Still traveling

Well I am still in Maryland. I'll be flying home on Thurs. I have really enjoyed being here. Tonight Pops and I are going to the Maryland Terps basketball game at the Comcast Center in College Park, MD. I am looking forward to my first Terps game. We had Maryland Crab soup last night for supper. Let me just say it was YUMMYYYYY! WHEW! Was it ever GREAT! Mom and I went to exchange some things yesterday. The lines weren't too terribly long. She has a hard time breathing so that was a blessing. We were able to go in and get out.
Well I hope you have a great and safe New Year's. Still no new updates on Gracie Mei. Still planning to hear when we travel in January. They still think we will be traveling in Feb. The more I look at her photo the cuter she gets. Those cheeks :D

Merry Christmas

Hope you all had a great Christmas. I was able to spend Christmas with family and it was wonderful. It was warm and rainy but at least we had some snow still on the ground. My family in Montana said it was also warm. They all had a great time. My Mom and aunt cooked dinner. I am sure the turkey and ham were wonderful. I talked to them aboout an hour ago and they were going to eat - round 2! They like to eat at lunch and then have left overs for dinner. They play games during the afternoon and then after dinner.
This time of year really makes me appreciate family and friends. I am thankful I have a picture of our daughter, Gracie Mei. I pray this coming year will be a good one. In Jan., we should find out the dates we will travel to China. They said we would probably be traveling mid to late Feb.
Merry Christmas! I pray that you had a Christ-filled Christmas! We even had a birthday cake for Jesus.

Maryland

I know it has been a rough year trying to keep up with my travel adventures. But it has been a great year and I am thankful that I was able to do some traveling. Being with family and friends has made this year fly by. I still can't believe Christmas is 4 days away. I am in Maryland with Lance's family. It will be a great Christmas. It will be a chilly one though. There is a little snow on the ground but has turned to ice and will take awhile to melt. On Thurs. we are heading to PA to go to the Sight & Sound Theatre to see The Miracle of Christmas. We went to see Noah's Ark a few years back and I still am in aaahhhh of that production. So I am really looking forward to see this. Sunday we will drive down to Lance's sisters for Christmas dinner. It will be great to see them and be with them for the day. I fly back to Nashville on the 29th.
I heard that we will find out our China travel dates in January. So I am trying to consolidate my lists into one so I can start to buy things for our trip. There is a lady who will be going to get her daughter at the same place Grace is. She is going soon and said she will take some photos of Gracie for me. I am excited to see how much she has grown and to see how she has changed. I'll post those when I receive them.
I pray you all have a very Merry Christmas. I pray for a Christ-filled Christmas for everyone. Blessings to you today and always.

God Bless My Soldier Too

This is touching. Click on the link below and scroll down to
God Bless My Soldier Too

www.erichorner.com

Please remember to pray for our troops and their families.

Gracie Mei

Well she is what is happening in my world. As I walk by her photo laying on my table, I wonder what she is doing. Is she thinking of me? Does she know I am longing to hold her and kiss her and provide for her every need? I love her already even though thousands of miles seperate us and we have never met. I look at the photo and cherish her dark eyes and dark hair. I wonder what her birth parents look like and whether they still think about her. I hope they know she will be loved and taken care of for the rest of her life. I wish I could fly today to pick her up. But February is when I will go. It will be the perfect time which God has set for us to go.
She is actually from the Chongqing region, which use to be part of the Sichuan province. Sichuan has more than 100 million (yes, million) people living in a land area of 185,000 square miles. That seems like a lot of people living there. I guess I won't be alone. The province is in the southwest part of China. It sounds beautiful. I am looking forward to seeing it. We will fly into Beijing & then fly to Chongqing to get her. People have told me to make sure I go to the Panda Preserve. So that will be interesting to see. Then we will travel to Guangzhou to legally adopt her and then we will be home.

