!" in a loud country twang. I really did enjoy the service.

The invitation brought several forward to pray at the alter and one young girl with her profession of faith. Then, the associate pastor, a man of some 80+ years, announced his retirement. This means, the church is without a permanent pastor of any kind right now. And they don't have a youth pastor.

As I left, a few smiled and said hello, but still no one talked to me. I waited until there was no one left before approach the pastor and lady at the door. I asked them about the youth group and was told that they don't have a very active youth group at the moment. Apparently, there was a lady who was working full time with the youth, but she left sometime last year. The lady at the door told me she was teaching the youth Sunday school and they had about 10 in there with the potential for 20-25. But they needed a full time youth director. After I got home, I read in the bulletin that all children and youth activities have been suspended for the summer.

I will be doing a lot of praying about this as I visit more churches. But I may go back to this one again just to check out Sunday school. Next week: I will probably visit Stafford Baptist Church. Keep me in your prayers and I try to find just where God wants us.

I've been tagged!

2007-07-22T12:52:00.000-04:00

Four jobs I've held:
Mother and housewife!
Christmas tree farm
Fork lift operator
Legal Assistant

Four movies I can watch over again:
White Christmas
Brigadoon
The Quiet Man
Phantom of the Opera

Four places I have lived:
North Carolina coast
North Carolina mountains
Chugiak, Alaska
Jacksonville, Florida

Four t.v. shows I watch:
Full House
Reba
Family Matters
Anything on the Game Show Network

Four places I've been on vacation:
Nashville, Tennessee
Niagra Falls, NY
Camping in Alaska
Canada

Four favorite foods:
Anything Chocolate (except chocolate covered bugs)
Rice and gravy (My sister and I love this!)
Onion dip and chips (the kind of dip you make with Lipton Onion Soup Mix)
Shrimp

Four websites I visit:
Friends blogsites
New4jax.com
Comcast.net games
Google

Four people I am tagging:
Janice
Cheryl
Deborah
Amy

Popcorn...My favorite snack!

2007-07-21T20:38:00.000-04:00

Merton gave me this nifty popcorn machine for Christmas

last year and I finally got to put it together.

My family loves popcorn. Especially Adam and I.

He was so excited when we put it together that he couldn't

wait to make some popcorn. I think we made three batches last night.

And guess what we are having again tonight!

Now my house smells like a movie theater!

Home again.

2007-07-19T19:31:00.000-04:00

We just got home from camp. It was a quite trip. The boys were exhausted and slept most of the way. We did get to stop in Greensboro and have lunch with my parents and brother so the boys could visit with Grandmom and PopPop. Below are a few pictures I took before we left camp.

"BRASS KNUCKS"

2007 Crossroads Dodgeball Champions

MT and Friends

What a crew!

2007-07-18T15:19:00.001-04:00

Thought I'd share some pictures of a sunny day in my yard. We have several big trees like these. They bring to mind the poem below I learned as a child.

Trees
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
-- Joyce Kilmer

On the road again!

2007-07-18T13:56:00.000-04:00

I'm about to hit the road again, heading for North Carolina. I'll go to my parents tonight and then on to Gardner-Webb in the morning to pick up the boys. I'm planning on getting there in time for the final worship service at 9 a.m. I've heard it's great and I want to experience a little bit of camp. I never got to go to camp when I was young. So here's my chance!

Church Search: I thought I'd share my experiences with you as I'm looking for a church home here in Virginia. Not that anywhere can every replace KBBC! But we need to find some Christian friends here. I've done quite a bit of preliminary research online. And so far, I've visited two churches.

