TOO GOOD NOT TO SHARE!

My youngest child (almost 18) and only son Charles, has got quite the sense of humor. He obviously doesn't get it from my side of the family but Dave's (Charlie however, doesn't use the cutting sarcasm that runs rampant with the Hopkins men!) Anyway...

Last week, Laura placed some cookies that had been in her room on the kitchen counter. She was afraid that they wouldn't get eaten (She brought them to the right place I tell ya!) She said that they were community property.

Charles came home and got all excited when he saw the Lofthouse brand cookies.


Let's face it, most of us enjoy these cookies although there are probably 500 calories in a single one!

He said,
"JESUS Cookies!"

Laura and I were looking at him like, "HUH?"

I was remembering how our church would set these cookies out from time to time in the welcoming area and maybe that was why he called them Jesus Cookies.

So we asked why he called them Jesus Cookies? His reply was,

"Because they are SOOOOO good!"

Wel, we laughed about it and I probably said,
"Oh Bub, you are so funny!"

The next morning I get up and there are ANTS!!!!!! all running amuck on the kitchen counter and they are swarming around but not inside of the Jesus cookies. I disgustedly picked them up and noticed that they had expired a week before! I guess Laura should have brought them in sooner! Naturally, I threw them away. Once Charlie was up, I told him about the ants and that I threw the Jesus Cookies away. He was very put out and so I told him that they were expired as well.

With the straightest face I have ever seen he looked at me and said,
"But Mom, they're JESUS cookies, they're everlasting!"

SUMMERS' END

August is waning and I feel the heaviness in my spirit that only God can give me relief from. This has been a difficult week. Tuesday marked the second anniversary of my Mother-in-Law's passing. My thoughts were filled with how life goes on even though she's not here. Laura will be getting married soon (November 7th, 2 days after waht would have been her 80th birthday) SIGH...

I read yesterday of a prayer request by a blogger whom I frequent. A home-schooling family pulled their 3 year old son from a pond, his funeral is Saturday SIGH...

Dave has been in Durnago, Colorado this week for a Staff Meeting he put together for his team. His (new) boss, a former peer whom we enjoy very much had to cancel out. His wife Marlene underwent surgery for Uterine Cancer yesterday. The initial news isn't good... She's only a couple of years older than I am. SIGH...

I am reminded by something Beth Moore said this past weekend. We often look back and talk about "where did the time go?" We forget that we are moving towards something, we tend to focus on what was instead of what is to come... Truth is truth. As a Believer in Christ we do have a destination and a destiny. However that doesn't keep us from having to deal with a fallen world. A world where life can turn on a dime. A world where in a split second a child can drown, cancer turns us into a tailspin and the heart grows weary from sadness. I was reminded of this Bible Verse this morning,

"I lift up my eyes to the hills-
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip-
he who watches over you will not slumber;"

Psalm 121: 1-3

BETH MOORE/SAN ANTONIO FINALE

We awoke to rain on Saturday morning, early as our usual custom and drove to Denny's for breakfast. We got there at 6:30, just a few minutes before the rush of other ladies. I debated on whether or not to drive to the Alamodome or walk over since the rain had let up. I felt strongly that we should drive over and cough up another $10 for parking. Boy was I glad becasue we could actually hear thunder from inside the Alamodome during the conference and it was pouring down afterwards! We actually saw our new friend Sherry and her daughter Amanda, in the sea of faces, We sat together during the reception and after the conference was over I dropped them off at their hotel. I didn't realize how badly I needed to hear Beth's message on our inheritance! More than what awaits us, I was reminded of the value that God places on me! The other thing that stands out in my mind is how too many times I have let the devil on to my "property". If I am not standing my ground in that area be it my faith, life experiences, my past, my intimacy with God or the using of my spiritual giftings, he wants to be ALL OVER IT! Since I have been home, I have already had to tell him more than once to,
"GET OFF OF MY PROPERTY!!!"



















Our "salmon" group photo with Beth. I am in the 2nd row from the back, 4th from the left and Bee is in the blue shirt right in front of me!

















