Sleepy Sunday Again!

I didn't get much sleep last night. I never do, but I got even less last night and it sure hit me hard this morning when I tried to get out of bed. I was just soooooo tired. If I hadn't promised to give Jakye some pictures, I wouldn't have even gone to church. I spent all afternoon yesterday printing out 198 pictures for Jakye, hoping she would like them.

Finally made it to church 15 minutes late. Told you I was really moving slow this morning. Got there in time to put out all the music for the musicians. We now have our words projected on the wall in front of us. That's really nice, but sometimes the person running the computer is just a little slow to change the page and it messes us up. It will take some getting used to, but I'm sure we'll adjust.

Jakye came in and I gave her the pictures. I was really hoping she would think they were good, cause I thought they were great of her. I don't think she liked them at all. She said they made her neck look too long. Most women would die for a neck as pretty as hers. She has some serious issues when it comes to her looks. I think she has been told that she is not pretty and that her neck is too long that it looks like a turtle. I heard her mention that to her mother while I was taking the pictures. If she feels that way, she should never wear the low cut tops cause it just makes her neck look even longer. I thought she looked as pretty as any model, but she doesn't see herself that way. She was very disappointed in the pictures and felt her mother would be, too. I never got a chance to talk to her mother, so I don't know what she thought. It really made me feel bad. Makes me not want to take pictures anymore for anybody else. I'll stick with my scenery photos and not worry with people pictures - except of family, of course. I'll never stop taking pictures of my family, especially those precious grandkids.

Chad was at church this morning with Tabitha. They didn't have the kids. Trent went to church with Brandon and I didn't hear where Hope was. It was so good seeing him at church. I sure hope he starts coming regularly.

We had a lot of visitors. One of the girls that has been coming with Allan stood up and told that she got saved yesterday. Praise the Lord! That's what it's all about. Mrs. Sandi preached today. She's always good. There were a lot of people at the altar afterwards.

Mrs. Sandi asked us to be in special prayer for her daughter, Missy. She is pregnant and we are believing she will carry this baby full term. Actually, Mrs. Sandi is praying for twins. She's far enough along that they saw the baby on the sonogram Friday. We prayed over Missy. I'm so happy for her.

After church, I was on my way home and realized Vance had called my cellphone. I called him back and he needed me to go by the parts store and get him an oil filter for his truck. He was changing the oil and needed the filter. I stopped by Taco Bell and got something to eat and then to the parts store and got his filter. I was so tired when I got home. I didn't know if I could even eat before I fell asleep. I ate part of my lunch and layed down on the couch and took a two hour nap. I should have called and checked on Penny, but I was just too tired to even talk. I called her after I got up and she said she was doing fine. That's good to hear. She plans on going back to work tomorrow.

Debb called and talked to me for an hour. She is so excited about getting her own apartment. I told her I would help her move. I gave her some places to go to get the things she needs to set up her new place that won't cost her a lot of money. Fred's is a great place. That's where I've gotten several things for Daddy since he moved into his apartment. It's kind of like Big Lots. I really like it and it's closer to us than Big Lots. The prices are pretty much the same.

I just layed around the rest of the day. Didn't really have the energy to get up and do anything. I should have been exercising in some way. Forgot to take my Vemma the last couple of days. It really helps me when I remember to take it.

Well, guess I'll go to bed at a decent hour tonight. Maybe I'll be really rested when I go to work. I've got a full week of doctor's appointments for me, Mama and Daddy.

Good night and God bless.....................

What A Fun Saturday!

Jakye

What a fun time I had taking pictures of Jakye. We had decided to meet at McKenzie Park downtown. Little did we know that they were having the March of Dimes Walk-a-thon there today. We did manage to get some pictures by the fountain (which wasn't working). Then, we walked about a block down the street to the marina to get pictures with boats in the background. After that, we drove to 6th Street to get pictures of the Panama City Downtown sign, then on to Beck Avenue for beach pictures. It took about 2 hours to do the pictures. Jakye told me the photographer the school hired was charging $999.00 plus shipping for four poses. You got about 100 pictures, but they were all taken inside the school and the photographer didn't even know how to pose the people. Deanna posed Jakye. I'm not all that great, but I do know some things to look for and I try to make my subjects look their best. I ended up taking around 100 different pictures in three different outfits. And we changed the backgrounds numerous times, so the pictures were all different. I just can't see paying over $1000.00 for senior pictures. You don't pay that much for Glamour Shots and they really make you look good.

After taking the pictures, I ran by Chick-Fil-A and got lunch for Penny and Swayde. She's not supposed to be driving after her surgery. She's having a little pain today. Sat and visited with them while we ate.

Went to Bare Beauty and got some lipstick, then to Wal-Mart to get a fan for the living room. Vance still hasn't turned on the air conditioner. Most of the time, I'm okay. But sometimes I do get hot. I'm just so glad I'm completely over the hot flashes. If I was still having them, he would have turned on the A/C or we'd be divorced or worse.

I started printing Jakye's pictures and realized I was about to run out of ink, so I went to Office Max and bought ink. Also went by Winn-Dixie and got charcoal, potatoes and sour cream. Vance cook T-bones. They were so good. T-bone is my favorite steak and they are hard to find.

Printed out Jakye's pictures. There were some really good ones. Here is a sampling:

Finally Got Rain!

Had to go first thing this morning for bloodwork. Got to see how the new medication is working out. I went to a lab just a couple of miles from home right on my way to work. I didn't realize they drew blood. Found out they are open at 6:00, so that's where I'll be going from now on and I won't have to miss any work. I was in and out in 15 minutes.

Was pretty busy all day. Kim borrowed one of my cameras to take pictures of her granddaughter's play at school. Can't wait to see the pictures. I thought I had one of my digital cameras in the car, but I had my two SLR's. I could have done her pictures tonight if it had been on a digital. Oh well, we'll just have to wait for the results. I've got to remember to take one of my digitals with me from now on.

I've got a photo shoot Saturday morning downtown for one of the seniors at our church. Jackye wants her senior portraits done around the old buildings downtown. They told me the photographers who do the senior pictures are charging around $900 for a set of pictures. That is highway robbery. There is no way I could charge somebody that much money and feel good about myself. I guess that's why I'll never go into business with my photography. I give away too much. I told them I'd charge them $50. They said that was too cheap, so I'll just let them give me what they want to give me. Joey may show up, too, to have his done. I told them this Saturday was the only time I could do it. My Saturdays next month will be busy. Deanna wants sunset pictures, but Jackye has to go to work at 4:00. We'll just have to try that another time. We'll be shooting around 9:00am. Jackye is a cut-up, so the pictures should be a lot of fun. I took my niece's senior pictures at the beach earlier this month and she loved them. We had fun. I love doing that kind of work - weddings are just too stressful. I am sort of semi-retired from weddings. I'll come out of retirement for only special people, but no strangers.

At lunch I went to Wal-Mart and bought a couple of T-shirts and a pair of capri's. Having to buy some summer clothes. That's the main reason I didn't go on the cruise with Fran and the girls - I didn't have any clothes to wear and not a lot of money to buy a whole new wardrobe. Maybe next year! I plan on being a lot thinner by then, too.

It kept looking all day like we were going to get some rain. We needed it. Finally, after I got home, it started pouring. I walked out on the porch and got soaked. The wind was blowing hard and the rain was coming down hard. It only lasted about 30 minutes. We really need it to rain all night - not storm, just a good rain. But, I guess we'll just have to wait on that. It passed over and doesn't look like any rain on the way.

I played around with some of my photos and printed some out. My new printer is doing pretty good. I guess I'll keep it. The flower pictures look pretty good. I just wish I had some place in my house where I could frame and hang some of my photographs. Maybe when we get the bedroom finished, I can find some to print out. If it was left up to me, I'd have photographs on every inch of my walls. But, I've been told that's not a good idea. Maybe one day, I'll have them in a gallery someplace. I did dream one night that I had a gallery in New York showing my photographs. That dream has stayed with me for over 10 years now. I can see it in my mind just as if I had just woken up from the dream. Who knows? Maybe it was a prophetic dream. You just never know!

