You Can't Always Get What You Want...

New Home Tour

2010-08-10T11:56:00.008-05:00

Life has a funny way of repeating itself. We moved to Conway 7 years ago. And I mean 7 years (almost) exactly. We moved from Ft. Worth and stayed with my parents for a few weeks (or months) until our housing situation got straightened out. The boys went to their first days of school from my parents house.

So...fast forward 7 years and the house we planned to buy then is actually the one we are buying now. (It did not work out before, and it wasn't pretty.) AND we are going to be staying with my parents for a few days while everyone gets moved. The boys will be going to their first day of school from my parents house. Weird, huh?

Anyway, here are some pictures of our new house. Front of house. There is a nice porch that doesn't really show up here.

Another view of the front. Nice roomy garage.

The kitchen has two ovens and a walk-in pantry.

Breakfast area.

Dining room.

Living room.

Master bedroom (not my bed).

Another view of the master bedroom.

Part of the backyard. Notice the firepit and the third garage (aka Mark's man cave).

Just a swingin'.

Jackson in his new room. Big plans for this room.

Upstairs bonus area. TV conveys. Oh yeah! There is an office next to this room that will be mine. I might allow Mark to come in.

OK Stephanie, there is the mini-tour. Blogger seemed to have a mind of its own today.

Yes, I Still Have a Blog

2009-07-29T17:42:00.002-05:00

For some reason my kids told me today that I need to update my blog. Do they read my blog? No. Will they even know if I do update my blog? Not unless I tell them Why do they care? I have no clue.

It feels like we are living life in the fast lane, and I don't like it. When I was a kid (way back in the dark ages), summer lasted forever. Or at least it felt that way. I know that time seems to go faster as you get older, but I think even the kids feel this summer is going too fast.

I am not ready for school to start. In three weeks! Yikes! I feel like I need to hurry and make more memories with the boys. We need more lazy, do-nuthin' days.

I am not ready for Jackson the be in 4th grade; his last year at our elementary school. I am not ready for Jonathan to be in 6th grade. I remember 6th grade - it does not seem possible that I have a child that old.

OK, so I do not have any words of wisdom to share or deep thoughts I need to publish. This is just what is on my mind right now.

There, I am updated.

Tagged

2008-10-30T20:53:00.002-05:00

I've been tagged by the very talented Amanda Sanders. The only rule is that the questions have to be answered in one word. Here goes:

1. Where is your cell phone? nightstand
2. Where is your significant other? Work
3. Your hair color? Originally?
4. Your mother? Jo Anne
5. Your father? Robert
6. Your favorite thing? chocolate
7. Your dream last night? None
8. Your dream/goal? Heaven
9. The room you’re in? Office
10. Your hobby? scrapbooking (ha ha)
11. Your fear? loss
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Caribbean?
13. Where were you last night? church
14. What you’re not? tall
15. One of your wish-list items? convertible
16. Where you grew up? Camden
17. The last thing you did? dinner
18. What are you wearing? clothes
19. Your TV? OFF
20. Your pet? dogs
21. Your computer? frustrating
22. Your mood? Happy
23. Missing someone? Husband
24. Your car? small
25. Something you’re not wearing? hat
26. Favorite store? Target
27. Your summer? poolside
28. Love someone? absolutely
29. Your favorite color? pink
30. When is the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? yesterday

Doing that in just one word is a challenge. If you read this, consider yourself tagged.

Farm Fest 2008

2008-10-17T09:25:00.004-05:00

Last Friday the boys and I drove to east Texas to be with some of our favorite people in the world for the 6th annual Farm Fest. We love to go there and hate to leave. We consider these people our family, even though we are not really related. We look forward to this event every year.

Our gracious and generous hosts:

Dick and Ruthie Graham

aka: Uncle Dick and Rufie

Poopah and Gigi

We love these people! Thanks again for everything.

Jonathan with his buds Jordan and Bo.

Jackson was so busy running around I felt like I hardly saw him Saturday. He did slow down to enjoy this swing though.

Everyone loaded up for the hayride.

Jonathan and Mark waiting for the hayride to start. Mark made it to Farm Fest again this year, even though he had to commute home Saturday morning and then drive to east Texas.

Rhett and Jackson on the hayride.

We raosted hot dogs on a bonfire. This is the prep table. Check out that sunset!

Mark showed everyone how to build water bottle rocket for the second annual water bottle rocket derby. (Try saying that three times fast.)

Ready for launch.

Kolby, Rhett Jackson and Jonathan

I Just Can't

2008-09-25T08:38:00.003-05:00

I have not blogged in two weeks. I know, I know. I am a terrible, slacker of a blogger. But here is the thing: I have been overwhelmed lately with one crisis after another. Even if I had the time to blog, I could not have blogged about most of it for fear of offending someone or just saying too much. It has been stressful to say the least.

Have I mentioned that I am PTO President of my younger son's elementary school this year? Yeah. I loved being involved, but this has been an especially hard year. And it is only September! We have had one issue after another come up. I have lost a few pounds, but I think I stressed them off.