The reception afterwards was such a delight (as Beth would say). It was wonderful to be able to make the weekend last a little longer and have a bit more personal time with her and her lovely daughters! Despite how many of us there were, I felt like it was very personal!






















The lovely Moore ladies! The whole event blessed my socks off! The commission at the end had me blubbering in tears (what else is new? Good thing I remembered the kleenex and water-proof mascara!) I wish I could hug the neck of every person involved with this event. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!



















We were starving at this point and decided on one last hurrah of Mexican food for dinner! We ate once again at Casa Rio and decided to drive to the missions. Brenda spotted a church witha red door she wanted to photograph. I tried every which way but never could find it again!! Oh well, we made up for it in these photos. The first mission was Mission Concepcion. We got there early evening and didn't actually get to see a whole lot. The plan was to return in the morning and see it in hopefully better lighting and catch the 2nd of the 4 as well. It was getting dark and we decided to drive to Cracker Barrel a few miles from our hotel for dessert. It was wonderful sitting there, going over the weekend and just sharing our thoughts with each other!





Bee in front of the mission!























Sunday morning we got up, checked out of our hotel and had breakfast. We had talked the entire weekend about going to the Buckhorn Saloon and Texas Rangers Museum. Not to be confused with Major League Baseball, if you have read my profile you know that "Lonesome Dove" is one of my top 5 favorite movies! This kind of stuff is right up my alley! We got there just as it was opening and we were met by a "Wild Bill Hickock" wannabe. We decided to see all not only the Rangers Museum but they also had exhibits upstairs, dioramas and such.

























One of the magnificent display cases filled with artifacts!



















There really was no one around so we were able to take some fun pictures! DISCLAIMER, we didn't actually put our hands on any of the animal exhibits, we placed them to where it looks like we are! Afterwards, we ate a yummy lunch and hit the road for home! Until next year!

BETH MOORE CONTINUED!

Brenda (AKA "BEE") flew in on Wednesday and we hit the road on Thursday morning. We ate at Cracker Barrel for breakfast south of Dallas.


















After a stop in New Braunfels to shop at the Christmas Store right next to the world famous "SCHLITTERBAHN" we drove on into San Antonio. After checking into our hotel, the Red Roof Inn we walked the 5-6 blocks to see the Alamo. This was Bee's first trip to San Antonio and we were going to see as much as we could! (We actually toured the Alamo the next day.) From there we hit the Riverwalk and some shops. We had a wonderful dinner at Casa Rio and wound up at the Rivercenter Mall. I saw 2 tee-shirts that I almost bought for our son-in-law Steven. One said,

"Made in America
With Mexican Parts"

The other one said,

Good looking AND Mexican
Does it get any better than this?"

Since we had walked, we called it a night so we wouldn't be walking all the way back to our hotel when it was too dark!



















The shops at La Vallita!























Our breakfast Friday morning at the "Original Mexican Restaurant". You're going to hear a lot about our meals on this blog, we ate Mexican every chance we got!!!
















On Friday morning (OMG it was incredibly humid!) we toured the Alamo, and enjoyed the talk given by Brad the Tour Guide out in the Calvary Courtyard. (I see that I should've spelled CAVALRY, old habits die hard!) Carol Ackley however, she was one of the volunteers, charmed us to pieces with her sharing her family's history. She is a Daughter of the Republic of Texas, a 5th generation Texan whose GGG Grandmother walked from Tennessee to Texas, pregnant!!!! Sadly she died in childbirth. This lady kept us spellbound!
















We went to the Mercado and shopped. We went back to the hotel so I could shower, wash my hair and clean up before the conference began. Did I mention it was very humid? When we got back I learned, much to my horror that the plumber was working on the pipes and I wasn't going to get a shower!!!! I lathered myself up in my Bath & Body Works Cherry Blossom scented lotion so I wouldn't offend anyone and was forced to actually straightened my hair!!! Yeah that worked really well in the humidity!

Did I remember to mention how humid it was? Oh I did didn't I? UGH! We made the decision to drive to the Alamodome rather than walk so we wouldn't have to walk back to our hotel at 9PM that night in a neighborhood that was questionable at best. While checking in at the Alamodome we made a new friend, Sherry and her daughter Amanda from Georgia who joined Bee & I for dinner at Aldaco's Mexican Restaurant.