Time for this photographer to get some shuteye.

Good night and God bless......................

What a Wonderful Day!

It's hump day again. I was supposed to have forklift training at the beach today, but they cancelled it. That was a good thing because I was able to join the Power Delivery team at Red Lobster honoring Kim for Admin Day. She deserves to be honored each and every day for the wonderful job she does for all of us. Our department could not run smoothly if she was not at the helm. She may not have a managers title, but I can tell you that she deserves the pay that a manager gets. She does more work than anybody in our whole team. She is such a blessing.

Yesterday, I did remember to take my dad to the doctor. Forgot last week. The receptionist, nurse and doctor all mentioned to him that he forgot about his appointment. No, it was me. I had to set them straight and tell the truth. I'm the one who forgot. I'll never live it down. The doctor thought it was funny. I really do like him. Saw a man from our church there. Also, saw a woman I used to work with. She left us and became a teacher. It was good to see her. She's like me. She is the caretaker for her family, too. She was there with her brother. Last time I saw her, she had her mother there.

After his doctor's appointment, we went to Fred's to buy him a crockpot. He was wanting to cook him some porkchops and beans. Ran into my cousin, Jeffery. Also had to buy groceries for Daddy. It was a good thing Karen cancelled practice, cause I didn't make it home until 6:30. Vance was working on the bedroom floor. He's almost finished with it. It looks so good.

Penny called on my way home from work to make sure I could still take her to the doctor Friday. That's no problem. I don't mind going with her at all. They are going to do a procedure where she will be knocked out. I like being able to pray for them when they are out like that. Next week will be a busy week for me. Monday, I've got to take Daddy to the doctor; Tuesday I get my hair colored then have P/W practice; Wednesday it's the doctor for me and church; and Thursday I have to take Mama to the doctor. Funny how all those things fell in the same week. I've got to do a better job of checking my calendar and scheduling better. I shouldn't have let all those things happen in the same week.

We had a great church service tonight. During Praise and Worship, several people were being ministered to at the altar. Tabitha ended up going home after P&W. She wasn't feeling good at all. Pastor pulled me into his office and asked if she was okay. He said she looked pale and he was concerned. We had a young lady come to church and I found out that she used to go to Springfield Methodist when I was there. Her mother died of cancer when she was about 13 years old. I really loved her mother. She was about the same age as me and we signed together. This girl has had it rough since her mother died. But, I think she's ready to turn her life back over to the Lord and get herself straightened out. I gave her my card and told her to call me if she needed to talk. We don't want to lose her. She's reaching out and I certainly don't want to do anything that would cause her to fall away again. She could be the same mighty woman of God that her mother was.

I carried Trent home and talked to Chad a little while. Tabitha was in bed already. I know she's so tired. She's got tests at school and she's staying up late at night to study. I hope she takes off the summer. She needs the rest.

Kim said she had a dream about me and that I was losing weight in the dream and that she was so excited for me. I am looking forward to losing some weight. I'm trying to get my house in order, then I'm going to get my body in order.

And, right now, I need to get this body in the bed. I'm getting extremely tired.

Goodnight and God bless....................

Weekend Was Way Too Short!

Woke up late Saturday morning - 8:00 is late for me. Vance went to play golf. I started cleaning my house. I had this plan to bring in a chest-of-drawers from the garage and put it beside my bed. I knew it would fit, because I had measured it. But first, I had a closet to clean out, a room to vaccuum, rugs to wash, a bathroom to clean, etc...... I am not the greatest housecleaner. It takes me three times as long to clean a room because I keep going into other rooms and finding something that needs to be done in there. I can't just keep my mind on one room at a time. Usually, I end up tearing up my whole house and then have only an hour or so to get it all back together again. Would not recommend that to anybody.

Trent called around 9:00 to see if he and Hope could come over. I had to tell him no. Do you know how hard that is for me? I love having them around, but I haven't had a Saturday to myself in months. I had to get some work done around the house. I could use a whole week off to do the things I want to get done around the house, but that isn't an option. So, I have to squeeze in what time I can find on Saturdays.

I finally stopped around 10:00 to fix me something to eat. Hadn't had breakfast yet and it's time for lunch. Took about a 30 minute break and was back to work. Had to take the drawers out of the chest to be able to pick it up and bring it in the house. Wouldn't you know it? Once I got it in place, I realized that it was too tall and too deep to go where I wanted it. I would have felt smothered if I had left it there. Well, I had to take a break after all that manhandling of that chest. By this time, Vance had come home. Did the house look like I had done anything to it? No, it was in total disarray. And I was so tired. Ate an apple around 3:00 and drug the chest back out to the garage. Vance was in the bedroom working on the floor. I never ask anybody for help. Kim had called and offered to come over and help me move the chest, but would I let her. No, I'm way too stubborn to let anybody help me. Learned that from Vance. I was just glad he didn't want to go out to eat. I still had way too much left to do. I was talking to Kim and telling her that I had done all that work and had nothing to show for it. She told me to quit beating myself up; that I'd find something if I just looked. So, I looked around and she was right. (She usually is.) I had cleaned out the floor of my closet and was able to put my shoe rack in there where it belonged. I had cleaned out the top of the closet and there is space to put stuff. I had a whole big bag of clothes to go to Goodwill. My rugs were clean. Another load of clothes was folded and put away. My sheets were changed on the bed. Yeah, I guess I did get a lot more done than I thought I had. Vance stopped working on the floor and grilled us a steak. I ate and headed for a long, hot shower and then off to bed.

Talked to Penny several times. She was over at Mama's while the Home Health Care people were there. They had to take a complete history on her, then run some tests on her blood and kidneys. The doctor must have seen something he wasn't crazy about, because they don't usually work on Saturdays.

Sunday morning, it was hard to get up. I was so tired. I was 15 minutes late for practice. I'm never late on Sunday morning. I'm usually one of the first ones at the church. Had a great Praise and Worship service. They have put up a projector facing the wall over the doors to the sanctuary for us to be able to read the words of the songs instead of having stands in front of us. We had a few problems with it, but I love being able to see the words to the songs. I have a real hard time remembering the words to songs that we sing all the time, even simple ones. That part of my brain needs to be stimulated, I guess. Pastor Sammy preached on Focus - Keeping Your Focus on God. I don't know what was wrong with me. I was having a hard time focusing on anything. I was so sleepy. I think I must have slept too much Saturday night. He had those of us who felt like we had lost our focus to come up and be prayed for. He stopped in front of me and said "You haven't lost your focus. There is just an obstacle in the way. You have not lost your focus!" I was so tired. Could that have been the obstacle? I should have asked him if he knew what it was. After church, I had three different people wanting my attention. First off, I had to get some attention from Hope. I can't leave without holding and talking to her. She and Trent are such a blessing. (Fox, too, but I don't get to see him as much.) Everybody else can just wait until I spend a little time with them. Deanna wants me to take graduation pictures of Jackye next Saturday. I told her that's the only time I can do it. Then, Sarah needed to give me the info for the invitations to the Ladies Ministry's Tea on the 19th. I'm doing the invitations for it. Can't remember who the third person was who needed me for something. I was getting so sleepy, I was having a real hard time even listening to anybody. I just wanted to lay down and go to sleep. I went by Sonic to get some tea thinking that might help, since I hadn't had any caffeine to wake me up. By the time I got home, I thought I was going to collapse. Ate a chili dog and layed down on the couch and slept for a coupled of hours. I got up still feeling groggy, but decided to try my hand at making the invitations. Found three pictures of tea cups and tea pots and decided to add them to the card (only one on each card). I'll let Kim choose which one to use. Made up samples to take to work. She reminded me that we were having a showing of "Facing the Giants" movie at church. I had about 30 minutes before I needed to leave. Kissed Vance goodbye and went to watch the movie. I'm so glad I did. That's one of the best movies I've seen in a long, long time. Such a wonderful message about working together as a team and giving God the glory whether you win or lose. (It's about a high school football team and their coach.) I would recommend it to everybody. I just wish I had thought to go by and pick up Trent. I think he would have enjoyed it.

