November Thankfulness: Feeling thankful

Today I am thankful for my experience this month, of looking for things to be thankful for. It's funny, but I am realizing that I SEE what I am looking for. You know, often I hear of some new place, or a name of something that I hadn't heard of before, think about it, and then before the week is out, I will hear it several more times. It seems that where we place our attention is where things show up. If I am looking for something to gripe about, I will find it. If I am looking for something to be thankful for, I find it. And I have so many things to be thankful for in my life, I don't have to look very far.

It just feels better to be in a grateful state of mind than in a critical, disagreeable one. Soooooo, I hope I can continue to be thankful long after November is past.

"Dear Lord, I'm so grateful I'm still loved" --Vivian Leigh
(Isn't that the truth?)

November Thankfulness: Dreams

Today I'm thankful for dreams. I had a terrible dream last night that Bo was secretly engaged to be married to another woman (yes, while he was still married to me). Also, in this dream I found out that he had been married to three other women before me, ---all at the same time! It sounds funny, but in the dream I was really upset, and when I woke up, I was so relieved that it was just a dream. For some reason, the feeling I had in the dream stayed with me a long time today. Do you know what I mean? Do you ever get a certain feeling in a dream and it stays with you for a while? Good dreams with good feelings are great, but bad ones can be nice too, in that there is such a great sense of relief when you wake up and a sense of appreciation for what you really do have. I felt that way today. I kept looking at Bo and feeling so glad that he is a faithful husband.

Judge of your natural character by what you do in your dreams. ---Ralph Waldo Emerson

(That's kind of scarey)

Tags: dreams, sleep

November Thankfulness: A good yardman

Today I'm thankful for a good helper to help me get those limbs in the picture trimmed. It was pretty bushy and with lots of long stems, but Mason trimmed them off. He has been my yard man for several years now and that's been a great help. Now if I could just get his mouthing back at me trimmed back, we'd be in good shape. LOL.

November Thankfulness: Pretty thankful video

Take a look: http://inspiringthots.net/movie/be-thankful.php

Funny picture (which has nothing to do with the thankful video above).

November Thankfulness: Heat

Last night Bo, Mason & I drove to Adrian (a little town about an hour from Amarillo) for Mason's basketball game. The wind was blowing about 40 mph with 60 mph gusts. Wow. The tumbleweeds were flying across the road like crazy. This morning it was still blowing and the temperature was in the 30's. Brrr. As we drove along last night, I was thinking of how nice it was to be in the truck all comfortable and cozy with the heater on. Of course, driving was a little challenging in the wind, but nevertheless we were nice and comfortable. It's nice and warm in my house now and cold outside. I'm thankful for the heat and shelter of my house.


Mason's game was pretty sad last night. They got beat by 60 points. Man, those boys in Adrian were good. They chewed up our team and spit them out. Funny because the game before, our team beat the other team by 40 points. Our team was feeling pretty good, and them wham! ....Talk about getting a helping of humble pie. Oh well, it was good experience for them and well, winning isnt everything.

Tags: humble pie

November Thankfulness: My Salvation

Today I am thankful, oh so thankful for my salvation. I did absolutely nothing to earn it. I do not deserve it. I deserve death and hell. I am nothing but a dead dog sinner, but I believe the Lord Jesus died for me and because he did, my sins are paid for and I can go to heaven. All of the dirty, rotten, things I have done and said and thought in my life were imputed to my savior, Jesus Christ, and his perfect life was imputed to me. When God looks at me, he doesn't see my sins. He only sees his perfect son. I can go boldly before his throne. All of my awful sins are covered by his blood. --Now that's something to be happy about and thankful for! Hallelujah, What a Savior!!

November Thankfulness: My washer & Dryer

Today I'm thankful for my washer and dryer. I've been doing laundry all afternoon, and I was thinking, 'what if I had to do all this by hand like in the days before washers and dryers?' Oh my, that would be a lot of work. Or I could have to load everything in the car and take it all to the laundromat. I had to do that many years ago when I was young, load up laundry for three people and go to the laundromat with a one year old in tow. Even though I have some cute memories of being in the laundromat chasing Cody around while trying to fold clothes, I think I prefer having a washer and dryer at home.

November Thankfulness: My husband

Yesterday was my 11th wedding anniversary. Hard to believe Bo & I have been married 11 years, then again sometimes it seems like 22 years! LOL. (Just kidding) Bo is a very hardworking man and such a good provider. I am very blessed to have him. He is very kind and caring and I am thankful for him. He told me earlier in the week that he would have to spend the night in Gruver last night and get some work done this (Saturday) morning, so I just figured he had forgotten about our anniversary. I rented an old movie to watch. (I just hate picking out movies at the movie store. There is just not much I'm interested in seeing) Then about 5:00 Bo called and told me Happy Anniversary! He was on his way home to surprise me and take me out to dinner, but knowing me, he decided he better call ahead or I would have already eaten by the time he got home. I usually eat supper about 5:30 or 6:00. Anyway, he got home and we went to a nice steak restaurant called Lincoln's. It was very good and we enjoyed it very much. Afterward we drove around the city for a while, stopped and had a yogurt at TCBY, and then came home and watched my movie. It was a very nice night!