A HUGE thank you to Travis and the Praise Team for ushering us into such an incredible praise experience! Miss Beth thank you for message Friday night, it really encouraged me. I'll be one of your "peeps" anytime! Be watching for my next installment on our San Antonio trip and Beth Moore!!!

BETH MOORE/SAN ANTONIO TEASER

Posting a couple of quick pics of our weekend in San Antonio!

Sign at the ALAMODOME






















Bee and I, we had SUCH a wonderful time!


















Huh? How did that get on here? Tee-hee!























In all fairness here's a goofy one of me! We couldn't get the tortilla holder keeper thingy open at Casa Rio!!

BORN TO BE WILD!

"Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
In whatever comes our way...'

Does anyone else remember the anthem of freedom by Steppenwolf?

That's Bee & Mee, heading out in a little while for San Antonio for our Beth Moore weekend! Please pray for our safety ( I decided to take my VUE since I have ONSTAR), health (my knee continuing to stay in tip-top form, I am sure it will bow quite a bit this weekend!), fun (our extra-curricular activities to go smoothly) and sweet, sweet fellowship!

Catch up with you all once I am home again!

Adios for now!

GIDDY WITH EXCITEMENT!!!

Yup, I feel giddy. What a word! Do you ever stop and pronounce a word and think,
"How did they ever come up with a word like that?" Or is it just me who does that? I wouldn't be surprised since I can be a tad odd at times!

Today one of my best friends, Brenda comes into town. I will pick her up at the airport around 1PM and we officially kick off our "Beth Moore San Antonio Weekend"! I was chatting with her on the phone this morning and we are both excited about what God is going to do this weekend! While I am excited about us going to the Alamo, the Riverwalk, the Missions, Sea World and so on, the REAL excitement is waiting on God to reveal Himself to us in a relevant way that I am desperate for!

I am reminded of 2 years ago when she joined us in September for a Fall Yellowstone trip. We had SO much fun but the thing that stands out in my mind most is the 2 of us doing Bible Study (Beth Moore's "Daniel") in the Old Faithful Inn. We are naturally early risers and we would sit together with my coffee and her iced tea, listening to the audio portions and going over the workbook, while the Inn was quiet and hardly anyone was stirring. Such sweet fellowship. Is there anything better than sharing about God and His goodness with someone whose heart has been knitted together with yours? Ahhh......men!

"Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your heart on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things. For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."
Colossians 3: 1-4


Leaving you with some photo memories of Brenda joining us at Yellowstone 2006.

GOD, I "KNEE-D" A TOUCH

So here it is mid-August and the summer is winding down. Winding down for whom I might ask? I am still just as busy as ever! It is a good busy however!

Tomorrow, My best friend Brenda is flying into Dallas, we will get to spend some time together and we are taking a ROAD TRIP!! (whoop, whoop!) She has talked about seeing San Antonio for as long as I can remember and that will be our final destination. Last year I read on Beth Moore's blog that there would be a conference in San Antonio in 2008. I registered us and now we are planning to go! The doors open on Friday at 6PM and it ends mid Saturday afternoon. We will drive down on Thursday and return on Sunday. I am excited about having a fresh Word fall on me and Beth Moore is my favorite Bible teacher ever!

In my last couple of entries, I shared about our family vacation. What I failed to mention was the problem I had with my left knee. The day we arrived in Sioux Narrows I began having a pain on the right side of my kneecap. The next day it had subsided somewhat but the left side had grown very painful. I had severe swelling as well as my ankles were swollen. (I think it was a circulation issue from sitting in the van for such a long time on the drive.) By the end of our stay it was feeling better and swimming in the lake seemed to help too. We returned to Texas and I cleaned a big house on Thursday, came home and worked in the yard and by Thursday night, I was right back to square one with the pain and swelling, limping like a 3 legged dog! Since I am being treated for an auto-immune disorder I scoured the internet looking to see if this is another side effect of my meds or some other issue. The other thing is that I began to grow anxious over it.

