TRADITION

This weekend, our 8 year old grand-daughter, "Jelly Bean" spent the weekend with us. Every October for the last several years we have gone to a really cool pumpkin patch near our house. This year however, Grampy joined us for the first time! There are bounce houses, a train ride, scary displays, a maze made from hay bales, bouncy obstacle courses and slides, food and of course, pumpkins everywhere! Grampy was completely impressed and told me I HAD to buy a pumpkin from them to support them staying in business! I normally go to Sprawl Mart and get a nice pumpkin for under $4 but not this year!! Later that night as she was scooping out the pumpkin guts, we found 4 pumpkin seeds inside that had sprouted!! I've NEVER seen that before! She carved a peace sign on her pumpkin and we lit it up!

After, we dropped Grampy off at home and had lunch at McD's where she played in the Play Place and I endured a bunch of screaming and enthusiastic children! We saw the 3D movie, "Legend of the Guardians" (visually STUNNING!), Sunday she helped us greet at church, went to the bowling alley with us and bowled with the twin daughters of our fellow team mates, we made and decorated cookies and then last night, after she left I CRASHED!!



My how you've grown! Our first trip to the Pumpkin Patch 4 years ago.
















The years are zooming by! Again, this was our first trip 4 years ago!














Off to church!

FUNKY TOWN

Wont "chew" take me to...
FUNKY TOWN!!

No, disco isn't making a comeback (thank the Lord!), I'm just in a funk these days. It's just that season of life right now...

Dave went out of town this week and is coming home today, thank goodness. I get a little "lost" feeling some times when he goes out of town and I am here alone. I tend to not make the bed, eat fast food and let the house go to ruin while he's away. I like order and I don't know why I do that but maybe it's as simple as "because I can".

We celebrated Charlie's birthday last Sunday, I beat Dave 1 out of 3 games in bowling and came really close on another one and canned chili in the pressure canner yesterday. The excitement level is intense I tell ya!

Yesterday was the estate auction at Dave's parents' house back in St. Charles. I don't know yet how that went but it left me a little sad all day yesterday. I went through one of the containers that we brought home from there and when I opened it up, I could smell their house. Not a bad smell, just THEIR smell and it made me sad to think that their chapter is now closed. Weird is about the only word I can come up with to describe how unusual this is. One day, it'll be my folks that are gone and I will be feeling this way again, only worse.

Today my Mom has a BIG treatment at the Cancer Center where she gets double-dosed with drugs. She'll probably sleep the day and night away today. Still, I will check in and see how it went. I hate to admit this but sometimes I dread calling. I have been trying to be so optomistic and upbeat even though we've been in limbo since June. This has been so incredibly hard on my folks and I feel guilty whining about how this affects me!

Still...I HATE this!
I HATE how cancer dictates our lives right now! My waking and ending thoughts of every stinkin' day are focused on it!

I HATE wondering if this is the last Holidays we have with my Mom or if that was the last time I heard her sing me Happy Birthday!

I HATE worrying that Pop is running himself ragged!

I HATE the unfairness of it all! My Mom has endured so much in her life and now this!

I HATE that I worry about how this affects me! It seems wrong to think of myself and yet, I can't help it! I don't even want to imagine my life, minus her...

So I just feel adrift these days...like I'm sitting on a chunk of debris in a vast ocean being tossed all over the place. Nothing profound, no wisdom here today people, just feeling kind of raw.....

JUMBLED THOUGHTS FOR TODAY

Here lately in my quiet time I find myself thankful. It has to be a God thing since there is so much turmoil going on in our family. A couple of days ago I literally felt like I was imploding. Implosions turn inward while explosions turn outward. I am rather surprised that with all of the stress going on, I haven't twisted off on anyone as is my usual way. God has definitely helped me in the self-control area and I am sure that those closest to me are VERY grateful! I am ready for this year to end and to get a fresh start on a better one in 2011. I just don't think that's going to happen though, I'm not being negative I am just being realistic.

I told Dave recently that I feel that as we get older, life gets more complicated! Those days of being young and care-free are such a long time ago! I know we're supposed to grow and mature and think of others, that's what God calls us to, but there's something to be said about running along all self-involved, when you are focused on yourself you don't hurt for others as much! There will always be something and God calls us to persevere and run our race.