I went to bed around 10:30 last night and managed to sleep all night. Not good! Woke up this morning so groggy I ran into the door of the bathroom and bruised my arm. Went to work and was trying to help Kim do some filing and kept getting mixed up. She finally said "We're going for a walk around the grounds. Come on!" We took off walking outside. It woke me up and I felt much better when we came back inside, but she wouldn't let me do anymore filing. I think she was afraid I'd mess everything up. I just was not myself. At lunch, we went and looked at the house she is trying to buy. I love it! It's really nice and there is a room that has a built-in desk that I would use for my computer room/craft room. It has a lot of potential. I managed to stay awake the rest of the day and get some of my work done. Talked to Mama. The doctor hasn't called, so her tests must have been okay.

I went by Office Max after work to get more printer ink so I could do those invitations. Called Mrs. Sarah to find out how many I needed to print. She said 100 should be enough. Got them done in just a few minutes. She told me to take them to church tomorrow night when I go for practice and she'd pick them up Wednesday morning and get them mailed out. Vance did a little more on the bedroom floor. It looks so good. I went grocery shopping and talked to Chad on the phone. He had been to Tabitha's cousin's house looking at a car. It's a "Smokey and the Bandit" TransAm. It was custom built down south and it really runs. Said it is in great condition. Jason got it as a trade for laying sod for three hours. Not bad for a half day's work.

Now, it's time for me to try to get some sleep. Goodnight and God bless......................

Praise the Lord - It's Friday!

Friday at last! It's been a long week. Today was timesheet day, so I was pretty busy. I would have loved to stay in bed this morning.

Talked to Daddy this morning. He called and said he was retiring his pool cue after this weekend. His arms are just hurting him too bad to play. He won last night at the VFW. He defends his title Sunday at the AmVets. He is hoping to go out a winner. I hope so, too. If his arms don't get any better, he will probably have to have the physical therapy that Dr. Patel prescribed. I hope he can take a cab because that will be several times a week. I'll run out of vacation and have to start having my pay docked. I don't want to do that unless something is really wrong.

Kim and I went to lunch at Appleby's. We were ready for some real food. We both got a Weight Watchers meal, so we did pretty good. As usual, I got fish. While we were there, Mama called and told me the doctor's office had called and wanted her to come back in for more tests. The bloodwork showed some abnormalities. It must be pretty bad, because they wanted her to either come in their office or go to Bay Medical Outpatient and get more tests run. She said she would go back to see them on Monday morning. They seemed fine with that. I told her not to worry because it is probably something that she has already been diagnosed with, but Dr. Patel hasn't seen any of her medical records.

Went back to work and was very busy all afternoon. Michelle called to see if we could come for a visit Mother's Day weekend. They are having Fox dedicated on Mother's Day at the 11:00 service. Her mom and dad are coming up on Saturday and possibly Shannon, Jay and Dylon. I know I'd like to go on Saturday and get a motel room. I don't know if Vance will want to do Saturday or not. He always plays golf on Saturday morning. I guess he could drive from the golf course to Tallahassee. I could drive over early and be able to spend time with everybody before he gets there. I asked him about it when I got home and he said he would go, but I didn't ask about Saturday. I did tell him I'd like to spend the night in a motel. I really need to get away.

I was so tired when I got off work. I just wanted to go home and lay down. Mama called on my way home and said the doctor was sending a nurse to her house tomorrow to do the tests. She said it was something to do with her kidneys and potassium. I just pray that it is nothing serious.

When I got home, Vance was still working in the bedroom. He's got about half the floor put down. It really looks good. But, he is so sore. That is hard work, especially for someone his age. And he has problems with his legs and back, so it's doubly hard on him. But, he's a trooper and he won't let anybody help him. While Vance was in the bedroom, I fell asleep sitting up on the couch. I guess I was tired! I didn't sleep long, but it was enough to give me a little energy.

I'm hoping to be able to work in the house tomorrow while he's playing golf. There is so much to do! Kim said she would help me paint whenever Vance finishes the bedroom. I couldn't ask for a better friend. She is so precious and so good to me. She found a house today that she really likes. I'm praying for God's favor. If it's His will for her to get this house, He will make a way where there seems to be no way. And what's so neat about the inside - all the walls are white. She can paint them any color she wants to. If she gets it, I'll be more than happy to help her paint. I think it will be fun. She will have a totally blank canvas to do with as she wants.

I went and got Captain D's for us for supper, but I only ate half of mine. I just wasn't hungry. It was really good, but I only ate a few bites. The dogs loved that, cause they got my leftovers. Now, I have to stay up a couple of hours before I can go to bed to let the food settle enough so I can sleep. If I lay down too soon, I get that nasty acid reflux. I'm really tired, but I think I will scan a few more old pictures before I go to bed.

Good night and God Bless..................... Please pray for my mother that everything will be okay when they do those tests tomorrow. Thank you, kind friends.

What a Day!

It was a very busy day today. Beautiful weather. Wish I could have been out in it. Vance is off the rest of the week working on the floor in the front bedroom. Couldn't find the same pattern, but got something pretty close and it looks good. The man in incredible. That room was full of stuff (mostly from other rooms) and he just moved it all to one side of the room while he worked, then started moving it back once he finished with that side. No complaints. Most men would have just thrown out all the stuff and face the consequences later. Not Vance. He knows that I'm a packrat and he just puts up with my junk. God has a very special crown in heaven for him.

Kim and I went to lunch and looked at some houses. She is hoping to find one to buy. The first one really has potential and I loved the big yard. I used to walk by this house on my way to elementary school every day for five years. I would love to see the inside. Maybe she can get the realtor to get a key and show it to us. It's kind of a sad situation. It's a foreclosure and the owner died. The people who were renting the house were renting to own and had been living there six years. When the owner died, there was no paperwork or receipts showing they had paid for six years, so they had to move out. I pray that they were able to find a good house to move to; that the Lord blesses them with something better than what they could even imagine.

My office was full of people today, coming and going. It was like Grand Central Station. I was supposed to take my Dad to the doctor at 3:30. Well, guess what? I forgot. And for some reason, my cell phone did not ring all day. I must have somehow turned the ringer off. It was 4:00 when I realized and I looked at my phone and saw that I had missed 11 calls. Most of them from my Dad. I jumped in my car trying to call him. His line was busy, so I called the Dr. to see if we could still come. They said we could, so I called Daddy again. He answered. He was in a cab heading to the VFW. (Why couldn't he have gone to the Doctor in that cab?) Kind of ticked me off. (Sorry Michelle, I know you don't like that phrase.) But, if he could go to the VFW, he could just as easily have gone to the doctor's office. But, no, he has to have me with him. I'm seriously thinking about having a long talk with him. Yes, if he's sick, I don't mind at all taking him to the doctor. But, if it's just routine visits, I think he could call a cab. Am I being mean, inconsiderate, a bad daughter? I feel guilty feeling this way, but I'm beginning to feel put-out. I've got so much going on that I can't even remember his appointment. I feel like I'm on overload.

One of the calls was from Vance. He was needing to ask me a question - he had lost something. I had no idea where it was (the block you used to pound the flooring in place) so I said I would run by Home Depot and get another one. Well, you can't just buy the little block. You have to buy the whole kit. I found a generic one for $16.97. That's a lot, but we had to have that one little piece. While, I was there, I picked up paint samples, so it wasn't a total loss of time.

Another call was from Mama. She had gone to the doctor for bloodwork this morning and just wanted me to know that she did keep her appointment. I've been getting onto her about not getting some of her tests done. At least, she let my Aunt Margurete take her this morning. I'll have to take her back when she sees the doctor. The clinic is on a very busy road and she just won't drive in a lot of traffic. "Please, Lord, don't let me be like my parents when I get old. I don't want to be trouble for anybody."