Tags: husband, anniversary

November Thankfulness: Indian Summers

Today was another beautiful, warm day and not a cloud in the sky. An Indian Summer day. I just hate to sit in the house on such a day. I feel like I'm wasting it. I gotta get outside. So I decided to head out to Palo Duro Canyon and walk down to the Light House. I gathered up my audio book, sunglasses, hat, some water and headed out. The six mile walk took about two hours, and I enjoyed it very much.









It's a good thing I took advantage of the great weather today because there's a cold front coming in tonight. Ugh.

November Thankfulness: God's Sovereignty

Today, the day after election day, I'm so thankful that God is sovereign and in control of every little thing that happens. I could get really worried wondering what is going to happen next, but I can remind myself and know that nothing, absolutely nothing happens beyond God's control. And I know that all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to his purpose. What a comfort that is. I've had some pretty 'tough to deal with' things happen along the way in my life. I don't understand why, but I can know and rest in the fact that they were for my good.

November Thankfulness: Food

I'm thankful that we have plenty of food to eat. There's not a day in my life that I can remember going hungry (unless I'm dieting). But dieting is voluntary. I've never had to go without food because there was none. Ever. There were a few slim days back when I was single and raising two kids, but really, even then we had plenty. And that's good because I love food!

I worked today for a few hours. Bo flew to Alabama to visit a customer and will be back tomorrow sometime. I went for a bike ride after work and that was nice. I'm listening to a new audio book called 'A Garden to Keep.' It's pretty good, but the author really goes into ALOT of detail. I had let my Audible membership run out, but I really missed listening to books as I walk or ride my bike, so I renewed it the other day.

That's it for me today.

November Thankfulness: My family

Today I am thankful for my family. Everyone of them. Where would I be without them all? My experience with each one has molded and shaped me somehow. I know that God placed each one in my life with a special purpose, and me in theirs.

November Thankfulness: Beauty of Nature

Today I'm thankful for the beauty of nature. The changing of leaves in the fall is so pretty. It makes the metamorphosis from summer to winter much better. I rode my bike today and just took in the beauty. It was great.

November Thankfulness: Bicycles

Today I am thankful for bicycles. It was a beautiful day today. 70 degrees and the wind was 7 mph. Perfect bicycle riding weather. I rode by myself for about six miles, then when Corbin got here he rode with me for another four miles. We rode down to Sonic to meet Mason as he was leaving from work, but they said he had already left, so we just got a strawberry slushee and shared it on the way home. We both got a couple of brain freezes as we drank it, but it was good anyway. Corbin rode thru a few puddles and someone's water sprinkler, even though I told him he shouldn't because he would get wet and cold. He thought it was fun though. Imagine that. We rode by a fire station and Corbin told me how his class had visited there this week and took cookies to the firemen. He wanted us to go in and ask for a tour but I thought we better not today, so we headed on home. When we got home, Mason was here. We had missed him somehow on the way over.

November Thankfulness: My Health

Today I am so thankful for my health. I feel good, I don't hurt anywhere at the moment. That is such a blessing, and one I tend to take for granted, that is until I do get sick or hurt. Then I long for my good health again. Today I have it. And that's great!

Bo went to Austin to take Jocelyne her furniture. It has been in storage for two years while she traveled, but now that she has settled down, she needs it. So I have the weekend pretty much by myself. Mason works tomorrow and Sunday. Oh, but Corbin is coming over to spend the night on Saturday night. That's good.

Here's a picture of Corbin and my neighbor's grandson playing this afternoon after school:









I'm off to run Mason to basketball practice, so ....later!

November Thankfulness: My Job

Every day or at least every few days in November I'm going to try to post something I'm thankful for. I invite your participation, in the comments, to tell what you're thankful for.

I worked today and yesterday, --so today I am thankful for my job. I only work one or two days a week, but I really enjoy it (most days). It gets me out of the house and gives me some extra money. I have a very flexible schedule and I work for a really nice guy. I like doing bookkeeping. I know, most people hate it, but for me, it gives me a sense of accomplishment when I get everything all posted and up to date. I tend to be very structured and like everything in it's proper place, so keeping books is a good job for me!