Accepted Gracie

Well I went and mailed off our acceptance letter today. We had to tell China we would accept Gracie. I guess sometimes people don't accept the child that is sent to them. I can't imagine going through all this and saying no to a child. I found out what her given name means. Jiang means river, Mei means plum blossom and Shui means water. Her name is pronounced geeang may shoeway. We are going to call her Gracie Mei (pronounced may). Her health report seems to be normal. Her report is mostly in Chinese and our agency is translating it for us. But it also stated she weighs 7 kg which is 15.4 pounds, and is 65cm which is 25.5 inches. She holds her head up while lying on her stomach, rolls from supine to prone position by herself, locates the direction of sound/voice, visually follows moving toys, follows you with moving head from one side to the other, laughs aloud, active, fond of playing with toys, closest to her caretaker which is good because she may not have attachment issues. From her photos she is eating and gaining some weight. So that is a blessing. I just can't wait to kiss those cheeks. I am amazed how beautiful she is and how attached I am already to her. Our travel date to get her is mid to late Feb. I'll let you know as soon as I found out the exact date. Thank you for your prayers. Getting her picture and medical report has made all this waiting worth it.

Gracie's photo

Referral is here :)

I just got off the phone with our agency and we received our referral of our daughter. Her Chinese name is Jiang Mei Shui. She was born on April 9, 2005. She is 65 cm long and weighs 7 kg. They will overnight her photo and information to me. I will post as soon as I get them scanned in. WHOO HOO! I am so excited!

Where's the photo?

Yes. A lot of you have asked this simple question. But unfortunately I don't have an answer. It should be coming within a couple of weeks. As soon as I receive it, I will surely pass it on. Just please pray for patience on this end and pray for Gracie that she knows someone is already loving her thousands of miles away.

Blood Red, Pure White, True Blue

America's HeroesHe won't be home for Christmas,
'Cause he's far across the sea.
He won't be home for Christmas,
For he's there to keep us free.
He didn't ask to fight this war,
His country made the call.
He answered and not questioned why
For he saw the Towers fall.
He won't be home for New Years,
'Cause he has a job to do.
He won't be home for New Years,
'Cause he gives his all for you.
He proudly wears the uniform,
Like his father had before.
And he heard of how his grandpa,
Went marching off to war.
He may not be here for Easter,
Who knows how long he'll be.
This battle will go on and on,
We'll have to wait and see.
You can't put a price on freedom,
The cost you pay is high.
Some men pay with only scars,
While others have to die.
But those who fight to keep us free,
Are heroes, one and all.
They'll proudly serve and not complain,
Till all the terrorists fall.
When you see that uniform,
Worn by men and women too.
Step up and show how proud you are,
For what they've done for you.
They won't be home for Christmas,
And we'll miss them 'round the hearth.
Pray that they return, home soon.
And PEACE returns to earth.

Dear GOD I never ask for much,
But now I come to YOU.
Please bless all those who love their flag,
Blood RED, Pure WHITE, True BLUE!

Gardiner, MT Snow

SNOW...Let it snow

It snowed some while I have been in MT. Just a few inches. There is probably about 2 inches on the ground now. It is snowing slightly. So pretty! A lot of my friends got elk and deer so I'll be going home with some. YUMMY! Keri & Kenny's wedding was great. We all had a great time and I was able to see some friends I hadn't seen in a long time. Thanksgiving was wonderful too. We shopped and shopped as well the day after Thanksgiving. That is just craziness. It was fun though. Then that night was the Christmas parade in Billings. It was a nice parade. I'll be heading home tomorrow. So I hope the snow holds off until I leave. I'll post some photos when I get home. It is also Dec. 1 and we should be getting a photo of Gracie soon. We are praying that will happen soon so we can go and get her. Keep checking back to see her! Take care and blessings to you!

Happy Thanksgiving

I am having a great time in Montana. There isn't a lot of snow but there is some. It is so beautiful here with the big blue sky. There were 2 buffalo that were right in front of my parent's place. There is a buffalo hunt going on so once they are out of town, they will be someone's dinner. There are a lot of elk also being shot. Some deer as well. Hunter's paradise! Tomorrow we will go to Billings and celebrate Thanksgiving with family. It will be nice to be together but not everyone will be home. My friend is getting married on Sat. I am in the wedding so it will be a long weekend in Billings. It will be great seeing everyone and spending some time there. Hope you and yours have a very Happy Thanksgiving! Pray for our troops who are so far away.

China news

Well there really isn't any news. There won't be for another month. The referrals came and went this month and no Gracie referral. I am pretty bummed but I know there will be joy in the end. The agency said probably next month. I was hoping to include her photo in my Christmas cards this year. I guess everyone who doesn't read my blog (because I will post as soon as I get it) will have to wait on her announcement. I wonder how long it will take to get those out. Usually you have some time to work on them while your baby is asleep. I wonder if Gracie will take long enough naps for me to to work on them? There are so many I wonders. I love it! I should be writing them down. So don't be disappointed about not seeing her photo yet. It will come when God wants it to come.