Mt. Ararat Baptist Church: The first was a very large church, but also very contemporary. The boys didn't like it, but I think it was too soon for them. They were still very upset about the move and hadn't let go of the idea of living in Jax. But, I also wasn't too impressed with the church either. I went to Sunday school and no one spoke to me. They kept looking at me like they couldn't figure out if I was a member or not. I guess that's a problem when you have a church so large it has three Sunday school times every Sunday morning. There were also a lot of youth. But Thad and Adam didn't seem to fit in.
Rock Hill Baptist Church: I visited a smaller church the next time. It's more of a small country church, circa early 1800's. I was told that they just went to two services on Sunday morning because it was getting crowded. There were about 75 people in the service and only 7 in the choir (including the preacher). Throughout the service, it seemed I only heard two or three names mentioned and it gave me the impressions that only a few people were doing everything there. When I met the preacher, it only added to that impression when, although he was friendly enough, he seemed to be hurried. His message was also hard to follow. He seemed to have chosen a subject and just pulled a few scriptures to support the subject. I know there is nothing wrong with that, but I had a hard time following his main subject. As for the youth, I was told they had about 15-20 in their youth group, but I didn't see more than two or three there.

Ramoth Baptist Church: I have chosen to visit another church this Sunday, also circa early 1800's. This is a mission church. The first church I visited, Mt. Ararat, was actually started by this church, as well as several other churches in the area. But it still has about 700 members. They are currently looking for a new preacher. But it appears to be a more traditional church on its website. Something both the boys and I would prefer. I'll let you know Sunday afternoon!

Critter update: One more sighting. I was on my way to work this morning and as I came around a curve, there was an owl sitting in the middle of my lane! It was beautiful...and stubborn. It wouldn't move until I slowed down and blew my horn. Then it flew away. This time I had my camera, but since I was driving, I couldn't get a picture. But it was beautiful!

Weekend Trip

2007-07-16T18:31:00.001-04:00

Back to Jacksonville again! This time we cut the trip down there into two trips. We went to my sister's in Raleigh on Friday night. Got to visit with the neices, Kaitlyn and Madison and my nephew, Harrison. We also got to meet Harrison's new puppy "Max".

That makes a grand total of three kids, three dogs and two fish! Kaitlyn's dog is "Spunky" and she is such an affectionate dog. Madison's is a mini-dacshund name "Ruby-doo".

Then it was just a 7.5 hour drive to Jacksonville. We got there about 4 pm on Saturday and I had a chance to see my friends, Deborah and Jason, along with their three little ones. I tried to get a good picture of their 3-month old, but I couldn't put her down long enough to take the picture!

Sunday morning, 4:45 am, we leave for the church and it's reunion time. It was so wonderful seeing everyone. And the boys were very excited about camp. They didn't even say goodbye to me before getting on the bus. They just disappeared with their friends.

As I said goodbye and walked to the car, the tears threatened. But I kept them at bay long enough to go back to the hotel, shower, eat breakfast and get on the road by 7:15 am. Then it was a long 11+ hour trip back to Virginia. I shed some tears as I said farewell to Jacksonville and then reminded myself that I could go back anytime. I also reminded myself that I had three whole days alone with my husband! When I got home, we went out to dinner and we made a date to go bowling, just the two of us, Tuesday. And it's off to dinner again tonight!

A little free time...very little!

2007-07-12T19:45:00.000-04:00

Guess what I've been doing!!! Here's a clue.

I actually had time to sit down and "tickle the ivories" for 15-20 minutes before I was called away to mother duty by the boys telling me something they need for camp. They are packing now.

And then there's my little feline friend, Khaki.

Khaki is my 12 1/2 year old cat that has been with us from North Carolina, to Alaska, to Florida and now to Virginia. She has always had skin problems, thus the scratches over her eye and on her ear. But they seem to have inproved since we moved here. She's been following me around tonight, as she has most nights since I moved up here. But she seems especially attached tonight, probably because I've gone back to work. She really couldn't care less about the cat in the picture with her. When we inherited it from my mother in law last summer, she took one cautious sniff of it and has ignore it ever since. So far, she seems to have adapted well to the move. The biggest adjustment for her has been getting used to a new pet door we installed to the basement. That's where her food, water and litter box are. The first 24 hours she had to go through that door, she would stop and watch the thing swing back and forth until it would stop abruptly. Then she would "holler" at it with a very loud meow before running off. It was so funny! I love my kitty!

Myotis Lucifugus

2007-07-10T21:46:00.000-04:00

I learned a new term. Myotis Lucifugus...aka "Little Brown Bat." This is a picture of one.