Happy Reformation Day

On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of The Castle Church in Whittenberg, Germany. The theses was a challenge to the Roman Catholic Church on the power of the pope to grant indulgences for the forgiveness of sins. Luther took his stand on the Word of God, and though all the powers of the Roman Catholic Church stood against him, it was they that stumbled and fell back, and the course of Western Civilization was changed. What a brave man Luther was, --thru the power of the Holy Spirit. Later at the 'Diet of Worms' when asked if he wanted to recant, he replied:

"Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Unless I am convicted by scripture and plain reason - I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other - my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen."

I have been thinking for a while about taking tennis lessons. We live just next door to the Amarillo Tennis Center and I saw where they offered Women's DROP-IN beginning tennis lessons on Tuesday and Thursday nights for $5. Hey, you can't beat that, so last Thursday night I went. Well, I was the only person there, so I got a private lesson. Wow. That was cool. I really enjoyed it (even though I was sore all over for a few days.) LOL. I got ready and went back again tonight. There was only one other lady there. We waited for the instructor to finish with a group of kids before us. When it was time for our lesson, the instructor came over and began to tell us how he wouldn't give us a lesson unless there was a minimum of four people there. He said he had been playing tennis for 40 years and just couldn't give lessons to one or two people at $5.00 each, like he did for me the week before. Well heck, I only went because THEY advertised $5 drop-in lessons. I didn't ask the guy with 40 years experience to give me a private or semi-private lesson. And I only live next door, but the other lady had driven from Canyon, 15 or 20 miles away. I think the better thing to do would have been to go ahead and give the lesson tonight, explaining that they couldn't do it in the future, and then either stop advertising or specify that there must be at least four people there for the lesson. I'm wondering how people that don't even know each other are supposed to know if three other people are planning to attend anyway. --Drive over there each Tuesday and Thursday just hoping three others show up, and turn around and go home if they don't?? That is just goofy. Why not make people sign up for a set number of weeks or something, and forget the drop-in thing altogether. I don't know, but I think that's the end of my tennis lessons for now. Maybe I'll try again next summer. It was pretty chilly in there tonight anyway.

Happy Birthday Cody!

My boy is 27 years old today. 27 YEARS OLD??! So hard to believe. Where did all the years go? Seems like only yesterday he was such a precious little boy just like Corbin. Cody has brought me so much joy thru the years and I thank the Lord for him. What a wonderful blessing.

I just havent been in the mood to blog lately, and also there's really not been much going on in my life to blog about. I'm not complaining though. Having something to blog about doesnt always mean nothing good is happening. Just the abscence of bad and problems is good, ....just not very interesting to write about. But then again, what we call 'bad' may really be good. Good for us, if we learn and grow from it, even though it doesnt feel good to go thru. Anyway.......

I went to Tyler this past weekend to visit my family and see about my mother. She hasnt been feeling very well. She's having to take chemotherapy and that can be so miserable. My heart goes out to her. I enjoyed my visit though, even though it was a short visit. I saw most of my family and enjoyed visiting with them. Here's a picture of me and Gendy, my younger sister.














I spent Saturday afternoon helping my older sister paint the living room of the house her and hubby have bought and will be moving into soon. She did a great job of picking out colors, by the way. It looks very nice. While we were inside painting, my 80 year old daddy was out back cutting down a tree. At one point, I heard Mary Ellen let out a yell from the kitchen. She was looking out the window and saw our Daddy high up in the tree cutting limbs with a chain saw. Eeeiiii! That was scarey!

Here's a picture of Mary Ellen & John outside their house:













I got home late Sunday night. Boy, that's a long drive.

Mason was in the TriState Fair parade this morning (which was honoring our local firefighters) with the Panhandle Christian Home Educators Association. Bo, Corbin & I went to watch.

It is a rainy Sunday afternoon and not much going on. Mason & I went to the mall to do some shopping for fall & winter clothes for him. Yesterday the temperature didnt get out of the 50's and today, it's in the 60's, so I figured we better get him some warmer clothes since all his jeans from last year are too short. Bo went to Albuquerque for the weekend to see Jocelyne for her TWENTY-NINETH birthday. 29 years old! Holy Cow, how the years have flown by. Seems like only yesterday she was just a baby. LOL. Well, actually I didn't know her when she was a baby, but...... I still can't believe she is 29.

Mason will be flying to Albuquerque next weekend to see Jocelyne. He has been thinking he MAY want to go into the medical field when he starts college next fall, so Jocelyne is going to take him into surgery with her to watch and get a feel for that type of environment. I think it will be a great experience for him. Hopefully, he won't faint in the middle of surgery. LOL. Either way, it should be a memorable event in his life.

Well, guess I'll start putting some supper together. Have a great Sunday!

Happy Birthday Jocelyne! My stepdaughter, my friend. You are very special to me. Hope you have a great day today.