As I was praying I told the Lord that satan is attacking my family once again when he called to remembrance the verse from 1 Peter 5:8:

8Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [[a]in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. (Amplified)

I have known that for how many years? Immediately though God reminded me of Rev. 5:5:

5Then one of the elders [[a]of the heavenly Sanhedrin] said to me, Stop weeping! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root (Source) of David, has won (has overcome and conquered)! He can open the scroll and break its seven seals!
(Amplified)

I need to remember that the Lion of Judah trumps satan's poor "imitation alley-cat" hands down every time! On our recent hiking trip God reminded me of something:

"Life is like a hike. Seldom is the trail level and easy going and it takes a lot of energy to make it to the top of the mountain. There are no shortcuts but the hard work results in magnificent views that you can't see otherwise! Sometimes I make good strides and other times I have to stop and take a lot of breaks, shuffling along but sooner or later, I do get there. When I am on the top, I will sit and soak up all the scenery and majesty that my poor, finite brain can process but eventually, I have to come down. I don't get to live on top of that mountain. That's how life is, you're either in the valley working your way up or on the mountaintop working your way down. The level, easy going trail unfortunately is a short one."

There will always be something. A weakness to bring under submission, a threat to our loved ones, a health issue, death and so on... I guess that this is my season and I had better gird my loins, take a deep breath and take the plunge!

IT IS FINISHED!

Today is our son's birthday, today he turns 20.


After 19 years, we are finally finished with having a teenager in the family! DANG! No wonder I have gray hair and Dave has NO hair! Am I supposed to feel differently now? Probably not! The more things change, the more they stay the same!!

He still wants to be a Meteorologist!


He still loves adventure!


He still loves to play video games!! (With Jelly Bean in 2003)


He still loves the outdoors!


He's still making me proud!



He's still a prankster!


He still has my heart!!

UP, UP AND AWAY!

The party is finally over for my 50th Birthday celebration. The last hurrah was this past Saturday when Dave and I left the house at 6AM for a surprise he had planned for me. I had asked him if we were going to the airport and flying some place for the day and he said nope. The reason why I could ask that and have it not sound outlandish, is because he did that one other time! We knew 2 other couples from our old church who also have their Wedding Anniversaries in November and the men were always in charge of celebrating it. One year they surprised us gals by all 6 of us flying to spend the day in Kansas City!

So anyway...we drove to McKinney, Texas about 45 minutes away and pulled into the Central Market parking lot. I thought,
"We sure came along way for a cup of coffee!"
Even when he parked next to a van with a trailer and sitting inside the trailer was a balloon basket, it didn't click! It wasn't until he got out and approached the van did I suddenly realize what was going on! I was speechless and then, I was scared!

I have a fear of heights. I can do airplanes okay but precarious places is another thing entirely! I can't look over the side of a cliff when we're hiking without getting "the willies"! My teeth tingle, my hands sweat, my heart races and my breathing gets shallow! The thought of standing in this woven basket, high off the ground made me anxious! There were some other people going as well and soon, we loaded up in a large passenger van and headed off to launch!

Clicking on the pictures will enlarge them!

We watched as they unloaded everything and began inflating the 2 balloons.





Dave and I standing inside the balloon as it is being inflated!


Heating up the air inside the balloon. Once it is completely inflated and the air is heated, it will be set upright!


Off we go!


As we lifted off at the park, people began arriving for their kids Saturday morning soccer games!



The other balloon!

Amazing bird's eye views!



Our shadow!



Watching the other balloon do "yo-yo's"!


Skimming the tree tops!


Flying over local ranches.


I wasn't scared after all! I had a blast! It was so incredibly smooth and even though we got to 3.500 feet, it felt gradual, nothing like I had imagined it would be!


Getting ready to land.




The local welcoming committee!


An angry protester! There's one in every crowd!


The balloon chase crew arrived and began deflating the balloon.





We toasted our successful flight with Mimosas and recited the "Balloonist's Prayer".


The winds have welcomed you with softness,
The sun has blessed you with his warm hands
You have flown so high and so free,
That God has joined you in laughter,
And set you gently again,
Into the loving arms of mother earth.

What an amazing adventure!! When do we go again?