Fall Break...

Yes, once again I have been absent...for a long time. I am going through some changes in my life right now, and don't really feel like coming up with snappy witticisms. And believe me, you don't want to hear all the other crap...no use being a Debbie Downer to everyone.
Some day soon hopefully I will return and be able to share with you all the trauma of my fourty-something life...yep, I said trauma...'cause it has cut me...and it hurts.
My family is fine...so don't go there. Short synopsis...it's other people who do the cutting...not T or the kids.

Until then...

Touched by an angel...

I.am.a.bad.mom. There—I said it…
I have not written a thing since H’s birthday where I extolled his virtues all over the place…
And they still all hold true.
Here is what has gone in our humble abode since then.
My 22nd anniversary, C got a JOB (go girl), my birthday (ugh girl), A started school, T’s uncle died very unexpectedly, A had a birthday (go girl), a friend passed away unexpectedly…whew…it has been a busy couple of weeks or four….

Today I shall um, sing A’s praises…since I totally skipped her big 1-9…

For those of you that know A…would you believe that she was a big honkin’ baby? 9 lbs 3 oz I tell you…uh, huh-ouch…T called her a bowling ball with eyes and thighs…Let me just say, that has gone over very well when talking to her suitors. Tee hee…
Within a year though, she was a blonde moppet that had the Pebbles ‘do sprouting from the top of her head, with big eyes and a grown man (T) wrapped around her finger…and she just got cuter. She exuded such naïveté and innocence growing up—gullible had her picture beside it in the ole Webster’s. T used to claim that she was an angel placed here on earth to bless our lives…and we truly believed it.

A is another one of my children that knows exactly what she wants to do with her life…and it is all a matter of fashion. She has had a talent (since she was a wee little sprite) for putting pieces of clothing together and coming up with a fabulous ensemble!! Tada!!! Now, she is the first to admit that she can’t draw a stick figure…but dressing said stick figure—she’ll have at it!!! When she was in high school guys would call her and ask her to take them shopping. Not only could she pick out clothes for them, but she can sniff out a bargain like a Bassett hound—she really should have started charging them, that would help pay for college wouldn’t it? :)
To many this seems like a very superficial career…but hey, somebody’s got to do it right? None of us could go to Target, Wal-Mart or Macys and purchase anything unless someone behind the scenes purchased it for the store, right? Hopefully some day that will be my little A.

She has grown so much in the last couple of years…that we are no longer fearful for her to be out on her own in the big ole world. She has proven to be a strong, responsible, respectful, driven godly young woman…who is still our angel.

Why she blesses us:
-Humor—again, where do my kids get it? She is quick with the retort…often unexpected, but always funny.
-Beautiful—inside—we have preached forever and a day that outer beauty will fade…but inner beauty will only grow and grow.
-Caring—her heart hurts for those who hurt. She is a big softie.
-Dedicated—whether with a job (even the ones she didn’t like), school or exercise—she has sticktoitness (so off the spelling chart—but you know what I mean)
-Patient—waiting for the man that the Lord has for her…not willing to settle for anyone else—in any way shape or form
-Godly—what better gift as a parent? Keepin’ it real at a secular university!
-Loving—frustrated with her parents at times? Sure, but always loving and respectful. She loves her brudders and seester in law bunches too!!!
-Strong—I am trusting in Him to continue to build her strength—I better ‘cause she is planning to move halfway across the country next year. Little girl in a BIG city—watch out.

A was so proud when she recently told me that her boss (a non-Christian) publicly said that she sees A’s faith and knows that her morals and attitude have placed a positive spin on her places of business. In our world—that is HUGE!! What a testimony!!!!!!

Thank you Lord for blessing my life with a daughter that is also a best friend to me, and giving us the relationship that I always desired. Thank you for continuing to make her what You want her to be—both inside and out. Please keep your hand upon her and strengthen her. But most of all, thank you for our angel.

Fourteen Candles--Really, I Could See A Song Here...

Yesterday- I dropped my baby off at High School.
Yep, you heard me. High. School.
As in, some of his classmates drive, all (but him) have cell phones-so I’m told, many of the males have more hair on their face than T has on his head (true story), and grades matter.
Today- he turns 14 years old.
The joy brought into my life 14 years ago is something that I wouldn’t trade for a winning lottery ticket... I don’t think—but let me test it and get back to you
;-)

Whether some of you believe in this type of thing or not…I do, so here is our story. On Mother’s Day (I believe about ’92 or so) we were at church and the pastor was praying for all of the moms down at the altar. When I went back to my seat, T had tears streaming down his face. My first thought was that I embarrassed him, and had my skirt tucked into my undies or something… soon after he said that God told him that we would have a 3rd child and it would be special. Wow—powerful stuff, but….. I was done bearing Taylor tots…I had my boy and girl—they were healthy and beautiful, nope, I didn’t need any more thankyouverymuch. Again, I was the last one let in on the plan. When we discovered that we were again expecting in late ’94, that word “special” kept popping into my head. If you were preggers—what would you think of when you hear “special”? Yep, me too—but he was born a purple, peeing, perfect little man. Only later would I discover what “special” meant to Him.