Funny (But not really)

I took this picture yesterday on my bike ride in the neighborhood that I really like to ride in. I like this house alot, mostly because of the porch. It's such a nice big porch, and I just really love to sit out on the porch in a porch swing. As I was growing up, most houses had big porches. Seems people used to sit out on their porches alot and visit. I miss that.

I have good memories of the porch as I was growing up and then when my first set of kids were little. Sunday afternoons or holidays after lunch at my parent's house with my sisters and brother there and all their and my kids running around.

Porches are nice, I think.

Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom!

What a great verse. Job 33:24.

Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.

We deserve to go down to the pit (to hell). We are so full of sin inside and out. God is so holy and pure, he cannot look upon such sinful beings. Sin must be paid for and we can't pay the price. --Sounds pretty hopeless, doesn't it? But wait. God says 'Deliver him from going down to the pit. I have found a ransom.' What wonderful news! God has found a ransom. He has provided a ransom for his people. The Lord Jesus Christ went to the cross to pay the ransom for his people.

Hallelujeh! What a savior!

God's Sovereignty & Man's Repsonsibility

I struggle sometimes with how God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility can both be true. I know, mind you, that they both are, but nevertheless my finite mind, which wants to figure everything out and file it away as ‘understood’ has a hard time reconciling the two. How can God be completely sovereign over everything that happens, but at the same time, man is responsible for his actions? I can’t explain it, but it’s true. Here is a passage of scripture that shows the two very clearly, I think.

Isaiah 10:5-16
5. O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.

6. I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

7. Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few.

8. For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings?

9. Is not Calno as Carchemish? Is not Hamath as Arpad? Is not Samaria as Damascus?

10. As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria;

11. Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?

12. Wherefore it shall come to pass, [that] when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.

13. For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done [it], and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man:

14. And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.

15. Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood.

16. Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.

In this story, God is going to send Assyria up against the hypocritical nation of Israel to punish her. Assyria is going to be an instrument in God's hands--the "rod of mine anger". And when God is finished, he is going to punish the king and the kingdom of Assyria for what they have done.

God is going to be sovereign in all that is done, for the king of Assyria will be doing what God is planning for him to do; and yet, the king and kingdom of Assyria will be held responsible for their acts. In this passage, the coexistence of God's absolute sovereignty and human responsibility is clearly displayed for us. We may have a hard time understanding how they can coexist, but here they are, side by side in the same passage of scripture, and side by side in regards to one single event.

Verse 7 tells us that the king’s intentions were not the same as the Lord’s. The king thought he was acting of his own power and will. His intention was not to punish and correct the people of the Jews, but to utterly destroy them, and not them only, but many other nations. In verses 8-11, the Assyrian king talks of the kings he had conquered in the past and how easily he did it. In verse 12, Isaiah tells us that indeed God will use the Assyrian king to punish his people, and afterwards he will punish the king for his wicked actions and pride-filled heart. In verses 13-14, Isaiah tells how the kings goes on with his boasting of what he will do and how easy it will be for him. I love verses 15 & 16 where Isaiah asks, shall the axe boast that it did the work instead of the person swinging it, or the saw boast of doing the cutting instead of the person pushing it back and forth? The king was only an axe or a saw in the hand of the Lord! --As are we.

What a great passage of scripture. The Lord is sovereign & at the same time, we are responsible for our actions. Understand it or not, it is true. The bible tells us so!

Isn't this a cool old picture. I came across it today while surfing the web. It was taken in the 1880's by a man named Solomon Butcher. And don't we live quite a different life these days?

I like the cow standing on the hill in the back. Funny.

Bo & I went just got back from a 19 mile bicycle ride around the city. Whew! I'm tired. I've been riding quite a bit this week on my new bicycle and have increased my speed somewhat. I was averaging 9 mph and the last few days I've averaged 11 mph. My stamina seems to be increasing too. It's cool how your body does that, but I know you have to keep at it or you will loose that stamina. We'll see how it goes. We stopped and had a cool drink and rested for a bit about half way. There is a block party going on downtown today with lots of bands playing and food to eat and we passed by there.

Bo also went for a 5 mile run this morning, so he is worn out and is getting a little R & R as you can see.

We're going out to dinner tonight with the people whose house we will be buying, but not until January or February. They are building a house and it should be finished around then. We are going to go ahead and sign a contract on the house though. It really hasnt been bad at all living in here in our rented townhouse. The only real drawback for me is that there is no yard and I like to go outside, so I get kind of stircrazy sometimes.

Well, today is my brother-in-law John's retirement party in Houston. He is retiring from the Police Dept. I hate that we are so far away and couldn't make it, but I hope you guys are having a good time. Happy Retirement John!

Snakes On A Plane

Negativity Bias

I was reading today about something called the ‘negativity bias.’ The article said it is a well-recognized psychological phenomenon and goes like this: People react to the bad more strongly and persistently than to the comparable good, and anxious or angry thoughts capture our attention more effectively than happier thoughts.