I got home and washed two loads of clothes and tried to clean up a little in my computer room. Found some old pictures of Vance and me when we first got married. I was a skinny little thing back then. So, was Vance, but he still is. He still can wear those same old clothes. We still have some of the double knit pants. I had to hide them in a trunk, cause he always wore them when we went out. Check out my short dress and long straight wig. There's a story about that wig. We went to West Palm Beach to visit Vance's uncle (who also happened to be my first boyfriend) and his wife. While we were there, we went to a little amusement park that had bumper cars. We all got in a car and were having a great time, when Buddy decided to hit me from behind. He hit me so hard that my wig went straight up in the air and fell in my lap. I was mortified! That had to be my most embarrassing moment of my whole life. Thank the Lord we were the only ones there, except for the guy who was working there. He had a good laugh at my expense. I just reached down, grabbed that wig and slapped it back on my head. They laughed about that for years. Everytime we would see Buddy and Glenda, he never failed to bring it up and we'd laugh all over again. I haven't thought about that in years. Buddy died of a massive heart attack when he was 28 years old.

When I got on the computer, my first stop is always Michelle's blog, then I go to Vance's to see if he's posted anything, then check to see if there are any new pictures of Fox. Well, tonight (just when I needed it) they posted two videos of Fox. I laughed so hard I cried. His laugh is something else. You can't help but laugh right along with him. You have got to check it out for yourself. If you need a laugh, this will definitely brighten your day: http://sarcasticpicnic.blogspot.com/ I just wish Vance had been up when I found it. He would have laughed right along with me. But, he was wore out from working on the floor. That's hard work. This flooring isn't going in as easy as the other type. He can't just snap together and click and it's in place. He has to pound it in place. So, that takes more muscle and it takes longer to do.

It's getting really late, so I guess I better get to bed and get my beauty sleep. Take care.

Goodnight and God bless.......................

Another Wet Wednesday

We finally got a little more rain. Praise God for the rain. We sure do need it.

Had our usual safety meeting. Why is it that I go in at least 15 minutes early on Wednesday, but never remember to take off 15 minutes early in the afternoon? I just never do remember. Next Wednesday, I'll be at our office on the beach taking forklift training all day.

Yesterday was my sister's birthday. I called and left a message on her voice mail wishing her a Happy Birthday. It was also the 9th anniversary of my brother's death to cancer. That's something that I have tried so hard to forget. I don't want to do anything to ruin the day for Penny cause it's hard enough for her. Of course, Mama called her crying. I have not forgotten my brother, Earl. There is not a single day that goes by that I don't think of him, but I try very hard not to remember the actual day that he died. Does that sound stupid? I want the day to be special for Penny. Yes, I know he died on her birthday, but I don't dwell on that fact. I think more about the things we did when he was alive. I don't go to the cemetery to visit his grave. He's not there anyway. He's in heaven with My precious Lord and Savior. Would he want to give that up and come back? I don't think so. Do I miss him? Every day. But, I know I will see him again one day and oh, what joy that will be!!

Vance went to get some more flooring so he can start on the bedroom. Guess what? It has been discontinued. I think we have enough to finish the kitchen, but we won't have the same flooring in the dining room. We'll have to put a seam between the two. I don't know if we should go darker, so stay with a color that is close to the one we already have down. Or, maybe we should go with tile in the dining room. I just don't know what to do!

Today, Vance took off work and found something similar; not the same, but similar. He started moving things to one side of the bedroom and he'll start tearing up the carpet tomorrow. He's off the rest of this week on vacation. (Wish I could take off with him, but I've already used up almost 2 1/2 weeks vacation running Mama and Daddy to the doctor.) I really wanted to paint that room before he did the floor, but I haven't had the time to work in there. I've been gone practically every Saturday since February. My house has taken a backseat. I hope I don't have to do anything this Saturday. I want to work on my bedroom. I've got some rearranging of furniture I want to do.

Hope called me before I left for church. She was talking away about taking Spanish and teaching people in the church how to speak Spanish. She's heard Tabitha talking about teaching and learning Spanish, so Hope wants to do the same thing as her Mama. She will tell you "I'm serious." It's so cute when she says she's serious about something. Really cute coming from a 2 1/2 year old. She's just precious.

Had a good service tonight. Pastor was preaching on the curse of unforgiveness. Yep, we have got to forgive those who hurt us. People don't like to hear that, but it's the truth. Unforgiveness can cause all kinds of physical ailments.

Guess I better get to bed. It's getting late.

Goodnight and God bless...............

Tell Someone You Love Them

I guess by now everybody knows about the horrible massacre that happened at Virginia Tech. My heart just breaks everytime I see the news. All those innocent people being gunned down by some crazed person. Why did he do it? What would make someone just go around killing innocent people? It's just another sign of the times that we are in.

It really made me think about a lot of things. You kiss your child, husband, wife, etc., goodbye in the morning and they may never come home. So, when you do kiss them goodbye, be sure and tell them that you love them. Never walk away mad with someone. You may not be able to make it up to them. I never hang up the phone when talking to family and close friends without telling them that I love them. I don't let my husband leave the house without telling him that I love him. And I don't leave without kissing him goodbye and telling him that I love him. I never want him to think for a minute if anything happened to me "Did she love me? Was she mad at me?" No, I want him to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I love him. My kids, too. I always try to hug them and tell them that I love them whenever I leave them. Ask Chad. I might just run over to his house to drop something off, but I take the time to hug him goodbye. Same with all my relatives. You can ask Vance about that. We have a big family get-together and I won't leave until I have hugged every single person there and told them that I love them. It usually takes me 30 minutes to finally leave.

So, just remember - tell someone you love them today. Don't think "Oh, they know I love them." Well, it won't hurt to tell them anyway. You will certainly make their day if you do. And, let's remember to pray for the families, friends, school personnel, rescue workers, everybody involved with this tragedy. Listening to the accounts of what they went through, makes you know they need our prayers to be able to sleep at night. May God turn what was meant for bad into something good. May people be drawn to Him in this time of sorrow.

What I did today seems so trivial to what all those people had to go through. My life was so normal; theirs was so emotional. I am so blessed. I pray God's rich blessings over all of them.

Goodnight and God bless...............
I love you all!!!!

Monday, Monday....

The weekend just seemed to fly by. Wasn't too bad at work today. Kim is getting ready to go out of town with the other Admins to a meeting in Alabama. She worked yesterday just so she wouldn't be so far behind. I tried not to be a bother, so she could get her work done. We went to lunch at Subway.

Mama called and she's got an appointment to have bloodwork done on Thursday. She said Aunt Margurete could take her. At first, I said I'd take her, but then I looked at my vacation and decided to let Aunt Margurete take her. I've already used up way too many days. I'll go with her when she sees the doctor again. I guess now I'll be going to her appointments and to Daddy's from now on.

I'm still so excited about Chad. Can't wait for the whole family to be in church.

I went by Target after work and bought Vance another rake. His was in bad shape. I gave him the new one and he said there was nothing wrong with his old one. Oh well, there's no pleasing that man! :) He said he was going to take off a couple of days this week and work on the floor in the bedroom. I guess there goes my plans to paint in there before he puts the floor down. I was hoping to get it painted before we pulled up the carpet. Dripping paint on the carpet would have been no big deal, but paint on the floor will be. I just haven't had a weekend that I could work in there. Kim said she would like to help, but she has been babysitting most weekends. We just can't seem to get our weekends free.

Aunt Rose called and said she had called a lawyer about what's going on with the house. Uncle Rudolph said we got stuff we weren't supposed to get out of the house. All that went on Vance's truck was a bed, dresser, chest, nightstand and Daddy's sewing machine. I put sheets, pillowcases, towels and some pictures (all approved by Rudolph) in my car. Now, I don't see where we took too much. We were told we could go back and get the recliner. Everything we got was really of no real value - not like all the collectibles Rudolph took. Hummel figurines are worth a lot of money and he got almost an entire collection of them. Bett got all the jewelry and believe me, my Grandmother had tons of it. I'm just ready to get this whole thing over with. I don't want anything else from the house. I didn't want what we got, but Daddy insisted that we get it. It was his bedroom suite for over 15 years and he bought the boxspring and mattress. I'm just praying that it will be settled quickly. I hate conflict. This is tearing the family apart and I don't like to see that happen. I try to stay neutral and keep everybody from fighting whenever I'm around.