On September 5th, Dave & I leave for a 2 week trip to Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks. These Fall trips are something we look forward to like you wouldn't believe! As you also know, I am a hiker and the thought of missing out on any hikes and just sitting around was making me crazy!

Sunday morning we were in Church and it felt so good to be there, offering praises and worshipping God. (You realize how much you have missed it when you are back in the midst of it!) I felt in my spirit that God was wanting me to pray about my knee. Now, I have to tell you that in the last 4 years I have dealt with some major, anxiety-producing health issues. I have endured a bone-marrow biopsy and the 10 day wait for its' diagnosis, infusions at the Texas Cancer Center, Steroids, chemo drugs, surgery and more steroids! So praying about a swollen knee and the possiblility of no hiking seemed pretty trivial in my mind!!! Still, I was obedient.

I didn't realize what a big deal it was to me until I began praying about it. God's peace just washed over me. No instant healing or anything like that (although I do believe God does that) just peace, pure & simple. It reminded me of the peace I had while awaiting my biopsy results. God was there and that was enough! I didn't say anything to Dave, I just left it between God and I and went on about my business.

Sunday evening, I was sitting on the couch. I hardly EVER sit on the couch, I have "my" own chair, a recliner that I will sit in when we watch a movie. I decided to stretch out my legs and I heard this pop noise. The pain in my knee was gone!!! I stood up and I had mobility. I decided to walk into the kitchen, passing Dave at the computer with this enormous grin on my face. I passed by him again and said,
"watch this"
as I moved my knee all around. I told him about what had just happened as well as the Lord calling me to pray that morning.

Yes, the pain is gone! It is still tender and I am still wearing the support on it, treating it gently.

Why am I surprised? Maybe it's because I think God only cares about the really big things in my life. As I look around there are people dying, there are "real" needs out there and that there's a universe to keep in order; God's concern about my swollen knee just isn't a priority in the large scheme of things! What a lie from satan!

If I care about it, God cares about it because I am His child!

God can do the seemingly impossible (to human comprehension) and the seemingly trivial at the same time! Leaving you with a fresh Word!

"Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.
I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?"
Jeremiah 32: 6-7

SIOUX NARROWS CONTINUED

You can read about our 2 year-old granddaughter, "Sweet Tart" getting stitiches in her head on Jennifer's blog, in this next installment of our vacation. Brenda & Charlie's oldest daughter Katie (26) is a nurse and she took the stitches out for them when she was healed.

(Click on the photos to enlarge them.)


Sweet Tart and her Auntie Lou, waiting to go to the hospital in Kenora for her stitches. She was amazing!!! "As tough as pine knots" as my Grandma used to say!




Grampy & I kept "Kit-Kat" so that Jenn & Corey weren't distracted. We headed up to Kenora after they did, making a couple of stops, this one at the Hardware Store (Charlie needed to pick up some things for maintaintence work on the Moore cabin). Kit-Kat pretend cooks and serves us breakfast while we are waiting.




Kit-Kat poses for GIGI.



Kit-Kat at one of the shops!




We met up with Jenn & Corey for dinner in Kenora when they were through. Sweet-Tart & Kit-Kat show off their ER "door prizes!"




This photo was taken from the deck at our cabin at Motlongs Rod & Reel where we were staying. It is looking across the "Narrows" on Lake of the Woods at the Moore's boathouse. You can barely see their red cabin up above it on the hill.



We ran some trash to the dump where bear watching is a tradition, from a safe distance of course!



Some of us went wild blueberry picking while others went fishing.Sweet Tart loves blueberries, they are her favorite!






Two precious little blessings!




The Moore's headed out on Saturday while we still had one more day. Jenn & Corey hung out at our cabin while Dave & I took the boat out for one last fishing trip. Unfortunately they weren't biting much!



Everyone loves a "Cheez-It" right? Hey, whatever works!



No, Charles didn't catch this Northern Pike with a "Cheeze-It"!




After dinner Saturday, Jennifer & Corey decided to start the drive back to Missouri rather than leaving early in the morning like we were planning. It worked out well since the girlies slept through the night and awoke in their own driveway! Dave hugs Jennifer before they head out for the open road. So long Sioux Narrows, until next time!



Our cabin at Motlongs.