For example, the pain of losing a certain amount of money is greater than the pleasure of gaining that same sum. In a marriage, it takes at least five good acts to repair the damage of one critical or destructive act.

I know from my own experience, I seem to be more bothered & remember it longer when someone says something ugly to me or about me, than happy when someone says something nice to me or about me.

Also research shows that one consequence of the negativity bias is that when people’s thoughts are wandering or unoccupied, people tend to begin to brood.

Funny, this 'psychological phenomenon' goes right along with what the bible says:

And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Genesis 6:5

Only by the Holy Spirit working in us can we do or think differently.

I put a Bible Trivia Quiz on my blog if you look to the right and scroll down to just under the 'Archives' section. There should be a new quiz every day. Might be kinda fun to try. I actually made a 100 on today's quiz (without having to go search for the answers). Yea! Yesterday I had to go find and read the verses pertaining to the quiz to get the answers. A good way to refresh my memory and learn new things though.

Isn't she a beauty?! (The bicycle, that is)

I got a new bicycle today!! I'm so excited. My old one has been having problems lately. The gears were messing up and the chain kept coming off. And no wonder, it was not a very expensive bicycle to begin with and it had over 1,200 miles on it. I'd say I got my money's worth out of it. So anyway, my wonderful husband decided we should get me a new one today. We went down to Hills Sport Shop and got this nice new black one. It's a 2007 Expedition Sport and it rides like a dream! The wind is blowing 24 mph now, but I'm going to take it out in a little while anyway. I'll let you know how I make out. Later....

I rode my bicycle 14 miles this morning. It was such a beautiful morning and I enjoyed it so much. I listened to a sermon by Henry Mahan as I rode along and it was so good. The name of the sermon was 'Why Men Hate Free Grace." I liked it alot so I put it on our website The Gospel Of Grace Online. A link going directly to the sermon is here. Gosh, how often I forget what a dreadful sinner I am and how wonderful and merciful God is. Oh, how much I like to elevate myself and try to bring glory to myself. As much as I hate it, I still do it. I need to hear sermons like that to remind me of my place and of Christ's place. He is my only hope. Praise his wonderful, Holy name!!

Before
After




Yikes! This is what my old house looks like now. The new owners cut down the big willow tree in the front yard and got rid of two lilac bushes that were between the front windows, and they squared off the shrubbery. It looks so bare now. I loved that willow tree. Makes me sad, even though it's no longer our house. It's their house and they can do whatever they please with it. Jenny told me last week after a visit to Dalhart, they were cutting the tree down, so this weekend while Jocelyne was there visiting friends, I asked her to take a picture for me. .....Gasp, it hurts to look at it.

Happy Birthday Whitney! 24 years old today. Whitney & I met when she was 12 years old, and I became her mean, old wicked stepmother. We've been thru many ups & downs since then, and I've watched her grow into a beautiful, sweet, young woman.

Have a great day today on your birthday, Whitney!!

I had a dream last night about Adam and haven't been able to stop thinking about it today. I dream of him every so often and I'm so glad I do because I usually wake up feeling like I've had a visit with him. Usually in my dreams though, he is sick or I know he is going to die and won't be around for long, so I just want to hug and kiss him over and over. Last night I dreamed he was in some kind of institution and had been there for a long time. I went to visit him. I was feeling very bad for leaving him there for so long. (I think that long time represented the time that he has been gone from the earth). When I saw him, he was just laying in bed and was incoherent and I remember thinking his health was deteriorating and how could I have left him there for so long. I picked him up and hugged him for a long time. He was very soft and it felt so good to hug him, but I knew he was going to die soon. I decided to take him home with me to live and I still couldn't figure out why I had left him there, and I felt so awful for having done that. I loved him and missed him so. Why did I leave him in an institution? Why did I waste precious time of being with him that way? I just sat and held him at home. He felt so good and so sweet and he was so soft. But it was bittersweet because of my sorrow for wasting time and also that he was going to die. It seemed like the dream just went on and on that way and finally I woke up.

I really miss Adam today. Sure wish I could talk to him. It would be SO wonderful if I could.

I had lunch yesterday with an old friend that I havent seen in a while. She only lives about 1.5 hours away, but that's only since we've moved to Amarillo. It used to be 2.5 or so hours away. Funny how we get so busy with our lives and loose touch with people we love and care about. I have known my friend, Amy for about 13 years. I met her while working at TCFA before Bo & I married, and just after Adam died. I think that God put her in my life at that time because I needed just such a friend. She listened to me talk about Adam for many hours and was always there for me as a true friend. I was at such a weird point in my life, really so lost and just searching for something, anything to relieve my pain and give me fullfillment. Unfortunately, I was looking in all the wrong places, but you know, we all do dumb things in our lives. I think that Amy was somewhat of an anchor for me during that time. Funny, she is 15 years younger than me, but when I look back, she seemed to be the older, wiser one. ---Anyway, I enjoyed our lunch and was so glad to see her again.