Here is His definition of “special”~

-Happy. More joy than most teen-age boys. No sullen attitude, no pouting, no moping…
-Friendly. Makes friends easier than anyone I know. Everyone knows H, everyone likes H-no matter if they are 3 years old and listening to the Wiggles or 60 something and enjoying the early bird special at Golden Corral, he can charm them in moments.
-Compassionate. The “last kid picked for the team” never will sit there alone when H is around, he feels for that kid and will go talk to him.
-Loving. Hates to show it in front of others, but loves his mama…would protect me to the end. Very chivalrous to me and his sis.
-Talented. Read previous posts. This boy has a future in the music industry. End of story.
-Godly. Doesn’t hesitate to tell friends they need to do right from wrong. Wants to grow in Him.
-Evangelistic. Blows us away with the words given to him by Him. Guarantee that folks will join the Kingdom b/c of what He is planting in H.
-Beautiful. He would hate this, but he is—inside, where it absolutely counts. Because of all of the above, he is a wonderful creation…and I am proud that he is sharing my genes.
-Passionate. To know what his future holds at such a young age, and to be dedicated to that cause and willing to do whatever is necessary to attain it…oh I wish I were even a little like this.
-Funny. Don’t know if it is because he spends so much time with T or what, but this kid can have me rolling rather consistently. Love, love it.

Ok, ok, so I am singing his praises today. I don’t need a slap in the face to wake up to reality and realize that I am honoring a teenage boy who will undoubtedly disappoint me a time or two. He is not perfect…no implication of that here. But he is truly a gift from God. I often call him the light in our house. I think what I am most excited about is seeing what is coming in his future.
Whether he is a youth pastor, music minister, teacher, sanitation collector, helicopter pilot, singer…whatever…I know that he will be the best that he can…’cause he’s my little Hunter-man. And I love him.

Happy Birthday Big Guy!!!

In a State of Son-Shine

Yes, I have finally returned. After a long grueling week of “vacation” in the beautiful, sunny state of Florida…I was oh so happy to return to my blissful surroundings of excessive laundry, mosquitoes, dust on the mantle and the exciting life of an administrative assistant. Obviously I am struggling with my return to reality just a bit.

As I have posted before, H had the National Fine Arts competition in Orlando, and we took his worship team, 2 female soloists, a quartet and a male soloist. Out of the mix our male soloist made the final 16 in the nation. Pretty impressive, huh? The worship team missed moving onto the second round by 0.33—do you see that decimal in there? It may have been a few years since I’ve done the new math, but I know that is pretty stinking close!!! They totally rocked!!! I was so proud of each of the kids—they handled defeat with dignity and grace…while the moms kicked, stomped, stuck out our lower lips, crossed our arms and generally looked sour. Or maybe that was when we needed a diet coke…oh, whatever…..

We had 22 people travel (11 kids—11 adults)—and split the housing situation 13 to 9 (7 bdr/6 bdr). H and I were in the larger of the 2—it had a pool, game room, 4 bathrooms and a gator in the back pond. Yes, you heard me…a live gator. One morning I was washing up some breakfast dishes and looked out across the pool and saw this “log” gliding across the water. One of the boys told me that I said, “No way—no way…are you kidding me…there’s an alligator outside!—really it was all a blur…I don’t believe for a second that I am really that dramatic. So, all of us scrambled outside to the edge of the screened in pool (looking back, that flimsy little screening wouldn’t have saved us-would it?) with cameras clicking and mouths agape. About that time we noticed two men walking near the edge of the water who were there to retrieve the said perpetrator (I’ve been watching Without a Trace at 5 in the am, what can I say). They received a call a day and a half before…but Mr. I-could-be-a-really-cute-purse-and-shoes…was a pond over then…therefore (do the math) he had somehow traveled to our pond. Now, we were not in the Everglades or Camp Swampy…we were in a beautiful subdivision!!! What the heck? Can you even imagine taking out the trash to be greeted by that at the garage door? I digress though…long story short…they didn’t catch him (the whole week), they said he was about 6 ½ feet (really?) and within 2 days…he had a friend out there with him (smaller one). Yeah, obviously I didn’t spend much time cruising around the mossy edge.