Soldier's Angels

Soldier's Angels
I received this e-mail from a Soldier's Angel and am happy to help such a great organization get the word out by posting it.
Hello. My name is Lisa ****** and I'm with Soldiers' Angels. We are currently working on our Christmas from Home drive and we are coming up short on donations. We were wondering if you would be kind enough to post the following news release on your blog. It is our goal to see that every member of the Military receives a little piece of home for Christmas. If you can't we understand but if you could we certainly would appreciate it.
Sincerely,
Lisa ******
Soldiers Angels
www.soldiersangels.org
Press Release
Holidays For HeroesSoldiers' Angels Need Your HelpPasadena, CA. October 12, 2005 -- The Holiday Season is not far away and thousands ofAmerica's bravest men and women who are standing watch over our freedom will not behome to share this special time of year with their families and friends. Sadly, there aremany other deployed soldiers who have no family to send them a package or even a cardat this most special time of year. Many wounded will be celebrating in hospitals.Soldiers' Angels, an all-volunteer non-profit organization that provides support todeployed soldiers and wounded soldiers as well as their families, is hard at work on theirannual Holidays For Heroes stocking drive, where stockings stuffed with small butwelcomed items are sent to soldiers who are deployed in the Middle East combat areasand hospital units.Cash donations are needed to purchase supplies as well as to help with shipping thestockings to the Middle East. Also needed are Holiday Stockings (homemade withspecial decorations and messages are wonderful, store bought is also great) as well as thelittle presents to stuff inside such as:- Individual packets of hot chocolate, cider or hot soup mix- Candy (bite sized, individually wrapped, all kinds)- AT&T Phone Cards (asking for this brand because it works in the Middle Eastarea)- Hand held games (playing cards, battery games with batteries, please)- Small puzzle books- Miniature Menorah- Small, signed Holiday cards from you and your families simply addressed to"Soldier" or "Hero." Homemade Cards are Welcome! Be sure to enclose yourname and addressThis is the perfect project for a church, school, club, business, family or for any group toget involved and to participate!Tax deductible cash donations to Soldiers' Angels, a 501 ( c) (3) organization, can bemade by going to the Soldiers' Angels website at www.soldiersangels.org and clicking onthe "Donations" button to donate using Paypal or by sending a check to:Soldiers' Angels, 1792 E. Washington Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91104Please make checks payable to Soldiers' Angels and make a notation that the check is forthe Holiday Spirit For Heroes fund.For drop-off locations or questions, please contact:Becky Morton - rpmorton375@yahoo.com - (336) 227-5621Jamie Hedman - harleyprncs0130@yahoo.com - (214) 507-3263Judi Burns - prteam@gmail.com - (615) 676-0239

Veterans Day

Thank you to everyone who has made this country what it is today. Wow! We are so blessed to live here.

Remember to pray for our troops!

http://www.managedmusic.com/beforeyougo.html

Sorry...no photo today

So try this instead!

How Smart Is Your Right Foot???
This is so funny that it will boggle your mind. And you will keep trying it at least 50 more times to see if you can outsmart your foot. But you can't!!!
1. While sitting at your desk, lift your right foot off the floor and
make clockwise circles with it.
2. Now, while doing this, draw the number "6" in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change direction!!!
I told you so... And there is nothing you can do about it. Make sure you pass this on to your friends... They won't be able to believe it either!!!

Leaves are plentiful

I had to rake leaves today. What a beautiful fall day so it wasn't such a bad chore. I had wanted to just mow the leaves to turn into mulch. Someone told me that is good for the lawn to do that. But of course I couldn't get the mower started. So raking I went! The sun is out, a little breezy. WOW! I love it here! God's creation is so amazing. No new adoption news. Still waiting on Gracie's picture. It could be any day. I know I keep saying that but it is true. I am off to Montana for Thanksgiving and off to Maryland for Christmas. So time should fly by until January, when I may go to China to get Gracie. I guess I better get with it after her picture comes. I need to buy diapers and a few odds & ends. Then she can come home :) Blessings to you for reading my blog. Sorry it isn't more exciting.