We had a nice weekend. Bo & I took a spur-of-the-moment trip to Red River, NM on the motorcycle. Mason went to his Aunt Lana's on Saturday morning and will be there until Wednesday, so Bo suggested we ride up to Red River and spend the night. We left Saturday morning about 9:30, dropped Mason off in Channing (I drove the truck to Channing with Mason while Bo followed on the motorcycle), we left the truck at Lana's and took off for Red River. The weather was very nice on the way up with a temperature in the mid 80's. I did get sunburned though. When we got to Cimarron, NM, it started to sprinkle a little bit and sprinkled on us all the way thru the mountains to Red River. Thankfully we had rain gear so it wasnt bad and really didnt rain that hard. It was cloudy in Red River, but had pretty much stopped raining. There were alot of people there for some reason, which we never really figured out. Most of the hotels had 'no vacancy' signs on, so we stopped at the first one that said 'vacancy.' It was Lifts West, which used to be pretty nice, but we got a very crummy room this time, very small and just not nice at all, with no amenities, just one little bar of soap. Bo was sleepy from the drive so he decided to take a nap, while I set out to mill around town. I came back to the hotel in an hour or so and we went to eat at a good Mexican restaurant there. Afterwards we walked around some more, then stopped by the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for some dessert. It was very good. I had my favorite, Haystacks which I love and don't allow myself to indulge in very often. We sat out on a bench and enjoyed our chocolate along with a beautiful view. Afterwards we headed back to the hotel and sat out on our balcony for a while, reading. Well, actually I was listening to my book while Bo read. I am listening to a book called 'The Life of Pi.' It's very interesting, but I must say sometimes a little too descriptive for my taste about really gross things, like dismembering and eating and drinking the blood of a turtle. Ugh. The book is about a 16 year old boy who is stranded at sea on a lifeboat for 227 days with a Bengal tiger. Yes, just him and a Bengal tiger on a life boat! It really is a good book though and I'm enjoying it alot. Anyway.... after a while of reading (and listening) we went in and went to bed. I was tired after the long drive, but I didn't sleep very well. The next morning we got up around 6:00, Bo went for a run, while I got ready for the day, then we both went for some coffee and a long walk around town. It was pretty chilly at first (probably in the 40's), but warmed up after a bit. We had some breakfast and got ready for the drive home. We had to bundle up pretty good because it can get pretty chilly on a motorcycle if the temperature is low, and it was until we got thru the mountains. Once we got past the mountains though, it warmed up pretty fast. We pulled over and started shedding clothes. I had to keep my jacket on though because of my sunburn from the previous day. I didn't want it to get any worse, and I'm glad I kept the jacket on now, because the sunburn has been pretty uncomfortable. The temperature got into the mid 90's on the way home and whew, we were cooking by the time we got to Channing. I got to change vehicles then and ride the rest of the way home in the air conditioned truck, while poor Bo had to ride in the heat for 50-60 more miles. He survived though and we got home around 5:00. We just vegged out and relaxed the rest of the night.

So that was our weekend and boy, did I get longwinded! Hope you didn't get too bored reading.

We had a lovely time at our cookout at the park last night. Everyone was there except Jenny. She was at the hospital with her mom. We cooked hamburgers and Bo & Cody played catch and then Cody & Mason played tennis for a while. The rest of us just sat around and visited. It was a little warm at first, but got cooler as the evening went on. We enjoyed it very much.

Well, Jocelyne made it in last night after a long day of driving from Tempe, AZ. We were so glad to see her. It's been 6 months! Her & Bo went to Gruver today to visit the family over there. Corbin came over this morning because Jenny's mother is having surgery today and he will be spending the night tonight. Mason is going to a homeschool basketball camp this week for 2 hours a day. I worked yesterday instead of today so I could keep Corbin.

Whitney is coming to see us (mostly Jocelyne) tomorrow night and I think maybe we will cook hamburgers in the park with Cody, Jenny & Corbin too, if everyone wants to. That should be fun, if we don't get rained out, like we did last time. A few weeks ago, Cody, Jenny, Corbin, Mason, Bo & I were going to eat in the park. We got all the stuff over there and all of a sudden a big wind came up and it started pouring, so we had to gather everything up and head home and eat.

It sure is hot in Amarillo today!

We had a great 4th of July yesterday. Bo & I went for a really nice bicycle ride around the city. Twenty miles of city! Bo had gotten a new camera that morning for work, so we took it with us and snapped some pictures along the way. Here's Bo on the corner of Kentucky & 6th Street. 6th street is part of Route 66, and in Amarillo, has lots of antique shops.

