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Monday, March 9, 2009

26 YEARS AGO

The place: the courthouse in Vernon, Texas The date: March 9, 1983

Steve and I drove down to Vernon in my Pontiac Grand LeMans. Steve was slowly driving through the parking lot, looking for a place to park, and he accidentally ran into someone pulling out. No biggie, just nerves, because as you see, we were on our way to get married! We walk up the stairs, hand in hand, and tell them we are here to be married (we had already came down the week before to get our license and blood test) and were told we could have a lady marry us in the chapel of love or a man. I turned to Steve and asked him if he wanted a man or a woman and he said he didn't care, a man!

So we go up to the office and told them we were there to be married. There were women in there typing away on the typewriters(gasp! yes I am that old). It was a scene out of hee haw, I kid you not. The man whippped out his bible from under the counter and asked the secretaries to not type for a few minutes. Do you? Yes Do you? Yes You are now married. Now go over there and stand by the wall and I will take your picture with this polaroid camera. Right there under the wall calander that has a big March 9 on it. That way you won't ever forgot your anniversary. When he handed us the picture, we also saw that the wall we were standing by had a Texas sized fly and fly swatter! I wish I had it handy so I could show you. Maybe I will find it this weekend and post.

What a start and what a journey. Not always smooth, by no means. Troubles, you bet. Fun times, too many to recall. But we have continued to defy the odds, and continue to prove the folks wrong, that kept saying that it would never last. We are making it, daily.

How did we celebrate? We didn't. Steve came home and went to bed before I got off and I went to Taylor's ball game. Just another day. But one that brings back fond memories of two young kids starting out.

May God continue to bless our marriage and yours too!

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

DANCE, DANCE

Its always fun to freak your kids out by doing something they can't believe you can do. Just a little side note, I am on some medicine because I am feeling bad (cold or allergies, not sure), so that will be my excuse.

Emily was watching a video and Taylor was doing his homework on the couch. I told Emily I wanted her to show me how to do the dance she was watching. She looked at me in disbelief and then found the music, pushed the coffee table out of the way and showed me the dance. It took me a couple of times, but I got it!! Taylor was watching with his mouth open and said"MOMMMMM". I said what do you think. He said, I can't believe you can dance. He went in to get Cale and I heard him telling Cale that Mom is in there dancing and she can actually do it. Come look.. Cale was too busy talking to his girlfriend on the phone to come and be awed....

My kids have never seen me dance, but I explained to them that a hundred years ago when I was young and not fat, I was a really good dancer. GET OUT! I mean not good like to be on stage or perform, but good enough that I could do any of the dances that were being done on American Bandstand. For those of you too young for that, I am sorry that you missed out. I could usually get the beat and figure it out. I can remember at slumber parties showing my friends how to do a dance I had seen on tv or at the movies. Way uptown for small town.

My husband does not dance and so I have never done it since we met 27 years ago. Pretty rusty, and my old knees killed me afterward, but I did it. Can't decide which was more fun, doing the dance or seeing their reaction... Seeing their faces wins.....If they only knew me when I wasn't Mom.....................

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Oh My........

You would think that if you are having trouble with your homework that you would ask your Mom or Dad right? Well, in my case, I am asking my son. My youngest son, Taylor, is a freshman in high school and my go-to guy for help with the algebra. Its a very weird feeling to have your son, check your paper for mistakes. He is always saying, Mom this is so easy, we did that last year. Oh my....

And then we are watching a part of the Grammy awards tonight and Paul McCartney is introduced and my daughter, Emily, says, who is he and why is he on there? Oh yea, is he Jesse McCartney's dad or grandpa? Oh my gosh, Emily, he is one of the Beatles. Really? How can he still be alive that was so long ago. Oh my.....

Reminds me of the time when Taylor was younger and he asked me if when I was little if the whole world was in black and white? Yes, color was only invented in the 70's, Taylor, before that life was so boring. Oh my....

Who knew I came along before color came along....................

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Dear Lord

Part of a prayer we said Sunday in church. It spoke to me at the time and I wanted to share.

Dear Lord,

Please forgive me for finding the time to do the things that I like to do, but finding little time for You, and for my neighbors.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

What is the Bill of Rights?

I was driving onto the base the other night and when I handed the guard my id, instead of the usual small talk, how are you today?, he asks me, "What is the Bill of Rights?" I responded with an extremely jeopardy-esque answer, "what is the Bill of Rights?" "Why are you asking me that?" Thankfully, with a long line of cars waiting, he allowed the less than all knowing woman driving the mini van (me) onto the base so I could go home. I could not think of the correct answer when put on the spot.

Then yesterday afternoon, Steve and I were out walking around the golf course here on base and at 4:30 as it does everyday on base, the national anthem played. While standing there with our hands over our hearts, I was ashamed about the fact that I have forgotten so much of the things that I learned in American History.

I hope I will do better the next time I am asked the question. I do love being an American, maybe I should be a better informed one.....

Sunday, January 25, 2009

what in the world am i doing here?

Oh, my. I am still trying to figure out exactly what in the world I am doing taking college class again after oh so very many years. I have managed to amass a lot of college with not one degree. As background, I went to college straight from high school and did not go back for my senior year(lacking only 27 hours to get my BA). Instead I met the man, I would soon marry and thought, who needs college? and hey I can always go back anytime. Yea right! Life happens. Five children happen, full time job happens. When my youngest was born, I thought I would go into nursing, so I took a lot more hours and got accepted into the nursing program, but chickened out. I keep getting the urge to finish. Why? So I did a degree check for an associates and I must take college algebra and speech which I have dropped twice because I was so shy. But because I am not smart enough to go straight to college algebra, I am having to work my way up. Therein lies the point of my question, what in the world am I doing here?