Talked to Tabitha. She is on Cloud 9 about Chad. I would be, too. What am I talking about? I am on Cloud 9. But it's different when it's your husband. You finally become one in the Lord. That's an awesome thing.

Well, I found some more pictures that I need to scan, so I'm outta here. Got to get to work scanning. These pictures bring back some good memories.

Good night and God bless................

The Prodigal Son Returns.....

The best thing happened today during Chad and Tabitha's home dedication. Chad got saved! Praise the Lord!!! It happened while Pastor Sammy and Mrs. Sandi were getting them to anoint the doorposts of their house and Pastor would pray a prayer at each door. They have a door in their bedroom going out onto the back deck. Everybody else stayed in the front part of the house while the Pastors, Chad, Tabitha and I went to the bedroom. They anointed the door and Pastor also had them anoint their bed and he prayed with them. After the prayer, Mrs. Sandi started talking to Chad about when he used to go to Children's Church with her. She told him where he and Jamie used to sit and how excited they would get whenever Jack would come in on stilts portraying Goliath. We left them to talk and went back to join all the others. A few minutes later, Mrs. Sandi came looking for Pastor and told me to get Tabitha and join them in the bedroom. When we walked in, Chad was saying that he wanted to get saved. Tabitha and I fell to our knees by the bed and prayed and cried and thanked the Lord for answering our prayers while Pastor and Mrs. Sandi led him to the Lord. Thank You, Jesus, for answered prayers. Now, they can truly live in their house with the Lord as the Head. Chad told Mrs. Sandi that he would start coming to church. It won't be long before my husband, Vance, is there, too. Then, all my "mighty men of God" will be attending church and be the spiritual heads of their homes. I'm looking forward to that. This picture was taken just a few minutes before Chad gave his life to the Lord. Pastor Sammy was praying the last prayer over the house.

It was a glorious time of fellowship at the home dedication. I didn't get a head count, but there were a lot of people there. They got some really nice gifts, too. Tabitha didn't care about getting gifts; she only cared about the house being dedicated to the Lord (and she got a bonus with Chad). Oh, happy day!!!

I'm Not as Young as I Used to Be!

Went to Chad and Tabitha's to help them get ready for their home dedication tomorrow. I ran errands - keeping the kids occupied. Also helped hang pictures. If you haven't tried those Hercules Hooks that are advertised on TV for sheetrock walls, you have got to try them. I found them at Linens N Things and bought a pack for me and for Chad. I hung up their pictures and even a heavy mirror. They are so easy to insert into the wall. They even come with a laser level. We didn't have any AAA batteries, but you can still use the level. It works great, too.

When I left there at 5:00, I was so tired I could hardly walk. My side was hurting and my back was hurting. Yep, I'm not as young as I used to be.

I ended up canceling the membership to Cory Everson's. After reading the contract, I knew there would be a time when I'd miss a workout and I'd have to pay for the entire two years. That's over $1300. I just can't do that. I'm thinking about going back to kickboxing with Mrs. Sandi on Monday's and Thursday's. I really liked kickboxing and it's only $3.00 a class. If I want to go to a gym, I can sign up at Healthplex for only $35 a month and you only pay for the months you use the facilities - no contracts. I might try to do that and go on Saturday mornings while Vance is playing golf.

Thursday, I took Mama to the doctor. She's now seeing the same doctor I take Daddy to. She really liked Dr. Patel. He's a good doctor and very pleasant and funny. As I was heading back to work, I got a call from my Aunt Rose that we would be able to get in my grandmother's house at 4:30 to get the furniture. I hastily called Chad to see if he could help his dad load the furniture. We were in luck. Tabitha didn't have to work, so he could help. It's really hard finding good help these days. I told Chad to ask Chip and Corey, but I guess they had other things to do. I picked Daddy up at the VFW and we went over there to load the stuff up. I had to get the room ready, so Vance and Chad could take the furniture out. We got a bedroom suite and a quilt to replace the one that burned up in Daddy's trailer. Rudolph let me get towels, and sheets and pillowcases. You can't sell those, so I knew we'd be able to use them on the bed. He let me take more old pictures. Got some of my great-grandparents, my dad when he was a little boy and even found two pictures of Patricia Ann, my aunt who died as a baby. I'm named after her, well, the Patricia part anyway. I had always wanted to know what she looked like. She was a very pretty baby.
I even found a picture of my grandmother when she was just a few months old. Yesterday, when I got home from work, I spent several hours scanning some of the pictures. Yep, my scanner works now. I'm still not sure I like this HP printer/scanner as much as I liked my Epson. Part of the program did not load into my computer and it's probably the part that I miss from my Epson. The part that lets you create things with your pictures did not load. I don't know why. If you want to check out the pictures, go to http://picasaweb.google.com/rutherford.patricia and look for the Brown/Jackson album.

We might be in for some bad weather tonight. I can hear thunder right now. We really do need some rain, but not the high winds or tornadoes. I guess I better get off the computer and get some work done around here.

Goodnight and God bless................

Wet Wednesday

We finally got some rain today. It wasn't enough, but it's a start. It has been so dry around here.

It was the regular Wednesday safety meeting - pretty boring stuff, cause none of it pertained to me. We did have a team lunch today at Joe Moody Harris Park. The food was so good - pecan crusted whitefish, steak fries, coleslaw, baked beans and hushpuppies. It was also a good time of fellowship with our co-workers. Kim and I got there early to meet the cooks and set up the tables and chairs. After we got them set up, we went for a walk along the boardwalk that goes over the pond. The pond is full of water lilies. I just wish they were in full bloom. Saw a few that were trying to bloom, but I love it when a whole bunch are blooming. Great pictures!

Went back to work for about an hour and a half before my appointment at Cory Everson Gym. Fran and I met there and we were shown around by Marty. He doesn't work for Cory. He works for Fit for Life. He says he only works six months out of the year and goes on cruises and travels the other six months. Must be nice. I like the place. The Fit for Life program is a 16 week program. You have to work out a minimum of three times a week and attend 8 nutrition classes. They are on every other Saturday. We both signed up. Fran headed to the beauty shop to get a haircut and I went back to work. About 30 minutes later, she calls and says she is having second thoughts about the program. She doesn't think she can commit to three times a week. Then, I started thinking maybe I couldn't either. According to law, we can cancel within 72 hours.

I came home and checked my computer to see if I could scan. Vance had razzed in and loaded an HP program back on to see if that would solve the problem. Nope, it gave me an error message and then hung up my computer. I had to climb under my desk and turn off the power strip to get it to shut down. I guess I'm going to have to uninstall every HP program on my computer and try to reinstall. I'm just not good at this type of thing.

Went by Walgreen's to get some Fisherman's Friend. We have to have those things so we can sing. They are a type of cough drop that taste really nasty, but they work. I can't hit the high notes without them. I keep one in my mouth the whole time I'm singing. I had planned on dropping off the roll of film I had taken of Natalie, but they had changed the aisles around and I couldn't find the Fisherman's Friend. By the time I found it, I had to rush to get to church. Talked to Kim a little before church and she assured me that I would be able to exercise three times a week. Saturday morning while Vance is playing golf, Sunday afternoon while he's watching the races and Monday after work. That will get the three a week that I have to go to and I can go Wednesday at lunch for a short kickboxing workout and Thursday after work for an hour long kickboxing class. That is, if I want to go to those classes. I'm not required to go to any of those, but I think it would be fun. Yes, I believe I can commit to three times a week. Now, the food, I'm not sure. They haven't told us about that yet.

Time for me to head off to bed. Goodnight and God Bless................

Had a pretty busy day at work today. It's pretty cool today and it rained off and on. We really need a lot of rain. Everything is so dry.