Here's another shot of Bo visiting with some friendly gentlemen in downtown Amarillo.


There are lots of horse statues around town, so we took some pictures of those. Here's me with an interesting one.

It was a fun afternoon and I enjoyed the (ahem) 'heck' out of it. (excuse my language, please). --I wouldn't want to offend anyone with sensitive ears (or should I say --eyes). LOL


When we got home, Cody, Jenny & Corbin came over to watch fireworks with us. The fireworks' show was in the park right next door to us so it was very convenient. We just sat out in our rock yard. Well actually, we started out there, but had to move down the street because we couldn't see very well over the houses across the street. But once we got situated, we enjoyed it very much. It was a very pretty show. One of our neighbors had a little cassette tape player playing a tape of patriotic songs. And while we were sitting there listening to Lee Greenwood, a car went past with a guy hanging out the window shouting 'God bless America!'

LOL --Hometown America.

How was your 4th of July?

Another Monday morning and it's a beautiful day here. I went for a walk in the park this morning while it was still cool, and that was nice. I really wanted to go for a bicycle ride, but it was a little too windy. I like to ride in 10 mph of wind or less. Over 10 mph and I just don't enjoy it that much. I do want the benefit of the exercise of riding a bike, but I like to really enjoy the scenery and the experience too. This morning the winds are at 15 mph. Saturday morning I rode 20 miles and last night I rode 13 miles. It was great. I am listening to a James Patterson book and it's pretty good. Has a little bit too much foul language in it for my taste, but I'm trying to ignore that. And I probably won't read another one of his books because of it. It's hard to find a good, clean book these days. For some reason, authors seem to think foul language adds to the book, I guess, maybe makes it seem more real life or something. I don't know, but I just hate it. It's offensive to me. I wonder, why do people feel the need to use bad language anyway? What's the point? Maybe it's just a habit they picked up when they were young and thought it was cool??? Maybe they still think it's cool. I don't know... I guess if they like it, it's their business. It's just words afterall. --How the heck did I get on that subject anyway?...... Guess I'll go now.

Mason started his work at his new job this last weekend at the Sonic Drivein! Here he is all dressed and ready to go:


He said it wasnt hard work at all and I think he may have even liked it just a little bit. --Only a little bit though, mind you.

It's been so nice and cool here the last couple of days. I went for a 13.5 mile bicycle ride this morning. It was great. I rode over to a really nice old neighborhood (Wolflin) with lots of big trees and brick streets. I love that neighborhood. Old houses with lots of character. Of course, that's because most of them have been redone and had lots of money spent on them.

Corbin has been coming over each day while Jenny is taking a summer class. He and Mason are busy playing video games this afternoon.









That's about it for my day so far. Hope you have a good one!

Thirteen years ago today my sweet boy, Adam left this earth and my life was changed forever. Up until that day, I just never really dreamed I would live my life without him in it. Then everything changed in a split second. He was gone, --never to return. Sometimes when I sit and think about him, my heart just aches and longs to hear his sweet voice, to touch his hair, or see his beautiful smile. But that will never be, not on this earth. Missing him and longing for him will not change a thing. He is gone and will not return. What I wouldn’t give just to see him for a few minutes. Please, just a few minutes. --No, no. It will not happen. It cannot be. It is over and done. Adam is gone.

I love you Adam Wayne Roye. You are forever in my heart.

Happy Birthday Corbin!

He is 7 years old today. Hard to believe. Corbin is my one and only little grandson (for now) and the apple of my eye.

We are having a good Memorial Day weekend so far. Corbin spent the night with us last night and this morning we had a good bible study on Joshua & Caleb going over into the promise land to scope out the enemy. We learned that the name Caleb means 'faithful dog.' I like that. A faithful dog loves, and is a good servant to, his master. Oh, that I can be a faithful dog to my master. But I know the only way I can is thru my master himself. I love the statement by Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 9:

And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?

How truly blessed we are if the Lord of all glory should look upon us. --Only thru the son, Christ Jesus!

(I have a great nephew named Caleb. Michael Shane's son.)

After our bible study, Bo, Corbin & I went over to the Amarillo Zoo. (Mason declined our offer to go with us, so he stayed at home). We had a good time and particularily liked watching the monkeys. Here are three of those monkeys:


There IS a real monkey in the background, but he's hard to see here.





Here's another one of Corbin & I sitting on a turtle (not a real one, you know me better than that!):










And one more of a pretty peacock:











OK. That's it for now. We're off to take a drive around town, chauffered by Mason.

Have a great weekend!