I knew going in that this year would be different. A new school opened up for this fall and about a third of our student body went there. Our numbers are different. Our demographics are a little different. Everything is a little different.

The principal of the school is a great guy. The kids love him. They think he is cool and it is a treat to get to spend time with "Mr. Lewis." He is very involved and very supportive of the PTO. He is a big part of why our school is the great school that it is.

The Lewis's live down the street from us. They are a cute couple with an adorable little blond-haired, blue-eyed, three-year-old boy. Three weeks ago that sweet little boy was diagnosed with leukemia. ALL to be specific. His long term prognosis is good, but he has a long road ahead of him. Mr. Lewis has not been at school since the diagnosis. All my PTO crises pale in comparison to this situation.

I am not sure where I was trying to go with this post, but understand that blogging is way down the line in my list of priorities right now.

Prayer for 9-11

2008-09-11T08:44:00.001-05:00

Morning Prayer, Thursday, September 11, 2008

Lord God, grant us as Americans the kind of unity that comes from really caring for each other, not just unity that comes from the fear, the calamity of hurricanes or terrorism. We continue to pray for the USA, for its leaders, for all Americans. Hold us in your everlasting arms. In the name of Jesus, AMEN!

Deuteronomy 33:27
The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting harms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, destroy them.

One of my classmates sends out a "morning prayer" everyday. They always seem to say what I need to hear, but this one seemed especially appropriate.

The End of Summer and the Beginning of School

2008-08-28T09:11:00.004-05:00

The last weekend of July ( the hottest days all summer) Mark and the boys went to Cub Scout Resident Camp for four days.

Waiting for the closing flag ceremony.

Jackson and his tent mate William.

Jonathan and Chase outside their tent.

We drove in our 8 year old van to San Antonio, Texas and back. The van could not take it anymore and we had to put it out of its misery. The boys - especially Jackson - was not entirely ready to give up the van yet.

Our new ride: a Honda CR-V. It is fun to drive, but I do miss the space the van had.

The first weekend in August we went to Hot Springs and went on a float trip with some dear people. Part of the group went downtown to see the sights. Our Texas friends were intrigued with the actual hot springs, so we had to show them. These boys (Konner Graham, Jordan Graham, Jonathan and Jackson) are great friends and love hanging out together.

I hate this picture of myself, but I love these women. I have known these two forever! I could say I've known them since grade school, but it is actually more complicated than that. With me are Lauren LaCotts Hook and Cindy Cook Tittle.

Jonathan participated in his first triathlon and finished despite having bronchitis and coughing so hard he got sick during the run. (I did not know he had bronchitis!) He is a tough kid.

Jackson and Mrs. Jones. She was also Jonathan's 3rd grade teacher, so we already knew we liked her.

Jonathan was ready to start Intermediate School even if I was not ready for him to. He is doing great and loving it so far. It blows me away that he is in 5th grade already!

Overexposed

2008-08-10T13:47:00.002-05:00

Does this bother anyone else? These two girls are talking to the President of the United States wearing what is basically underwear. This is their "uniform". Seriously? Is this really necessary? I know the sport originated on the beach, but come on! Put some clothes on.

Rollin' on the River

2008-08-03T21:34:00.003-05:00

Our family and some of our favorite Texas people floated on inner tubes and canoes down a section of river in central Arkansas on Saturday. The weather was hot, but the water was cold.

Our group was made up of 10 adults and 6 kids. Wait, only six kids? It sure seemed like more than that at times. Seriously, the four "big" boys get along very well and love hanging out together. The two younger kids (a girl and a boy) seem to get along well too.

Besides hanging out in a nice condo and on the river with some of our favorite people, Mark and I got to eat at two of our favorite restaurants. Woo hoo - that is a good weekend.

I took one of those water-proof cameras and have not gotten them developed yet, but if you really want to see our group photo go to Antique Mommy's blog.

True Grit

2008-07-28T11:50:00.003-05:00

I have something I feel I need to share. Mark told me this story and it brought tears to my eyes.

A little background information: Mark and the boys are at Scout Resident Camp for a few days. There are 4 other dads and 10 other boys from our group there too. Everyone seems to be having a good time despite the heat and humidity. Swimming is a daily activity and a favorite one as you can probably imagine. Everyone has to take a swim test when they first arrive and then are classified into one of three categories: non-swimmer, beginner or swimmer.

Then there is X. He does not want to be there, or at least he does not want to participate in the activities. He did not want to canoe. He did not want to swim. He lags behind when they have to go from one area to another. There is nothing wrong with this boy physically. He is on the small side for his age, but healthy. I can only assume that his parents want him there, because he himself does not appear to want to be there.

On the other hand, there is a boy there from another group who contracted meningitis a couple of years ago. He now has a cochlear implant and is partially paralyzed. He had to learn to walk all over again. This boy passed his swim test to be a "swimmer." With one arm. He could be mad at the world or feel sorry for himself, but he does not. He goes after what he wants with the heart of a lion.

He probably does not realize what an example he is setting for the other boys at camp. I hope the other boys do.

What's New?

