There is no I in team....unless.....

....unless you are the parent. Our 14 year old son loves sports with a passion. At first it was football, now he's running track and in the fall when he goes to high school, he already has in mind set on playing basketball. Whew, I'm tired already from thinking about it. Well in his very first track meet which was on yesterday, I really don't remember what he ran. All I know is that he had to run around the track one good time after getting the stick from another boy after he ran.

It seemed like it took forever for our son to get up and do his thang. So he had already previously told me that his jersey number was number 1 and that it had his last name on his jersey. There is no way I could miss that, but he just didn't know where I was sitting. FINALLY, one guy is carrying the stick from his team and I can see him coming up the lane and I see jersey number 1 holding out his hand ready to run. I stand up. Yep that's him. YEAH!!! RAH, RAH, RAH!!! I saw him coming around the bend and I got closer and I screamed, "Run, Number 1, Run."

He said he didn't know I was out there but he heard me screaming. At the end of the track meet, the announcer called out the scores and the boys team from our son's school came in 2nd. That was for the team; but our son came in 3rd from whatever the name of the run is called. He was so humble about it and said, "Yeeeaaah, our team came in 2nd." I told him that was great but in blog world, I can brag about it that our son's 3rd place run caused the team to come in 2nd place and he carried that stick so well too, while sweating like he had been abandoned in the desert.

Lovingly yours,

Back in school

When I was in high school, I just didn't have plans of going to college. I didn't think it was for me. I thought I could just hop up with a high school diploma and get a job on my smart wit. But I was determined that I wasn't gonna just sit around the house and do nothing. I had to do something. I have two older sister who are 10 months apart from each other. Yeah, I know, when my mom went for her 6 week check up from having my oldest sister, she was pregnant with my second sister. I'm sure stranger things have happened. (This is another blog.)

So growing up, I would often times hear my mom telling my older sisters that they gonna have to find something to do after graduation. I didn't want my mom to have to tell me I had to leave, so I thought that if I just went away to Job Corps, I would be OK. Well, little did I know that Job Corps was for people who were looking to get a GED; so they let me work there at the switchboard for a little while. Time flew and after I became older, I put myself through Junior College and graduated with an Associate of Arts degree. That was like the best thing ever. Me? College student? Wow! Hubby was ecstatic and excited at the same time. It took some hard work, and plenty of nights sleeping with those books on my chest.

Well I am at it again. I am a student again. This time I am going for my Bachelors in Criminal Justice. When I went to get registered yesterday, my advisor told me that she had one class I needed to take and that it was being offered in the summer. The thing with that is that there was only one spot left. So I asked her if she could register me while I was there because if I had to drive home and register, I knew it would be gone. So she did. Thank you Lord for small favors. So I will be taking two summer classes beginning in June. (Keep me in your prayers. Heck, I'm praying now) One of the classes is a weekend class. WHAT!!! Give up my weekends? When I realized it would only be for 3 weekends and then I'll be done with one class, I thought to myself that I could do this with God's help.

This weekend class will meet on Fridays from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. but my Saturday and Sunday classes will meet from 9:00 in the morning until 5:00 in the evening. I had to make sure I read that right. I looked at the paper, then I looked at my advisor. I looked back at the paper and looked back at my advisor and I said, "Saturday, not a problem...but a Sunday class?" Okkkk. So to my church family who are reading this, when you don't see me three Sundays in a row, don't think I am MIA, I'm just making it do what it do. So once that class will be ending, I will then start on my Tuesday and Thursday night class from 5:00 - 9:00 in the evening for six weeks. I can do this. Help me say it, I can do this!! I don't think God has brought me this far to leave me and I've come this far to turn back now.And those classes were not cheap either, so if you all want to donate to my studies, just let me know and I will send you my address.

It's a whole different ballgame trying to go back to school when you have kids, hubby, work, church, and extra things going on, (ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT) but I don't want to feel like I'm out there alone on this thing. Throw me an encouraging word every now and then, come and do my homework for me or pretend you are my twin and sit in class for me if you like, but if you should see me and it looks like I'm half sleep, the chances are that I probably am. Now if only I can find some cheap books. Tally-ho!

Lovingly yours,

It's not bounty, but it's still a quicker picker upper.

When you are down to nothing, God is always up to something. I can't explain it but the days when I just feel like hiding under a pile of dirt, something or someone comes along and brightens my day. Now it ain't too rare that I get the blues, but with me being somewhat human, and not totally immortal, I do get them.

One of my instructors who is just as bubbly as I am came into the office with a sullen face. She had the look as if something was heavy on her mind. I feel that when people want to tell me what is bothering them, then they have the right to do so at their on time. I don't try to pressure it out of them. But this one particular instructor just didn't seem her joyful, spiritual self. I said to her, "You wanna talk about it?" She sighed, "No." And then wanted to know how did I know something was wrong. I could see it on her face.

So she said, "Well tell me something positive, fast." The very first thing I could think of that came out of my mouth was, "And we know that all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose." And she continued by saying, "Romans 8:38." She smiled. I smiled. She said that she really needed that and I didn't know how much I had helped her. I didn't ask her what the problem was or anything. Good ole' Bible to the rescue.