I have been out of high school for 30 years. What is the point of a degree at this late stage of my life? When I was in college initially, I wanted to change the world and I really believed I could. My major was sociology and I saw so much potential. Then I grew up and older and I realized that I could not even change my own kids, let alone strangers. Sobering...But I want to do something in life that does make a real difference in the lives of others... A real passion for something is what I seek...Maybe its too late, maybe I am too old...When I'm sitting in class with all the young kids, and I am obviously the oldest one there, I really wonder what the heck I am doing and if in fact I have lost my mind...Maybe I have...

Friday, January 23, 2009

heard this on the radio this morning.....

going to try this a different way. heard this on the radio this morning and thought you might want to read it. Its a good story of taking action with your faith...enjoy.

hances are, you saw the story out of Dallas about the Christian school whose girl's basketball team played a school for developmentally challenged kids...and beat them 100-0. The school is embarrassed about that now, but the damage is done; not only to the school, but to any Christian who believes compassion and respect are important qualities.

Texas prep hoops team might forfeit 100-0 win

I'd like to give you another story that shows a different side. This story is real. It was written by the talented Rick Reilly of Sports Illustrated and it inspires me every time I read it:


High school football is big in America, but I suppose there is no place where it is bigger than in Texas. Friday nights there are legend.
The fans scream; the stands are packed; cheerleaders with pom-poms jump and sway to the beat of the school bandand everybody joins in the chants and stomps their feet on the metal stands until you are sure they will collapse.
This is the frenzy of Texas high school football.
But there is one football team in Texas that is a little different. When they play on Friday night, their stands are empty, no band, no cheerleaders, no mass of parents or townsfolk wearing the school colors and waving banners and flags. They take the field without anyone cheering them on. When they score a touchdown, which rarely happens, there is no wild celebration behind them… All of it seems hollow and muffled in contrast to the tidal wave of roars and drums and chants that come from the opposing side.
They are the Tornadoes of the Gainesville State School, a fenced, maximum-security facility. The young men who go to Gainesville State are there because they have made some major mistakes in their lives. But the players who are on the team are there because they have worked hard and have earned enough good behavior points that gives them the privilege to leave the facility and play football on Friday nights—always an away game for them—always a home game for their opponents—and almost always a loss. They don’t have a weight program or training equipment or high-paid coaches and assistants. They don’t have a large pool of players to draw from. The school has 275 boys, but many are too old or too young or can’t or don’t meet the “criteria” to play. And they don’t have the support of a town and a mass of parents and family and reporters and bands and cheerleaders.
That is, until November 7th. Something changed. They played Grapevine Faith Christian School.
A few days before the game, the Gainesville coach, Mark Williams received a call from Faith Christian coach, Kris Hogan, asking him if it would be okay if Faith formed a “spirit” line for his team when they ran on the field. Mark said, “Sure, that would be a real encouragement to the kids.” He thought that the line would consist of a couple of the JV cheerleaders, but when they took the field, there were a hundred people in it and it stretched to the 40-yard line, filled with Faith Christian parents, fans and varsity cheerleaders, complete with a banner at the end for them to burst through that read “Go Tornadoes!”. And then, those parents and fans sat in the stands behind the Gainesville players and when the Tornadoes broke the huddle and went up to the line they could hear people cheering for them, by name. When they got a first down, “their” fans erupted.
You see, coach Hogan had sent an email out to the Faith Christian parents and students asking them to consider doing something kind for these young men, many who didn’t know what it meant to have a mom and dad who cared, many who felt the world was against them, not for them. Hogan asked that they simply send a message that these boys were “just as valuable as any other person on earth.”
So half of the Faith Christian fans were now sitting on the visitor’s side of the field, cheering for the Gainesville team, and in some cases, against their own sons.
–Cheering for a team decked out in mismatched old uniforms and helmets.
–Cheering for boys who wouldn’t go home that night and have a smiling dad slap him on the back and feel his mom put her arms around him and say “I’m so proud of you son!”
–Cheering for the underdog.
This was a Friday night like no other for the Tornadoes. In the locker room, the players were confused.
“Why are they cheerin’ for us, coach?”
“Because, men, they want to encourage you. They want you to know that they care about you…that you have value.”

Coach Williams said the boys were stunned. For many of these kids, it may have been the first time that anyone had shown them, so visibly, unconditional love.
They were down 33 to nothing at the half. Williams encouraged his team to set a goal for the second half: to score a touchdown against this vastly superior team. And when the boys from the State School took the field again, with their fans cheering them on, everything started to click. And they did score. Not once but twice.
And the fans went wild.
Coach Williams was asked what the bus ride was like on the way home and he laughed and said that they were all asleep—their bellies were full. That’s becuz after the game, the parents brought a whole bunch of food over to the guys: hamburgers, fries, candy, sodas…and included in the meal sack was a Bible and a personal letter of encouragement from a Faith Christian player. But then, he said, they formed a line for us out to the bus. And the parents patted them on the back and said, “Nice game” and “Look forward to seeing you guys next time.”
As they left the field that night, Coach Williams grabbed Coach Hogan and said to him: “You’ll never know what your people did for these kids tonight. You’ll never, ever know.”