Fran called right before lunch and told me about a special fitness program at Cory Everson Gym. It's called Fit for Life. They are only accepting 25 people to participate in the program. She wants to try to get into it and asked me to try, too. We both need to exercise and get this extra weight off. Fran doesn't have too much to lose, but I understand how she feels about the way she looks. I don't think she looks bad, but she has a little frame and any weight makes her feel bad. I can carry a lot of extra weight before I start feeling the effects of it. Right now, I'm feeling the effects. I called and talked to Marty. He asked some questions and told me that I was qualified to come in and have my profile worked up to see if I qualify for the program. Fran said it's the program Oprah is advertising for on her show. I've heard of it before. It's a 16 week program of exercising and nutrition. You have to go to 8 nutrition classes and exercise at least three times a week. You have your own personal trainer who will work with you. Fran and I have an appointment tomorrow at 1:30 to meet with Marty and see how it goes. I have got to do something! I'm ruining my health carrying around this extra weight, plus I hate the way I look.

At lunch, I went to Books-A-Million to look for the book Curly Girl. Robbie told me that Michelle had told her about it. It's all about how to care for curly hair. I definitely need it. My hair is so curly. There are three kinds of curls: corkscrew, botticelli (which I am) and wavy. If I comb my curls out, I'm wavy, but look like Rosannadanna of Saturday Night Live fame. I was in luck and found the book. It has a lot of great info in it. I'm going to try to put it to work for me for when I decide I want to go curly. If my hair looks good, I may let it stay curly and quit abusing it with the straightening iron.

Debb called as I was eating lunch and said she was amazed at how I could take care of my father, mother, husband, kids, grandkids, work full time and go to church. I told her "Remember, you have always called me Wonder Woman. Seriously, it's only with the help of God that I can do anything. Besides, it's not all at the same time." She said "I had to quit my job to take care of my mother." I reminded her that her mother was dying and mine isn't. You do what you have to do when you have to do it. And by the grace of God, you get it done.

After lunch, I talked to my boss and told him about my appointment tomorrow afternoon. He laughed and said I had to eat lunch with the team tomorrow before I went. I said "Great, fatten me up even more." He said "When you weigh in, you'll be at your worst and then it's all better from here on out." He really is supportive of it. If I'm not mistaken, I had heard that he was a lifetime member of Fit for Life. I think that's how he keeps his body in shape. I'll have to ask him tomorrow.

This afternoon when the guys started coming into the office, one of them came up to me and wanted to know how I stayed looking so young. He said "You never change. You look as young as you did when I first met you 20 something years ago." I know that's not right, but I told him thank you and then gave him a CD that explains Vemma. I told him that I try to take care of myself and I think Vemma is really helping. He said he'd listen to it and get back to me.

When I told Vance about it, he said "When are you going to exercise?" I told him that I would start off doing it at lunch until the workouts became an hour long, then I'd have to go after work. I said "I'm just going to have to tell everybody that I need some time for me; otherwise, I won't be around when they really need me." This is going to be my year to take care of myself.

I came in to scan some pictures into my computer so I could print out a CD of some of my scenic images for Chuck. He wants to use them as the background for our overhead at church. My brand new scanner won't work. I guess I need to uninstall the program and try to reinstall it, but when I looked on the program list, I don't know which one to uninstall. There are about 6 programs with the name HP on it. Guess I'll have to get with Vance and see if he can help me. I need to see if it's my computer or something could be wrong with the new printer/scanner/copier. If so, I need to take it back to Best Buy and get another one.

Well, I think I've been up long enough for my food to finally settle, so I think I'm going to go to bed now.

Goodnight and God bless...............................

Easter Sunday

Hallelujah, Jesus is Alive!!! And one day, I'm going to see him face to face. What a glorious day that will be!

It was cold and a little rainy today. I'm glad my Easter dress had long sleeves. Tabitha did a good job picking it out. Everybody looked so good at church today. Chad came with Tabitha. Her dad and Tammy and the kids came, too. We had an Easter Egg Hunt after church for the kids. The weather turned out nice. I took about 50 pictures of the smaller kids. Was planning on heading to the other side of the church to get pictures of the bigger kids, but everybody kept calling my name and asking me to take pictures of their kids. At least, I managed to get a couple of pictures of Trent when he came over to see what Hope was up to.

On the way home, I realized that I had forgotten to give Hope and Trent the things I had bought them for Easter, so I stopped and was preparing to turn onto Cato Road. I looked in the rear view mirror and a black car was coming up fast behind me. They saw me at the last minute and headed for the shoulder of the road. Praise God, they didn't hit me! I carried the stuff to the kids and saw Tiffany and Kaitlyn and gave them a hug before I left.

Penny called as I was driving up in my yard to see if I wanted to ride with her to Tonya's. I told her that would be great. I got inside and Vance asked me to go to the store and get charcoal and BBQ sauce and he'd grill ribs. He hadn't been feeling good, so I called Penny and told her that I needed to stay home with him - to tell everybody hello and that I loved them. I hate that I missed seeing everybody, but my first place is to be with my husband. He ran fever most of the day. I took a long nap. We ate and he went to bed before 8:00.

I spent several hours downloading and printing out pictures that I had taken today. There is a beautiful one of Kim's granddaughter, Marisa. Can't wait to show it to her tomorrow. I made her an 8 X10 because I thought it was worthy of framing and hanging on the wall. What do you think? Isn't she cute?

It's time for me to get to bed. Another work week starts tomorrow.

Goodnight and God bless...................

Fun Family Day

What a great day today. I got a good night's sleep and was ready to get to work this morning. Vance left to go play golf and I straightened up the living room before I ate breakfast. (Trying to eat something every morning. Actually have to since I'm on that medicine.) Kim came by to get the invitations I had printed out for her. She did a great job with the wording. I had enough envelopes to go along with the invitations. I keep all kinds of office supplies on hand. The card stock and envelopes were from when I was making note cards. Kim and I talked a little about that last night. With my photos and her way with words, I think we could go into business making greeting cards - Christian greeting cards.

After Kim left, I swept and mopped my floors. It's so much easier than dragging out that heavy vacuum cleaner. I'm so glad Vance put down the wood floors. Now, we've just got to finish the rest of the house.

I made potato salad while I worked. Not the smart thing to do. I had two pots going with potatoes boiling. One pot heats up faster than the other one and I let the water boil out of it. Had to throw those potatoes away and cook some more. Michelle called and said they were almost here. I called Penny and told her to come on over. Vance, Michelle and Fox got here a little before she did. Fox is such a doll! He is one happy baby. I love his smiles and laughs. He just lights up the room. Penny came and we tried to call Angie, but never got an answer. Called Tabitha and let her know we were going to lunch at PoFolks. She and the kids arrived right as we were being escorted to our tables. We had a great lunch. Vance and Michelle love PoFolks and they don't have one in Tallahassee. Just like they don't have a Captain D's in Tallahassee. That is so hard for me to believe. How can such a big town like that not have those two restaurants?

After we left PoFolks, Vance and Michelle said they had a few things to do, so Penny and I decided to go to Target out on the beach. She had never been there. I showed her the fastest, least amount of traffic, way to go. It's a Super Target and we found everything we needed except empty Easter baskets. We had a great time together. I told her we needed to do this more often - get together and just go do something. I could get Trent and Hope and we could take them and Swayde to the park to play. I got her to drop me back home. Vance was home, but Vance and Michelle weren't there. I called and they had gone to visit Scot and Jodi. Vance had gotten cold playing golf, so he went and took a long hot shower. He still couldn't warm up and he felt like he might be getting a fever.

Vance and Michelle came back and Fox was asleep, so Michelle told me to get in and we'd go for a ride. They wanted him to get a good nap. She and I rode up Hwy 77 into Southport and turned down the Deer Point Dam Road. We rode down Resota Beach Road, turned around and went to the new subdivision called Kirkland Manor. We had spotted this huge house under construction and we wanted to check it out. It is humongous! All the houses are big, but this one is giantitic. We rode past and it looks like it has a spiral staircase going up in a round turrent. I bet it is beautiful. We rode all through the subdivision, then headed home because it was getting close to time to be at Rose and Mac's to get together with the Rutherford family. While we were gone, Vance was cleaning up my computer and installing Norton Anti-virus on it. He got rid of a lot of stuff that I no longer needed.