Gracie

Our referral (Gracie's photo & medical report) could be here within a week. So her paperwork could be coming to us right now! It is hard to imagine we have come this far in this long process. I can wait to give her a kiss & hold her. The agency said we will probably travel in January. But we will know something for sure as soon as her paperwork arrives.
I am enjoying the fall weather. The beautiful trees. The cooler weather. HELLO sweaters & sweatshirts!
Well I am off to a function for church. Tomorrow I have a baby shower and then having some friends over for dinner. Keep checking back because maybe the next time you check, you'll see a picture of Gracie!

Halloween

Sonogram

Some people call my pregnancy a paper pregnancy. That is what it is. A pregnancy on paper. And I found this photo of "my" sonogram. Enjoy :)

Isn't she beautiful?

Gift card anyone?

Is it really OCT 25? WOW! I guess I better get on my Christmas shopping. I was thinking of getting folks gift cards so if you have a favorite, email me what it is. I just don't think I will have a lot of time to put a lot of time and energy into shopping this year. To be honest, my house is a mess. The dog needs a bath. There is laundry to be done. There are clothes that need to be bagged and taken to Goodwill. Gracie's quilt STILL isn't complete. Ladybugs are cut out but not sewn onto the quilt yet. Lance's scrapbook is ALMOST complete (yes the one I started in March 2003). I have been visiting some folks from our battalion. Going to memorial services. Making food for different functions. Tues. & Thurs. mornings attending and leading Bible studies. And you ask where does she find time for herself? FRIDAYS!! I try and play games or go to movies with friends. So this Friday we are starting at 4pm BABY!! I am excited!! Even if my house is a mess, I am still going. I am planning on cleaning Thurs. afternoon or Fri. morning. There is always Sat to clean, right???
Oh and I am involved at church as well. So my plate is pretty full but I am enjoying myself tremendously. I am so blessed to have an awesome church and wonderful friends. And most importantly I have Jesus :) He has been so good to me.
Well I have caught you up on my life and now you know why I haven't updated my blog in a few days...or has it been weeks? Anyhow hope you enjoyed this tid bit of info. and hope you can check back again soon.
Be looking for Gracie news. Referral should be here in a couple of weeks! Could be sooner....could be later.

Weekend activities

Well I have a lot of things to get done around here but I just had to go and see Just Like Heaven. It is a great movie! I loved it! I also went to a movie last night with Karen, my forever friend! We went to see In Her Shoes. Today I cleaned out the storage closet in the garage. I was missing a few things and knew they were probably in some of the boxes in there. So I found a few items. It was like Christmas! I also got out my winter clothes. I am so excited to be able to wear winter clothes again. So I need to get my sweaters and sweatshirts washed up. I have a couple of wool sweaters I haven't worn in years. Too warm in Alabama & Texas to wear those.
I am not sure what I will do for Christmas decorations. I don't know if I will put up a tree or not. I have plenty of decorations to decorate without putting up a tree. I may be in China for Christmas so it will be a waste of time if I do put up a tree. I love real trees so I am not sure if I am ready for a fake tree yet.
No new news on my China trip. I am trying to keep busy so I don't dwell on just waiting for a picture of Gracie.
I went and worked out today, which felt really good. It is hard to go but I always feel good when I am finished. Thank you Karen for going with me :) Well I better get some sleep. I have church tomorrow.
Check out this guy. Too funny!!

FRG Meeting & Fall Fest

Wild & crazy folks. Yes that is me in the light blue. Jo is our fearless leader, wearing the crayon box costume.

Enjoy life, today

Time is so easy to take for granted.
This is an awesome site!
Check it out and tell me what you think.

Friends are so great

I had a great time having Dale, Jennifer & the babies over for dinner. I took them to the PX & P Extra for the first time. They were so excited!
Dale was more excited being Princess Laya. Boy is he goofy. It is a good thing Jennifer is sane. Their twins had fun too!

Please pray

I ask for your prayers for my friends whose husbands are leaving them for Iraq. A lot have already left but many are still to come. My heart aches for them and the best thing we can do is pray for them. I am on the women's ministry team at church and we are trying to meet the needs of these women. I pray they will reach out to us as many become hermits during this difficult time. I feel getting out of the house is the best medicine and will make the time away from our loved ones not seem so long. I got a chuckle from a chaplain's blog. It is quite entertaining yet seems to be resourceful. No big plans for this second weekend of autumn. The cooler weather is a blessing and so Simba and I will be enjoying some walks, without me sweating like a pig. Oh and I purchased another ticket to Montana.

