Thursday, June 19, 2008

Thursday Thirteen #2

Thursday Thirteen - Things I Like (in No Particular Order)
l. The sound of thunder rumbling in the distance

2. The smell of freshly cut grass

3. Sitting at my computer playing silly games

4. Fresh sheets on the bed

5. Eating chocolate (any kind)

6. Working Crytograms

7. The way Robert smiles (not the goofy grin, but a true easy smile)

8. Good news from any of the kids

9. Living back in town

10. Music you can move to

11. Too many reality TV shows

12. Being with happy people

13. Going to church

Now Donna if you will get with me sometime and explain how I'm really supposed to do this so it is part of the offical Thursday Thirteen group and here also. I'll start doing it the correct way. :)

I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane

Vacation officially starts today at 1:30. That is what time I'm to be a Robert's office so we can go to Hobby Airport to pick up Carrie and Paul. They are to arrive at 3:30. Exciting stuff!

Between now and then I have a short list of things to complete.

Well, as luck would have it I can now mark one thing off my list of things to do. While typing this the door bell rang and it was the young man (in my world 35 is still a young man) who is going to mow the lawn for us while we are gone.

The remainder of the list is to water the outside plants; Jasmine, Cannis, and Mexican Heather,wash the sheets from our bed, straighten the house (company is coming) and think again about what I have packed and might still need to pack.

Tomorrow at 10:00 am we are going to leave for Bush International Airport. Our flight to Atlanta isn't until 4:00, but it is a two hour drive over to Bush and we need to have eating time, and we have to park and catch the shuttle to the airport. We should still be there a good two hours before our flight. The reason for all of this is because one of the ladies we are going with or who is going with us is very paranoid about getting to airports or missing flights. We are accommodating her and her paranoia. So we'll be hurry-upping to wait at the airport. Maybe I can catch a nap while we wait ---- that was a joke. I never nap. I'm just hoping I can sleep on the flight from Atlanta to England. That will be the true test.

When I get back I'll have lots to write about so be ready. :) I am going to take a blank book to write in while on this trip. I do this every time, take a blank book, but never follow through with much. Hopefully this time (especially since I have now told you about it) I'll do a lot better about writing.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Three Days and Counting

Today I begin the packing process. All the clothes are washed, I need to press a couple of things and a button really needs to be sewn on a pair of pants, but wouldn't have to be. Now comes the folding and stacking and thinking part of the trip. We own about 6 different suit cases of various sizes --- no reason to go buy a shiny new one, even though the urge to have something *new and shiny* to take is strong I'm going to resist so I can have those few dollars for the UK.
Oh, we got our free money from the government the other day. It hit me as rather ironic that the reason for giving us the money in the first place is to stimulate the economy and help strengthen the dollar and what am I doing, going on a trip overseas to spend the money. And to think that those people aren't gracious host ----- hump. That last part about the English not being gracious host is just from hearsay. I haven't been overseas in about 25 years, and I know the political scene has changed greatly since than, but I can't help but believe that they are still wanting the American dollar even if it is weak right now --- I'll pay their price, smile and say please and thank you and ignore any haughty looks because that is what I do ---say please and thank you and get along pretty well. I find being nice is the best way to be.
I'm sure I'm going to over pack even though I'm trying hard to not make that mistake, but I never know what I'm going to want to wear and want to have everything I'll need in every situation. Probably won't happen the way I want it to, but it will happen anyway.
I've had lots of well wishes and have been told by many friends to take lots of pictures. I'm not the best photographer, but I do plan to take lots of pictures. Snap, snap, snap is going to be my motto and since I have the new glasses and can actually see what I'm taking pictures of on the camera I might actually get a few really good ones.
I'm very excited and must now get up and actually begin doing the list of things that need to be done.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Thirteen Things

This would have been a good one to do on Friday 13, but as usual I'm *a day late and a dollar short*. Okay, most people would just say I'm short period. But that is a whole different story.

Below are the 13 things I like about me as challenged to do by Donna .

1. My hair (that seems to be my vanity spot, but then again this whole list will sound vain)
2. My eye color
3. My ability to adapt (even if I have to think about it a bit first)
4. Always being punctual
5. Willingness to step to the plate when needed (some call that being pushy or bossy I prefer to
think of it as helpfulness)
6. My slim ankles and wrists
7. My handwriting (thank you Mother and years of teaching penmanship)
8. My good health
9. My decorating sense
10. My competitiveness (though mostly I compete with myself)
11. My shoe size
12. Being old enough to be Grammar
13. My relationship with my Savior and Lord Jesus Christ

There they are, my thirteen.

Below is the picture of me with my newly cut bangs. After I wash and fix my hair it will look different from this. Nick does a great job cutting my hair, but sometimes he and I just don't think the same way about fixing it. Cutting the bangs was my idea. We'll see how long they last this time, or how long before I get it cut spiky short again.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Another Year of VBS --- Done


This past week was Vacation Bible School week at First Baptist Church. We have a night school for children and an adult class taught by the preacher for those interested in a short Bible study.

I wasn't a teacher this year and I didn't attend the Bible study but I did work.