Other than the gator(s) our week was filled with fun, laughter, drama, food, worship, Tony Dungy, music, heat, sweat and a pretty blue convertible. Uh, huh, that’s right--we had reserved a full size car, but when we went to pick up they offered us a rag-top for the same price—how could we say no? The last night we were there, my friend Julie and I (we shared the car) decided to enjoy it for one last time. We pulled over in front of the Convention Center right by all the security guys and lowered the top, then rounded the curve and screeched to a halt b/c the sprinklers had kicked on. Not your typical little sprinkle across the grass type, but a huge Old Faithful geyser of water shooting 10 feet in the air and coming back down…right in the road…at the stop sign!!! Seriously, I couldn’t make this up… After shrieks of laughter and considerable debate, we pulled our best Thelma and Louise and blew the stop sign…and continued on our way!!!

The week was a great time of memories and fun. I hope that H always recalls his growth that week (let me tell you—I’m glad he’s a boy and not a drama-filled girl), the Hulk at Universal, free hi-fives, late nights, early mornings and dreams of his future and where he wants to go with it. I am so proud to have a fun young man of God growing up in my house that can make everyone laugh, make friends with anyone, make fun of himself, and enjoy life. Ahhh….life is good, no matter what state you may be in.

Friends Are The Family We Choose For Ourselves...

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Neeter
Happy Birthday to you


How old are you?...Ok, I'll stop right there. 'Cause I know exactly how old you are. You are one month (minus 2 days) older than moi!!! 29 will suffice for now, right?


My very best friend in the whole world (T is not included in this count--he and Jesus are exempt) Anita Lucille Chase Bowen is celebrating a birthday today. We have been great friends since 4th grade-And.that.was.a.very.long.time.ago.


When I was at the end of my sophomore year in high school, my family moved from our little country house into the big city, therefore causing me to transfer schools. But Anita was my one friend from the old school that I remained close to. I can recall spending the night with her on many occasions, including sleeping in the drafty area of her co-op(college-ahhh)...or did I sleep on the floor of her room? Ok, apparently I can't recall...but I really did it!!!


When I got married she was one of my bridesmaids, and when she walked the aisle, she loved me enough to have me be one of her bridesmaids even though I was about 7 months preggo with A. A couple of weekends ago we were watching a video of my wedding, and H commented on the fact that Anita looks exactly the same except for she had bigger hair in the video (it was '87 mind you). I'd say that she has aged rather well, don'tcha think?

We call each other our "Forever Friend", which obviously means we will either be friends forever, or it seems as if we have been friends forever...take your pick-you get the picture.
Anita is my friend that I can tell anything to...from fights that T and I have(rare-but true), to problems with my kids, to feminine issues, work issues, family issues, money issues...you name it--we share it. She is so willing to provide a shoulder to cry on when friends and family treat me poorly, I don't have enough money in the bank to "keep up with the Joneses", I'm having a bad hair day--you know what I mean...all with a godly heart and intent. Aren't you jealous?

But on the other hand...we have shared some incredibly fun memories. Bon Jovi? How about that, huh? We were there-and-it-was-awesome. We also have seen Garth Brooks together--which one do you think was in our earlier years? She was also my first friend to come to the hospital after all of my children were born--they call her Aunt...and she is. She has been a sister to me, a sister of the heart.

One time when I was having car trouble in a vehicle, she was ready and willing to push my van backwards out of a parking spot at the Mall, all while wearing her work clothes. I hope she is still able to push-cause I'm having car trouble...again. Did I mention that on top of knowing one another for so many years,we work together? When I was re-entering the workforce, she told me of a job at the Agency where she works...and I got the job!! Our offices share a wall...can't get much better than that!!!! We have now worked together for over 10 years, and I miss the times that she is not here b/c I love our daily catch-ups. After work one night, I vividly recall attending a home sales party at another friends' house...one that was a little wild for us mild souls...but the experiences that we went through are some of our greatest chuckles.

For our big four-oh ...we threw ourselves a grand party in a hotel suite here in town, and had someone that sells designer replica purses come and set up, as well as offer chair massages and polish changes for anyone interested. It was so much fun...and we deserved it!!! Yes we did.

We deserved it because we had been through ~
joy
heartache
first kisses
shoulder pads
Bon Jovi
big hair
blue eyeshadow/liner
leg warmers
Duran Duran
weddings
divorces
births
deaths
love
hate...ok, dislike
Bon Jovi (worth a repeat)
90210-only the original
graduations
growth in Christ

see...we have survived the spectrum...

Love you Neeter...no matter how old we are, no matter how cranky we may become, no matter if we share a wall in a nursing home...
we shall always be...
Forever Friends

Come On Get Happy... :)

Ahhh, back to Monday. Work just keeps popping up, doesn't it? Oh well, sometimes I actually miss it (the old job-o) when I am off...b/c it keeps me in a routine. I will not admit this in public by any means, not even under severe torture.