Grass still needs to be mowed

It feels so good to getting back to my routine. View some of the Montana photos here. Last night I mowed my lawn and today I cleaned house. My lawn is so green still. Guess it may be November and I still may be cutting grass. My piles of mail are getting smaller. I can see my kitchen table now! I had a great time seeing family and friends. I am making plans to go back for Thanksgiving. I have a friend getting married that weekend as well. I'll be there about 2 weeks for that trip. Then hopefully in Dec. I will be off to China to get Gracie. I found her ladybug crib set here. So many exciting things are happening. I am excited for fall. I love this season. I also love being around trees again! In TX, it was hard to tell fall had arrived because there were not a lot of trees. TN has many trees and I hope to make it to Gatlinburg to see the beautiful changing of the season. Hope you are enjoying this season wherever you are.

WOW

Extreme Makeover was more than I could have imagined. They did a GREAT job and I am so proud to be married to a service member. They emphasized the war and the good things we are accomplishing, even though there are casualities. That is a part of war.
I finally made it home. I have unpacked but my piles of mail are still covering my table. I also haven't posted any photos from my trip. I may post them on another web site but will add the link here so you can see how beautiful Montana is! It is still in the 80s here and I am sweating a lot again and having bad hair days. Frizz city! At least I had 4 weeks of good hair days while I was in the land where there is no humidity.
Well tonight we are having our chaplain wives get together. The Special Forces chaplain wives are hosting it. We will be having what our soldiers eat in the field: MREs (Meals Ready to Eat), Monkey Meatballs, Ruphage (veggies), Animal Bites (meat sandwiches) and Jungle water to drink. We are suppose to dress in camouflage. It should be fun! So I am getting ready for that and trying to clean today and get through my mail. Getting back into my routine feels really good. Simba and I will probably go on a walk if the rain quits. She seems to have eaten a lot of treats while I was away. At least she was a good girl so I don't mind so much she has gained a few extra pounds. Now we will just have to shed them.

Clarksville Extreme Makeover is season premiere!

ABC will air the EXTREME MAKEOVER-HOME EDITION filmed here in Clarksville on Sunday, September 25th. It is the season premiere and is a two hour episode.

http://abc.go.com/primetime/xtremehome/index.html

Also my brother said I should post what all is going on in Gardiner. Kelly & Rob had to make beds in Yellowstone since the park is so understaffed. Also Trent is goofier than ever but I love him like a brother :) I could go on and on by why should I? Pretty boring small town stuff.
I will be flying home on Friday. It has been a fun vacation but I am ready to get back to my normal routine and I am sure my Mom is ready to get back to hers.

Waiting

We are still waiting on our referral, which is a photograph and medical report on Gracie. The agency says we should be getting it in Oct. or Nov. We could travel as early as DECEMBER!! OH NO! Am I ready for this? I am getting nervous and excited all at the same time. I am sure if she came today I would be ready. I guess it is the fear of the unknown. I will keep posting if I hear new news.

Running the road

We ran to Glacier National Park and couldn't go over Logan Pass because of 13 inches of snow! Trees were down and they couldn't snow plow the road. We did go to East Glacier & spent the night and had breakfast at Lake McDonald Lodge. So beautiful. Then we went to St. Mary's and that was so beautiful. On our way back south, we stopped in Great Falls and met with Dave Castner and his bride. He was the best man in our wedding and also was Lance's roommate for a year in Missoula. It was great catching up with him. Then we went onto Helena and spent the night there. We toured the capitol and went to a couple of museums there. Such beautiful buildings. We put 1000 miles on the vehicle! So we are not just sitting at home. Tonight I am taking my neice Kylee to a Keith Urban concert in Bozeman. I am looking forward to that. I haven't been able to see her or Brit since I have been here. We are hoping to spend some time with them this weekend. It is getting harder to get them with activities in school and such. Well Lance bought his Christmas present-a softail deuce Harley! He is so excited about it. He has been wanting one for awhile and finally made the plunge. We are off to Billings this weekend for a family get together. So it will be good to see everyone. It has cooled off into the 50s & 60s but looks like it may warm up to 70s this weekend. BBRRRR!! I am chilly but just layering up!