Vance and Vance had the truck loaded up with the food and I grabbed all my camera stuff and we took off. Everybody showed up and we ate some really good food. We always have good food whenever we get together. I gave Natalie some of the pictures I had printed out of our little photo shoot at the beach. She loved them. I was so glad. I told her I would get the rest of them printed and send them to her. I still have a roll of 35mm to get developed. I hope I got some good ones with my Nikon 35mm camera. I always try to do digital and SLR whenever I do a photo shoot.

After we ate, I sat up my tripod and we took some family pictures. Wish we had gone outside. I believe they would have been much better. It's hard to see in the house and not everybody was able to be seen in the shots. We didn't stay too much longer. Vance wasn't feeling good and Chad and Tabitha still had things to do to get ready for Easter. Vance and Michelle had to get on the road home.

Found out from Chad who owned the huge house we saw. He, Corey and Chip are doing the plumbing on it. He confirmed that it was a spiral staircase. I would love to go through that house whenever they finish it.

When we got home, I gave Vance some Vemma to take. About an hour later, his fever was gone. He was still a little achy, so he went to bed. But, he's always achy after playing golf.

Of course, I had to play with my computer and upload the pictures I had taken today. Just like I thought, the ones of the entire family were a little dark, but I managed to lighten them up a little. I still wish we had gone outside. Maybe next time.

Time for bed. Goodnight and God bless.........

Hallejulah! It's Friday!!!

Boy, was I busy at work today! Naturally, cause it was timesheet Friday, but I was also helping the Chipley office by doing Gene's timesheets. When I first got to work, I was afraid I'd have to work late to get them all done, but by lunch, I knew I was almost done. Just a few more after lunch and I was good to go.

Tabitha and I met at Ross' at lunch to look for Easter dresses. She found three for me, but none for her. I ended up buying all three so I'll have at least three summer dresses to wear to church. I'm tired of wearing all black every Sunday.

I finished my timesheets around 2:30, so I was able to do a little filing. Gloria called me to see if I needed any Pampered Chef items. Jacki is in town and wanted to get up an order. If she gets an order of $150 or more, she can claim her trip on her business account. I talked to Jacki and she told me to go to www.pamperedchef.com and look at the products and make out a list. Of course, I found tons of things that I'd like to have and I am going to order a few of them. It was good talking to Jacki. She and Michael and the kids, Kenneth, Richard and Mykayla are living in California now. She used to sing on the Praise & Worship team with me. We were just talking about her last week during practice and saying that she would be perfect to lead this one song that we were practicing. She's got a beautiful voice.

I went by Payless Shoes to buy some white shoes for Easter after work. Ended up with two pair since they were $9.99 each. Was really tired when I got home.

Kim called around 9:00 and we talked about the invitations for Chad and Tabitha's house dedication. She had written something really pretty, so she emailed it to me and I added a picture to it and printed 50 invitations out. I keep a supply of cardstock and notecard paper on hand, plus envelopes. She's going to come by tomorrow and pick them up and mail them out. The house dedication is next Sunday afternoon at 3:00. I'm so excited for them.

Well, it's midnight, so I guess I better go to bed. The dogs are barking to get back inside. That's my cue to get up from this computer and head for bed.

Good night and God bless......................

This Week is Flying By

Where has this week gone!? I was really busy at work today since I took off most of yesterday to go to the beach with Robbie and Natalie. Natalie wanted her senior pictures taken at the beach, so I was happy to oblige. We went to the St. Andrews State Park since you can't even see the beach anymore down Front Beach Road - too many condos! It was the perfect day; the weather was absolutely beautiful. It was a little windy, but just the right temperature. We had fun and I think I got some good pictures. I hope she will be happy with them. I got a little sun, too. Doesn't take but a few minutes for me to burn and I didn't even think to take sunscreen.

Before I took off work to play with Robbie and Natalie, we had our safety meeting and were supposed to learn how to spot meth labs, but the police officer called to say he couldn't come. I think he was making a big drug bust, cause there was a story on the news and in the paper about a major drug bust.

After the safety meeting (that was thrown together in haste) I had a doctor's appointment. She went over some of my test results and said everything seemed to be okay. She thinks the horrible pain I was in was because of a cyst on my ovary bursting. I haven't had any pain since that day. My blood test showed that I'm hypoglycemic, so she put me on medication to keep me from becoming a diabetic. I've also got to start exercising and get this weight off. The major side effect to this medication is weight loss. Hope it works for me! I don't mind that kind of side effect. The down side is that the medication is administered my injection, twice a day. No problem; I can do this. Dropped the prescriptions off at the drug store and went to meet up with Robbie and Natalie. We met Brenda for lunch at PoFolks. I was real good - water and grilled whitefish, coleslaw and green beans.

Came home and started loading the pictures on my computer, then took a shower and headed to church. Had a great service. Just keeps getting better and better. God is performing miracle healings, people are getting good jobs and getting more pay. God is just doing wonderful things in our services.

After church, I played with Hope in the car. She likes to drive me places (pretend, okay, she's only two). She makes me get in the backseat while she drives me to school or to a party. She's so much fun.

When I got home, I couldn't wait to get back to my computer and start printing out some of Natalie's pictures. I showed Vance the medicine and needles and he got visibly upset. He told me I had to do everything the doctor told me to do to take care of myself to keep from getting diabetes. I told him he needed to speak for himself, cause he's got problems and he's not taking care of himself. I printed out a bunch of pictures before going to bed last night.

Got up this morning and gave myself the first shot. I couldn't even feel the needle; it's so small. I prayed over the medication that there would not be any adverse effects (other than weight loss). I was fine all day. Today, I was real busy. Tomorrow is timesheet day, so I'm trying to catch up. I'm also supposed to be doing Chipley's timesheets, cause Gene had a death in the family. I also had 26 ARMS orders to process.

Had to go by Daddy's at lunch and pick up a check (he finally got one of his missing social security checks). He said the Post Office was holding mail for him, so I drove to Parker to pick up his mail. Wouldn't you know it? The supervisor had left the building and nobody could find his mail. I guess I'll have to try again tomorrow. But I'll call first. Deposited his check in the Credit Union.

We had a fun day at work today. Everybody seemed to be in such a good mood. Even my boss who is not usually that outgoing was cutting up with Kim and me over some pictures I took of him and Elmo. He said "I can't tell which one is the dummy, can you?" He loved the pictures and complimented me on my skill with a camera.

I talked to Michelle on my way home. She had called yesterday to tell me their plans for coming to visit Saturday. I can't wait. I miss them. I just wish they could stay with us, but Michelle is allergic to our two dogs. I certainly don't want her sick. Can't wait to get my hands on Fox.

Took my second shot and feel fine. Penny called and we talked for over an hour. I think she's going to be able to go to lunch with us Saturday. Swayde will be in Alabama with his daddy and grandmother for Easter. Don't know what we'll all be doing.

Worked on a couple more photos. Now, it's time for bed. I'm tired.

Good night and God Bless.............................

Typical Tuesday

Not much out of the ordinary happening today. Except, Daddy still hasn't gotten his Social Security checks from last month and now this month. I've done all the right things - sent in change of address to Social Security and also to the Post Office. Had Daddy call his old Post Office and they told him I needed to put in a change of address at the main office. I went there at lunch and the lady told me that I didn't need to do it again - that it takes up to 14 days to forward your mail from the old address to the new one. So, hopefully, within the next two weeks, he will get his checks. If not, I guess I'll have to take off and take him to the Social Security office. This has been such a hassle.

Tomorrow, I've got the regular safety meeting - we'll be learning how to spot meth labs when we're out and about in the field. I don't get to go out and about very much, so that probably won't pertain to me, but I'm sure I'll find it very interesting. Anything to do with police work is interesting to me. I have to leave directly from the safety meeting to go to a doctor's appointment, then I will have the rest of the day off to hang out with Robbie and Natalie. I'm looking forward to that. I'll be taking pictures of Natalie. Hoping to find some azalea bushes still in bloom to use as a background for some of the pics.