Friday night the youth had a fund-raiser at Sacred Grounds (local coffeehouse) to raise moola for the National Festival. It was a smashing success, with over 100 there. I am again swollen with pride over my son. Yes, I realize that I go on and on about him and his musical accomplishments, but really...I gotta'. He is just so stinking incredible!!!!

I also realized that he is too comfortable up in front of a crowd. He would get up to the mic and chat with the crowd. All the while I am vigorously shaking my head "No" as in "Shut up and step away from the mic". What is a well-intentioned Mom to do? I know that I had more stage-fright than he did, it was totally cool for him to converse with them...they loved it.

Various youth ministered in a number of ways from solos, instrumentals, duets, quartets, a rock band and our awesome worship team. The Lord has blessed all of these kids with wonderful gifts that were then used to bless and minister to others. Isn't that the whole plan? I know that some in the audience were appalled when there was some (not a lot) of "scream-o" in H's rock band. It may not have appealed to them, but for someone, somewhere, at some time...it was the perfect tool to touch a life. H wrote all of the songs that his group did, and I know that the words came from the recesses of his heart--a heart that loves the Lord and is serving Him in whatever way he can...there just happens to be a boy in the band that loves to do the growling singing as an accompanyment to regular song. A little bit out of the box never hurt anyone, did it?

It was asked what we could do with these kids next...and I suggested getting a bus, and painting it like the Partridge Family and hitting the road. I was kidding (half), but now that I really think about it...what a great idea!!! I wish there was a venue (or traveling kind) where our group could reach out and touch kids their age...and show the love of God...hmmmm....the thinking cap is on and in place-watch out!!!

"And don't it feel good..."

In my opinion, summer is the one season that evokes memories (good and bad) of a time past.
Certain sounds, smells, tastes or activities can evoke thoughts days gone by like it was…um, yesterday. For me, music plays such a large role in our life, but it also defines many of my memories. I was perusing through some playlists which got me to thinking about my favorite summer songs. Hang on, keep all hands inside the compartment…the ride is about to begin.

1) “Kokomo”-Beach Boys
-T and I went to Kokomo for our honeymoon-really did, just not the one the Boys sing about.

2) “Summertime”-New Kids on the Block
-Love me some NKOTB…young or old…this is my ringtone on my phone.

3) “Live Like You Were Dying”-Tim McGraw
-Just love this one…good creed for life. Like seeing Tim’s bare feet in video (is that creepy?)

4) “Summer of 69”-Bryan Adams
-Ahhh…high school. No, not in ’69, but ’85—geesh

5) “Walking on Sunshine”-Katrina and the Waves
-Meant to make one happy…and it works

6) “Good Vibrations”-Marky Mark
-Yeah, sure he can act…but he could um, sing too? Abs-olutely

7) “All Summer Long”-Kid Rock
-Hopefully will be the only song I ever like by this guy-shamed to admit

8) “Paradise City”-Guns and Roses
-Classic…video of the tots rockin’ it. Bad, bad parent

9) “No Rain”-Blind Melon
-Old friends…sad

10) “Summer Nights” –Rascal Flatts
-New fave…just is fun!!!

11) “Strawberry Wine”-Deanna Carter
-I remember my first love (he’s bald now)

12) “Summertime”-Kenny Chesney
-Perfect summer song. Love, love, love it!!!

13) “Soak Up the Sun”-Sheryl Crow
-Only song I truly like from her too. How life should be.

14) “We Built this City”-Jefferson Starship
-Freshman year of college. Rockin’ at PU football games

15) “Went Out Last Night”-Kenny Chesney
-Love this guy-he knows how to have a good time

16) “Love Bug”-Jonas Brothers
-Yes, I love these boys. More shame…want H to be one

17) “You Give Love a Bad Name”-Bon Jovi
-No shame in loving Jon…T is fully aware…and jealous

18) “Tearing Up My Heart”-N’Sync
-Apparently I have a soft spot for boy bands.

19) “I Love Rock n Roll”-Joan Jett
-You gotta love the classics

20) “MmmBop”-Hanson
-Mmmmm, ok…move on

21) “Gonna Make You Sweat”-C&C Music Factory
-Great workout music…if I worked out

22) “We Got the Beat”-Go-Go’s
-Girl bands rock!!! Always try to do drum part…and fail

23) “Living on a Prayer”-Bon Jovi
-Nuff said

24) “Baby One More Time”-Britney Spears
-Sorry, I like it though

25) “Boondocks”-Little Big Town
-Love ‘em…them folks can sing!

Wish someone would make an album of them all ‘cause my 8-track player is on the fritz. I’ll just go record them onto a tape when they play on the radio.
-I know some of you know exactly what I mean, don’t kid yourself.