Look out on the highways!! Mason got his learner's permit today. He'll be driving with Bo & I, of course for the next few months before actually getting his license. Then he'll be on the roads of Amarillo all by himself. Oh my, kind of scarey.

Yesterday Bo & I went for a motorcycle ride around town and that was nice, but it sure was hot. In the afternoon Mason & I went over to Memorial Park. I sat in a chair and listened to my book while Mason played basketball with people there. It actually rained a little bit when we got home, so that was nice.

I heard Whitney Rodriguez did a good job singing at the rodeo this past weekend in East Texas. Sure wish I could have been there to hear her.

That's it for me!

A great Mother's Day

I sure had a nice Mother's Day yesterday. Whitney called yesterday morning and wished me a Happy Mother's Day from Dalhart. She had gone there to visit a friend for the weekend. Then Cody, Jenny & Corbin came over for lunch and afterward, we all went to the Canadian River to ride dirtbikes. I didnt ride, of course, as my dirtbike-riding days are long past, but I enjoyed watching the rest. Cody brought a four wheeler and Bo & I rode that some. It was lots of fun! Mason enjoyed riding his dirtbike and he and Cody went thru the river and got soaked! But then, so did Bo & Corbin on the four wheeler. I think they all had fun. We got home last night about 6:30 or so and I had a very nice ecard waiting for me from Jocelyne. We had some left-overs for supper and afterward Bo & I went for a 12 mile bicycle ride. It was a little windy, but not too bad. I really enjoyed the day!

Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it.

I ran across this litte story today on the internet and liked it:

George is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"

He was a natural motivator.

If an employee was having a bad day, George was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"

He replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or ... you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood."

"Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or...I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.

"Yes, it is," he said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life."

I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, George & I lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower.

After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.

I saw him about six months after the accident.

When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins...Wanna see my scars?"

I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.

"The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter," he replied. "Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or...I could choose to die. I chose to live."

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.

He continued, "..the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man.' I knew I needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said George. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes, I replied.' The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity'."

Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."

He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude... I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.

Attitude, after all, is everything ..

Volleyball went good on Friday. About 12 kids were there and they had fun, I think. Mason said he did anyway.

We are going to Bo's sister's house today for lunch. It looks like it will be a nice day. Yesterday the wind was blowing so badly, you really couldn't go outside, but the forecast says it will die down today. Ah, spring in the panhandle of Texas .... wind, wind, wind!

Hope you all have a great day today!

Not alot going on this week, which is good! Mason went to a Homeschool Student Council Meeting on Monday at the Library. They are working on several activities coming up and Mason says he will go and help. Tomorrow we are having homeschool volleyball in the park next door. This is an activity that I organized to help Mason meet other homeschool kids here in Amarillo. I sent out an email to all members of the Amarillo Homeschool Assoc. I hope some kids show up, and they all have a good time, but we'll see tomorrow! I'm a little nervous about it since I organized it and I'm just a newcomer, so I don't really know how they do things here. --I'm sure it will be fine though.

Today Bo & I got up and took a four mile walk around the park next door. I really like living next door to the park. It was a nice walk. Afterward Bo wanted to go to the museum in Canyon, so we called up Corbin and asked him to join us. We all went and had a great time there.









Upon leaving the museum, we ran by Subway and grabbed some sandwiches, and headed out to Palo Duro Canyon. We sat on the tailgate of Bo's truck and had our lunch.









Then we began a walk out to the Lighthouse. It is six miles to and from, so we wondered if Corbin would be able to make it the whole way. He complained a little, but over all, he did great.
OK..... Bo & Mason did have to give him rides occasionally, but mostly he did walk.


It was really a nice walk and we finally reached the lighthouse. There are a lot of steps to climb to get up to it and we had to stop and rest quite often, but we did make it. Mason & Corbin went on ahead and got there first. If you look really hard you will see them in this picture:










We goofed around on the top for a while and took some more pictures












Finally we started our trek back to the truck. Mason decided he would go over a BIG hill instead of going around it, so off he went. Bo, Corbin & I kept on walking. The more we walked, the more worried Bo became about him. He had thought the other side of the big hill came out right by our trail, but decided that he was wrong. It didn't and Mason would probably get lost. So Bo started up a hill we were beside at that time to try and flag Mason down. Corbin & I went on down the trail. We stopped to wait at a resting spot and were there for about an hour. I was beginning to get worried, when finally we saw them. They had gotten into quite a mess. Very steep hills and a long walk to get back to the trail. They got back all red-faced, tired and Bo was bleeding from scratches from all the tall weeds. Corbin & I were very happy to see them and I think they were us also. We rested a few more minutes and then headed on down the trail.









We got to the truck, headed back home, stopping at Taco Villa on the way, ate, all had baths and are now resting comfortably. It was really a fun day! I bet we all sleep good tonight.