Having a rip roaring time

We had a great time at the Tongue River. There were about 20 people there and we caught fish, had fun boating, camped and laughed until we cried. It was so much fun. We went into Yellowstone National Park yesterday. We were able to see a mama moose with her baby (yeahoo!!), elk, buffalo, coyote, swans, eagles, and the scenary is breathtaking. The sunset was also to die for. We ate at the world famous Enos in West Yellowstone. You cook your own steaks there so I cooked for everyone. It was fun.
I would like to take the time to thank those of you who are sending comments my way! Wow! What a blessing to know there are folks reading my blog. And it is ALWAYS so good to hear from far away friends. I miss you all too!
Well today we are off on a shopping excursion to Bozeman. Fun! Fun! Take care and hope you are enjoying the cooler weather.

Here fishie, fishie

Today we are off to town to pick up my aunt who is flying in from Seattle. Tomorrow we leave to go camping, boating & fishing. So I hope the fishies are getting prepared. Hopefully it won't be too hot because they won't bite if it is too hot. I'll let you know how the trip goes. Still having a great time. Great weather. Great fun. KBar pizza is awesome! I miss having homemade pizza. YUMMY!

Food tastes better on vacation

Doesn't the food taste better when you are on vacation? I don't know what it is but it always does to me. I am enjoying Montana, seeing family & friends. Last night we went for dinner at Mammoth Hot Springs, which is 5 miles from Gardiner into Yellowstone Park. There was a beautiful bull elk with a bunch of cow elk surrounding him. It was really neat to see. The elk will start to bugle soon and that is always amazing to me. You can hear them for miles talking back and forth to each other. Tomorrow we are going fishing, tubing & water skiing. This 80 degree weather is great! No humidity! I haven't been really cold yet so that is good. I was invited to go swimming in Yellowstone River. That might have been a little chilly. Someone called that refreshing. I guess it depends on who you talk to. Thank you for checking in. I will post some photos when I get a chance. This dial up connection is super slow.

Montana bound

Well I am in the process of packing.
Do I pack for warm weather? Yes, it has been in the 80s-90s.
Do I pack for cool weather? Yes, it gets in the 40s at night.
Do I pack for camping? Yes and boating and fishing. It may be nice or it may rain or possibly hail or snow. How in the world do I fit everything into 2 suitcases? Very carefully! I will be borrowing clothes if I get too cold and probably will. It will be worth it though to see the beautiful mountains and to cool off. It has to be close to 100 degrees today here. And muggy! WHEW! I am off to a battalion picnic with no shade. Fun. Fun. It will be fun but hopefully the kidos won't get too overheated because I know for sure I will.

Karen says....

more comments folks! My forever friend Karen asked how many people sent comments to me on my blog. I had to tell her the truth and said NOT MANY! So send me a comment on what you want to see blogged and/or how you are doing.
I am keeping busy, getting ready to go to Montana. Boy will it be nice to be in cooler. What a hot summer! WHEW! I will probably get to MT and freeze but it looks good now. We will go camping, boating and fishing for a week so I am definitely taking along some jeans. I know I will be chilled in the mornings and evenings. Last week it got down in the 40s in the evening! YIKES! It has been in the 80s during the day so I will get warmed up then, I hope! I am looking forward seeing friends and family. My aunt is flying in from Seattle to go camping with us over Labor Day. She hasn't been camping in a while and is looking forward to doing that. She is scared about getting on the boat but she will do just fine. Simba will be staying in Nashville so she doesn't have to travel. Friday I am going to dinner with some ladies from our church. Saturday I am going to a church conference and then to a back to school back to volunteer. So I will have a busy weekend.
Take care and I hope to post some photos in MT. Karen wants a photo of a Montana sky. It is so beautiful that a photograph will not do it justice. She'll have to come out there with me sometime.

Paratroopers

What a great opportunity I had yesterday to watch soldiers jump out of an airplane. One of these soldiers is our new neighbor, who is in Lance's unit.

Good times....good times

Fun times with family in Charlotte

Where are you?