I had Praise & Worship practice tonight, so I left the DVD that Robbie had made so Vance could look at it. When I got home, he said he had watched it 3 times. We watched it two more times before he went to bed. I could tell it brought back memories, but I couldn't get him to talk about it. I'm sure the pictures of Terry stirred something up inside of him. I know they made me cry. Terry has been dead 19 years and I still miss his smiling face. This was Terry's senior picture I think. He was the fun one in the family - always laughing. His son, Chris, has a baby now. Chris was a year and 3 days old when Terry was killed, so he never really knew his daddy. That is so sad. This is a picture of Chris.

Guess I better get to bed since I have to get up earlier tomorrow.

Good night and God bless........................

Another Week Has Begun

The weekend just flew by. Back to the old grind, but at least Kim was back to work so I had somebody to talk to and drink coffee with this morning. She has no backup while she's gone, so her work just piled up. I helped out a little, but I just don't know how to do her job. She had a good time visiting with her mother and family. But she worked the whole time she was there - cleaning and planting in her mother's flower garden. I bet it was pretty when she finished. Kim is so good at so many things.

At lunch, I went to Ross' Dress for Less looking for shorts. You would think in a beach, tourist town there would be an abundance of shorts. Nope. I only found two pair in my size and they are not dressy shorts. They are made out of T-shirt material. They will be good for wearing around the house and working out in (if I ever get to workout). Missed exercise today cause I was looking for shorts and I forgot my other stuff (weights, towel, etc.) I also found two pair of jeans that fit. I had forgotten how well Bill Blass jeans fit me. I snatched them up cause I'm hard to fit. I may be of the "full figure" size, but I have smaller thighs than most people my size, so the pants just hang on me and make me look even bigger than I really am. I certainly don't want to look any bigger! I called Kim when I finished shopping and asked her what she wanted to eat. She wasn't taking a lunch since she was so backed up. I had been thinking I wanted Captain D's and didn't say anything, but that's exactly what she wanted. I got us the baked tilapia. It is soooo good. That was the first time Kim had ever tried it and she really liked it, too.

After lunch, I went over to the Credit Union to show Fran and Dee some pictures I had printed on my new printer. Dee had never seen the one of me in the blonde wig standing beside a blonde Penny. She actually liked me as a blonde. Vance sure didn't. Then I showed her a picture of Penny and me after Penny went brown. We do look so much alike. We'd look even more alike if I'd just lose this weight. That's Penny on the left and me on the right. This was taken in 2004. The second picture was taken in 2006 when Penny went darker.

I played on my computer a little when I got home. Vance was working in the yard, then came in to get ready to go to Scot and Jodi's house for pizza with the family. Almost everybody was there except those who live out of town. Robbie and Natalie had made a DVD of pictures for Rose and Mac's anniversary and she played it for all of us. I cried through the whole thing, especially when I saw pictures of Terry. (He was killed by a drunk driver Dec. 27, 1987.) It was really well done with music and all. Robbie had a copy for us, too. She said we could copy it for our kids. (Now, if I can just figure that out!) Of course, I took pictures while we were there. You can check them out at http://picasaweb.google.com/rutherford.patricia under Rutherford Family 2.

When I got home, Robbie called to let me know that we can get together Wednesday after I go to the doctor to eat lunch and then go take the senior pictures of Natalie. That will be a lot of fun.
I played around on my computer some more trying to figure out how to separate the Callaway Gardens' pictures out so I can make a CD for Kim. Everytime I tried, it wanted to back up my whole photo library (14 CD's worth). It's supposed to make incremental backups, but I've always had to do the entire backup. It never reads pictures off the previous CD's I've made even though I can play them and see the pictures. Must be a glitch somewhere in the system. I just have to keep wasting CD's and make the whole library. One of these days, I'll take my computer somewhere and have a pro figure out what's going on with it. I wish Vance was here long enough to take a look at it, but I don't want to tie him down while he's here.

It's almost midnight and I need to go to bed. I need my beauty sleep.

Good night and God bless................

Where Did the Weekend Go?

I can't believe it's Sunday already. This weekend just flew by. Yes, I did manage to go to work on Friday. Felt pretty weak all morning, but got to feeling better the rest of the day. Tabitha called to see if I could watch the kids Saturday while she and Chad went to the beach. No problem. I haven't had the privilege in a couple of months - we've all just been so busy.

Saturday - Vance went to play golf as usual, but before he left, he set off bug bombs in the two bedrooms. I was still in the house. I don't think he was thinking that the stuff would travel right through the A/C ducts into the other rooms. I didn't have time to get a shower. Just threw on some clothes and a little makeup and headed to Chad's (after setting off the rest of the bombs).

Chad and Tabitha left to go to the beach and I folded some clothes, made Trent's bed, then we went to the Dollar General Store to get bandaids and some socks for Hope. As we were leaving the house, I spotted Belinda unloading her car. I pulled into her driveway and got out to talk to her. I haven't seen her in a couple of years and was so pleased to find out that Chad and Tabitha had moved in right down the street. Her son, Brandon, is Trent's best friend.

My car was looking terrible from all the pollen and stuff falling on it, so we took it to the car wash. Since the inside of the car had not been cleaned out, I just asked for an exterior cleaning. We stayed in the car as it went through the car wash. Hope wasn't too crazy about the things slapping the car. She said "I don't like this." After the car wash, we went to the Dollar Tree and I let them pick out six items each. Trent picked out mostly warrior action figures. Hope got sunglasses, a couple of the action figures and a stuffed butterfly. By this time, it was time to eat lunch. Trent wanted to go to Burger King, so that's where we went. Trent ate most of his food, but Hope just played with her burger. She ate her fries and drank most of her milkshake. Now, it's time to head for home. Trent wanted to play with his action figures on the back porch. I love their screened-in porch. There was a breeze, so it was comfortable out there. I got to looking around and spotted a vine growing along their fence, so I grabbed my camera and took some pictures. Don't know the name of the flowers, but I thought they were pretty. I need to check into getting a macro lens for my camera. I love to take pictures of flowers, but I don't have a lens that will get the really close ups. I'll add that to my wish list. I'm not in to expensive jewelry, but I sure do like the camera equipment.

Chad and Tabitha came home and said it was so windy at the beach they were only out there 20 minutes. They found other things to do besides lay on the beach. They had fun. That's what counts. And they were spending quality time together without interruptions.

I left their house and came home. Decided to work in my computer/angel room and set up my new printer. Got it set up and printed some pictures. It works real good. The pictures are good quality, so I think I will be pleased. Vance got me to go to the store for steaks. I really had my heart set on T-bones, but Winn-Dixie didn't have any. It was hard to find sirloins, but I managed to find one big enough to split between us. He grilled it and I cooked a baked potato to go with mine. Yum! It was really good. I don't order steaks when I go out, because Vance does such a good job cooking them.

Sunday - Church was awesome again. We had so many people today. The anointing on the Praise & Worship was so strong I was hitting high notes that I never thought I could sing. And it sounded like a choir of angels singing and there's only seven of us. We have definitely gone to a higher level in our worship. Pastor Sammy preached on the Passover and we had communion. It was just so special today.

I didn't take my usual nap today. I started cleaning in the kitchen, going through drawers and throwing stuff out. Robbie (Vance's sister) called. She and Natalie are here. They came over to see us. They both look so good. I don't think Robbie has ever lost her high school figure. Just like Vance, only I think he's smaller than he was in high school. I told him he could be the poster child for anorexia. We will probably see them tomorrow night over pizza. Robbie wants me to take Natalie's senior pictures one day this week. I'll take off work and we'll go to the beach and try to find some azalea's in bloom. It will be fun.

Kim called to let me know that she's back from her vacation in Tennessee. I'm so glad she's back. It's been pretty lonely at work.

Well, I'm pretty tired, so I guess I'll go to bed now.

Good night and God bless.......................