When my new boss was showing me around the complex yesterday, we were walking up to one of the trailers and noticed something on the wooden steps. It was a Little Brown Bat hanging upside down from one of the steps. He was so small, smaller than my hand. If I had my camera, I could have taken a picture of the little critter. Lesson learned. Always take my camera with me.We left him alone and took a different door into the building. Later he had moved to the inside of a lower step and eventually he left. I've decided to start calling that trailer the "Bat Cave."

I'm starting to realize that my new work environment is in the middle of the wilderness. I've also been told that there are some very fat groundhogs living underneath the trailer that I work in. There also seem to be some turtles in the area that are protected species, as evidenced by the "Turtle Crossing" signs. I had a deer run in front of me today, heard tales of black snakes in the parking lot, and was told that next spring we will have our annual investation of lady bugs and it is against the rules of the military base to kill a lady bug. I think I'm going to get one of those hats with the net on it!

On an up note, Mert's birthday is today. I have promised him a nice hammock to hang in the back yard. And to my surprise, I got my birthday present tonight. He bought me a strand of Tahitian pearls. Aren't they beautiful! I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful husband!

Amusement Parks and a New Job!

2007-07-09T18:57:00.000-04:00

I Love Kings Dominion!!! We went Saturday, all nine of us, and we had a blast. We got there at 10:30 am, right after they opened. And first thing, all of us except my sister and her two youngest jumped on a roller coaster called Shockwave (you stand up through the whole thing...even going upside down and sideways). My sons and their two girl cousins then got on a ride called Drop Zone that drops you 272 feet at 72 mph. I stayed away from that one. After that, spent most of the day in the water park having a blast. We put everything in a locker and walked around barefoot in our bathing suits getting wet everywhere we could. It was extremely hot! By the time we finished there, changed clothes and got something to eat, we looked like this.

We closed the park down that night and by the time we got home, I could hardly walk. But I had the best time I've ever had at an amusement park. We will be going back soon!

My family left for home the next day and we spent the day resting and driving down to where I had to report to work this morning.

My first day on my new job was....boring. After reading a week and a half worth of emails, I spent the rest of the day doing nothing. There was plenty I needed to do, but our headquarters had to shut down because their AC went out. And since I needed HQ to get my new office space up and running, I was unable to do much. Hopefully, tomorrow will be busier.

Family Fun

2007-07-06T15:56:00.000-04:00

We've been quite busy here the last few days. My sister, her husband and their three kids came up Tuesday for a visit and we are having a blast. Yesterday, we went into Washington, D.C. and visited two of the Smithsonian museums (The Art and the Natural History). We must have walked at least five miles! Maybe ten!!! But it was a lot of fun. It was my nephew Harrison's 7th birthday and he was so excited because we got to go "subwaying" on the metro.

Harrison loves his "boy cousins" and has been Thad's shadow since they got here. Actually, Harrison has been asking to visit us since the day we closed on the house. On the day they were coming up here, Harrison got in his seat in the car, put on his earphones and his favorite music and sat there for two hours until they left. His Dad tried to get him to come inside, but he just said, "No. I'm fine." By the time they left, he was so exhausted he fell asleep almost immediately.

My nieces, Kaitlyn and Madison, have been a lot of fun too. They helped me bake a checkerboard cake for our July 4th feast. And we've learned to play a fun new game, fixed our hair and played piano.

Keeping in Touch

2007-07-03T12:46:00.000-04:00

Hi all! I just finished looking at a couple of my Florida friends' blogs. Melissa and Sharon, I wish I could reach right into the computer and grab Kylie, Cameron and RJ! Since we just moved to Virginia last week, I realized this will be a great way to keep in touch with my friends and family. As soon as we get settled, I'll be adding some picture of my new home. Meanwhile, keep us in your prayers. We are working very hard to make this house our home. And we are having a few issues with our "new" old home. Also, the boys are still trying to adjust. I have to say they've been doing better than I expected. But I know it is still hard on them and I'm sure they are hiding the tears from me. So please say an extra prayer for them.

I'll be talking to you again soon!