Part of the program is to serve supper to any (and a few that just came for a free meal)attending. This meal is served from 5:00 until 6:00 so that parents can drop their kids off and not have to worry about rushing around feeding them supper and getting them to church. The meals are kid friendly and adult approved. The menu ranged from pot luck on Sunday evening (yes we started on Sunday) that was open to the entire church, then tacos, followed by pizza, fried chicken and finally sandwiches and salads last night.

However because we know that all children can be picky and some just down right stubborn about what they eat, we had peanut butter and jelly available each night.

That was my station during meal service. Over the five nights I made 9 loaves of PB&J sandwiches. Most of the children that came and asked for a sandwich were polite and patient as I made their individual sandwich, a couple were pushy and mouthy about the bread, and one young man politely asked if I would cut the crust off. I was glad to oblige since there was no one else waiting for a sandwich at the time. I impress him however since I really didn't *cut* the crust off, instead I just peeled it off. He had never seen that done and said that he could do that for himself from now on.

Also included in my week of working in the kitchen were nine heads of lettuce chopped for various salads, a couple dozen or so homegrown by church member tomatoes donated for chopping and slicing (and yes they were put on the side with a note about who had donated them). Just general kitchen stuff that has to be done to feed 150 go 175 people each night. I enjoyed the women I worked with and enjoyed just being a helper ---- the headaches and worries weren't mine they were Farah's and she handled it better than I could have.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

A New Look

My new glasses came in on Tuesday and I rushed down to get them just before we were leaving to have supper with some friends. I had been told by my sister that the no-line glasses were the way to go and laid out the money for them. Not as easy to get used to as she seems to remember. When I first wore them I thought, "Oh, boy this is going to be rough." My eyes have had a time getting used to where to look. Both Jo Ann and the doctor told me that you lose your vision to the left and right, but easily can make up for that with a slight turn of the head. --- Hummmm neither one of them mentioned the wave that took place when you move your head. It is better today. The eyes are adjusting and I'm learning --- so the quesy feeling whenever I move my head is about to pass. I think I'll keep these for a year or more anyway. So the new look below is what you'll be seeing for a while. The big plus is the sunglasses clip that has a magnet at the nose. Just pops on and off very easily. :)





Monday, June 2, 2008

Remember Me? I've Been Busy

First of all I can't believe that it has been since May 13 since I last blogged. Much has gone on since then. I thought about blogging many times, but just didn't do it. I am a lazy person or maybe just a masterful procrastinator.


On May 14 I flew to Amarillo and accompanied Mother and Daddy to the Britton Reunion being held in Oklahoma May 18 and 19. Before leaving for OK I got a chance to take Abigail and Benjamin to lunch. Ben has learned how to blow the paper off a straw, but evidently isn't always successful at getting it to shoot across. When he was preparing his straw he aimed at me and blew. The shocked look on his face and his little voice exclaiming, "It woked." (no r in worked) were the give away. David caught this picture of me reading to A and B that evening.Here is Mother with her two remaining sisters and brother at the reunion on Sunday.



And of course we had to have one of my generation of cousins. There were actually 14 of us (first cousins) there, but Sarah who was there on Saturday, but not Sunday isn't pictured with us. On the back row are Bud, Roy, Jackie, and Benny. The second row is Ann, Jo Ann, Connie, Kathy. The front row is Barbara, Dianne, Judy, Dora and me.


After the reunion, Jo Ann and Jerry brought me back to Bay City. Here are Jo and I at the restaurant in Lake Jackson where we celebrated my birthday, May 22, with a trip to eat seafood and see the new Indian Jones movie. We all highly recommend it for your summer adventure, relaxation, fun movie. These are the guys we like to hang with. Jerry seemed to enjoy the time he was here. He played golf each day and basically didn't have to do anything. Poor Robert had to go to work each day, but I don't think work is very stressful right now. On the 27th of May after an uneventful, quiet Memorial Weekend I ventured to Albuquerque to visit Carrie and Paul. Getting there proved to be a challenge, well not so much a challenge as a exercise in patients and frustration. The flight that was to leave at 5:00 pm and arrive in A at 7:00 didn't leave Houston until 7:30 ish and didn't arrive in A until about 10:00. Poor Carrie missed a phone call because either I didn't make it or it didn't go through and ended up waiting at the airport for about 2 hours on me. I, on the other hand, met a couple of delightful women at the airport waiting on the same flight I was and we passed the time with a wonderful margarita and lively conversation. Pictured below is Carrie cheerfully making fajitas for us on Wednesday evening after a day of shopping.



And finally here is a picture of Carrie and Paul just after Paul had finished demonstrating his awesome ability on the Wii dance pad. I totally sucked at that, but was getting pretty good at the guitar --- have the highest scores for the house band on the easy level. And that was with just two days of practice. I must say though that I was very impressed with Carrie who can play a mean level medium rock guitar. Our *field trip* to the Acoma Pueblo on Friday was great. For a recap of that adventure visit Carrie's blog. She posted the pictures and gives a brief run down of our day.


Now I'm getting ready for the big tip to the UK. Leaving in just 19 days. Wooo Hoooo