Well some of you know but some of you don't. I am still in NC!! My husband's sister, her husband and daughter will be coming this weekend from MD and I haven't seen them in over a year. So I stayed here an extra week to see them. I hope I know my way home! I will have been gone 4 weeks. I have had such a great time here though. The kids are growing up so fast and they all are so different. The kids go back to school Friday. Oh so soon yet they are complaining about being bored. Oh to be a child again. I helped Kyle in his office yesterday. That was a good change of pace. He LOVES to give me a bad time about anything and everything so that opportunity was wide open yesterday. He is terrible! But I hope it is all in fun. Lance's Uncle Paul drove 1 1/2 hours to spend the night last night. It was great seeing him and it is great he is living so close to family. Well the pool is calling me so I will end for now. Hope you are having a great summer!

The Rope

Hope this blesses you as it has me.

http://www.ticz.com/homes/users/bob/The-Rope/The-Rope.htm

London

Kyle just called and they are all fine. Having a great time with the kidos. Pops drove from Maryland today to spend a few days here. It is great seeing him. I'll post photos when I get a chance. We are off to go to dinner.

Good times...good times 

Friends are such a blessing! 

Julie & Shawna in Charlotte 

Cindy, Chase & Jane 

Jennifer & Shawna 

Olive Garden outing while in Alabama 

Humidity..humidity...humidity

Well that says it all. We are enjoying and thanking God for air conditioning. I know when Kyle (Lance's brother) receives his energy bill next month I am sure I will hear about it but it is hot and the compressor is running constantly. Can I help that my Montana genes are never going to get along with humidity? How am I to effectively watch children if I am not cooled? When I am overheated, I am not a happy camper. So for the safety of everyone involved, I will continue to run the air conditioner while Kyle, Dagmar and Kara are enjoying their time in London. They left on Monday. Laura and Shane have been so good. They are great kids, when they aren't picking on each other, which they do more in the presence of their parents. Funny how kids are that way. They are making me feel so old though and that doesn't make me happy. We were talking about London and Princess Diana came up. The children didn't know who she was. How devistating! Guess that is the new generation. They can tell me what is happening on The Real World (MTV show) but can't recite some aspects of World History. That is an eye opener for me. Maybe today we will try and get some ounce of coolness by swimming or maybe just baking inside with the blessing of cool air.

The first triplets adopted in China

WOW! My heart skipped a beat when I received this exciting news of a family getting triplets! Aren't they adorable?

A new poochers?

No it is actually my friend Karen's dog, Roxy. She is a sweetie! Simba is still getting use to her but I know someday they will be great friends.

Crazy summer....mid July already?

It has been super hot here the past week, in the mid 90s. But I am not complaining. It cools off a bit at night so that is a blessing. When we get a breeze, it is a cool breeze and feels so great. In Texas, we didn't look forward to the warm breeze. It would never cool off, even at night. Well I am heading to Wadley, AL for a couple of days and then onto Charlotte, NC to be with family. It will be a nice change. Summer is going quickly. Guess I am keeping busy enough. I spend the 4th at a BBQ with some great friends. It was nice being around them and having some great fellowship. Well today I am off to get Simba a haircut, oil changed in the car, tires rotated. Fun, fun. I'll try to update while I am away. Received some great news. Lance's sister Nikki is pregnant! YEAH HOO! Another baby in the family! They live in Vermont so we don't get to see them very often. Hopefully we will be able to make a trip up there sometime. I would love to see that area of the country. Happy July to you & yours!

Non VIP section AKA Spectator Section

We had just received our VIP passes and left this exact spot. Then Ty comes out to shake hands!

Not groupies but VIPs!

We arrived at 9:30am to standing in line about an hour waiting for a bus to take us to the site. Karen, who I had just met on Tues., agreed to go muster the strength to wait all day for the reavealing. It was so stinking hot by 1pm we thought we were going to die. Around 3:30pm, I saw a friend who had VIP passes and she and her son were leaving. They graciously gave us their passes and we got our second wind! We were able to get some much needed shade and were able to be just across from the house for the revealing. We had a great spot to get some great photos. It was an awesome day! I loved getting to know Karen and am thankful God sent her to me. She lives one block away and we are excited about making cards together. 2 people have called me a groupie since I went to this site to look at the house being built but can a VIP be a groupie? I think not!

YES! They finished in time. The reveal was AMAZING! The family was so appreciative. I still get goose bumps thinking about it.