I paused for a moment after she left and reflected on how our pastor had wanted the church to learn this scripture at one time. I didn't know I would be using it to help someone from whatever their down point was. It's truly amazing how one little word or one smile can lift up someones day, but when you are down, upset, angry, sad.....the Bible is still the quicker picker upper. Dust it off, you'll be amazed what you find in there.

Lovingly yours,

That's it?

Hubby had to take me to work one day because he needed to use the truck, so we came up on a railroad track with a bump in the middle of the track. As we approached the railroad track, hubby put on brakes and gently went over the bump. So he asked me that when I am driving to work, do I just fly over the bump or slow down. I said, "Well, it depends on how much of a hurry I am in."

Silence....

He began, "So".....Paused.

"I"....Paused "did not...." Paused......."expect that."

I asked him what did he expect me to say and he said he expected me to say no.

I said, "Well you asked and I told you." So I asked him if there was anything else he wanted to ask, and I guess just by me saying that, it put him in total shock. He said, "Nope, that's it.

I said, "That's it? That's all you wanted to know?" He said, "Yeah". I'm sure he must have thought I was now somewhat kin to the Dukes of Hazard." Then he laughed. He said he didn't think I had it in me to jump that bump. Well I did and that's it. End of story.

Lovingly yours,

How much did it cost you?

If you do one thing, and that's all it takes is one thing, people want to know, "well how much did it cost you?" I can see if you want to know how much something cost so that you can say whether you want it or not..so for example, you are at the fair and want a corn dog and you may say, "girl I want a corn dog, how much does it cost?" I would then proceed to let you know how much it cost. When I came back from the cruise, one of my co-workers saw the pictures we had taken, and the question was, "so how much did that set you back?" Now you know I didn't answer because my thing is this, what difference does it matter how much it cost? If it wasn't coming out of their pockets, why would they care? And then what makes him think I was set back? You know, people are always deciphering on how to get in your business.

When I told this co-worker that I wasn't going to discuss prices, he then felt he needed to have the last word and say, "well it must have cost a pretty penny then." So what if it did, so what if it didn't. If hubby and I decide that we gonna gonna go and buy five couches and just stick them in the middle of the floor, that's God's money that he gave us that we have wasted. Not the neighbors, not the co-workers. We might look like a bunch of fools with five couches in the middle of the floor, but I'm sure if we did do that, we are the ones who have to pay for it.

I think people ask those questions regarding how much stuff is just to see if they can see how much money you banking on or not. They want to sit around and say, "I know she can't afford that, I know where she work." What does that have to do with anything? I could be working at Burger King and still drive around in a Mercedes that's paid for. Who is to say? But it does irk me when people are constantly asking me how much stuff is and then say, "can you afford that?" I don't mind on certain occasions that it's asked not out of a need to be nosey but out of a need because they want to get something for somebody or for themselves, but just to be asking because they dipping and dapping, and they be drinking kool-aid and don't even know the flavor, then that's when I am irked. I say stop trying to keep up with my bank account and sweep around your own door.

Lovingly yours,

Insomniac's Mission

I must be on some kind of mission for the insomniacs across the world. It is 2:07 in the darn morning and I'm not sleepy. I'm sitting on the floor of our bedroom looking out the window and see a spectrum of the moon. I'm trying to type as soft as I can not to wake hubby. He is sleeping like he is trying to put out a forest fire. I see my purse from the glimmer of the moon's light and reach for it. I know there is a piece or two, maybe three pieces of white chocolate that I must consume. I am yearning for it. I slowly unzip my purse and it's like an echo from the deep beyond. Why does everything sound louder when you're trying with your best effort to keep it as low as possible? My hand reaches inside the purse....OH NO..I feel the chocolate but it is still inside the bag. I can do this...I can get these three pieces of candy like I have some special degree in white chocolate mastery. Just when I think I'm about to hit a home run, hubby says in his forest ranger voice, "BARBARA"......"What are you doing down there? What is that noise?" I felt like a kid that had been caught doing something I had no business doing, so I kindly whispered back, "Go on back to sleep, I'll be in bed soon." I would feel very shameful saying I'm trying to dig in my purse for some white chocolate. If that would have been the case, I might as well say to Vicky Vale what Batman said, "Have you ever danced with the devil by the pale moonlight...LOL".

My solace could have been anywhere in the house but my parents and one of my sisters are visiting from MS and I didn't want to disturb them. I think hubby has another fire or two to put out so I reckon I have completed my mission for now. As far as my snack, it is still buried down in the bottom of the pit for now, but when daylight breaks, that's a whole different story. Goodnight moon, goodnight John Boy.

Lovingly yours,

My trip to Mexico

Whew, I haven't been on here for a week mainly because I been sailing the high seas to Progreso and Cozumel, Mexico. I had the best time. I would have taken all of you but there wasn't enough room in my suitcases to carry each and every one of you. I must say that after going to the Bahamas twice, Mexico is just a tad different. I will not spend a whole day and then some talking about my cruise, but I will say that it was quite an experience. The weather was exceptional every single day and who would have thought that we met about 10 people from Pensacola, FL...small world huh.

This is me and the Fantasy cruise director, Risa. This was at the formal dinner. Spectabulous!

This is me and the wait staff - Gorgeous men!

This is just one of the cute little animals made out of towels we found in our rooms every evening.

This is a dessert that hubby made his way too.

This is the boat we were on.

These are the Mexican dancers as we got off the boat.

And this is Mexico.

Lovingly yours,