2008-07-16T10:28:00.002-05:00

This has been a crazy week. (It is a crazy month actually.)

Mark and I celebrated our anniversary Saturday night with a wonderful dinner at Sonny William's Steakhouse in Little Rock. Just before we left for Little Rock, I found out that my (great) Aunt Mildred had passed away. I had not seen her in years, but she was a part of my childhood and I loved her. I want to say more about her in another post.

Now, back to the craziness. I had to take Mark to the airport early Sunday morning, after I checked out of the hotel I had to go get the boys from Mark's parents in Bryant. VBS started Sunday night and I am helping with registration. We are having a busy, great time! The boys are attending a Sports Camp at the Country Club this week from 9-2. Trying to juggle Camp and VBS and funeral stuff has been exhausting.

Then I got home yesterday and Stephanie had invited me to join Facebook. I've been curious anyway, so I did it. I am now on Facebook. So now I have another thing to waste time on when I should be doing something constructive.

Fifteen Years!

2008-07-10T21:43:00.007-05:00

Today Mark and I have been married 15 years. Fifteen! That sounds like a long time to me, but it seems like it has flown by for the most part. We were meant for each other.

I was going to do a photo retrospective of us, but I have discovered that I do not have many pictures of US. There are pictures of me with the boys, even more with Mark and the boys and some with all four of us, but there are very few of just the two of us. (There are some, but I would first I would have to find them, then I would have to scan them and all that junk.) So here is a quick review:

July 10, 1993

Maul Road Church of Christ

Camden, Arkansas

Awwww!

Several years later. Approximately 2002 in Fort Worth, Texas. (I really need to fill that time gap, don't I?)

July 2003: We went on a cruise for our 10th Anniversary. One of our ports-of-call was Key West, Florida.

Christmas 2003 in Conway, Arkansas. Aren't we cute?

February 2005: Our second cruise. We saw ancient ruins in Chachoben, Mexico.

July 10, 2007 in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

June 2008, Key West, Florida

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-05T14:10:00.009-05:00

We had a fun Fourth. The possibility of rain threatened to put a damper on the day, but it actually kept us from being totally miserable at the pool. The boys and I hung out at the pool for hours. We had lunch there, visited with friends, got painted (the boys, not me), relaxed and generally had a good time. We went home to change and then had burgers with friends at their house. After dinner we walked back to the Country Club to watch the fireworks. We all enjoyed the show. Back at our friends' house we shot off even more fireworks. The boys loved it!

Hope your Fourth of July was a good one. I truly love this holiday.

Lemons into Lemondae

2008-06-25T11:37:00.006-05:00

Father's Day this year was not a fun day for any of us. We spent hours and hours in airports trying to make it to the Virgin Islands. Mark had gotten airline employee discount tickets on AA and DL. That meant we could go if there were enough seats available. By 9pm Sunday night we made it as far as Miami. We were exhausted and frustrated. The next day was not looking much better for stand-by passengers. Our much anticipated trip to the Islands was quickly going down the tubes. It was time to cut our losses. We were stuck in Florida, how bad could it be?

Mark and I had visited Key West for a few hours five years ago. We were on a cruise and that was our first stop. We have always wanted to go back. So we did. Mark's mom is a travel agent, so we called her and she got us a great room at a decent price. We rented a car and took off.

We stopped to see the sunset on the trip down. It was beautiful. This was right before the 7 mile bridge. Yikes!

We arrived in Key West Monday evening and stayed until Thursday afternoon. We already want to go back. Here are some highlights:

The Southernmost Point of the United Sates. In KW you are close to Cuba than to Miami. Jackson was fascinated with this marker. His souvenirs all have this image on them.

We took the Conch Train Tour. It took us all around the older part of KW and told about the history and interesting things about the island. The boys were a little bored, but they were good sports.

We went on a Sunset Cruise. Clouds got in the way, but it was still nice.

On Wednesday we went on a tour called the Ultimate Adventure. We went out on a boat to an area where they had a water trampoline and a floating rock wall. We were divided into groups and took turns riding Sea Doos, snorkeling on a living coral reef and para sailing. I was terrified, but it was beautiful up there. Mark and the boys LOVED it.

Here the boys are playing around in the roots of a Banyan tree. They are the craziest plants I have even seen. This one is on the lighthouse grounds.

We climbed up a circular iron staircase, about 86 steps to get to the top of this lighthouse.

It was worth it. The view was breathtaking.

We did not get the vacation we had planned for and hoped for, but we did have a wonderful time.

The Short Version

2008-06-23T10:39:00.002-05:00

Well, I can say that we had a great time on our vacation. We did lots of fun things and mostly avoided getting sunburned. We were on a hot, humid island with a lot of other tourists, but we were not in the Virgin Islands. We went to Key West, Florida. And that is a long story. That story will take longer to write, and it will include pictures.

Sail On

2008-06-14T17:40:00.003-05:00

In 12 and a half hours we are leaving for the Virgin Islands! We are just about packed and ready, which is a first for us. We are usually up late sweating the details.

We are going to meet up with friends there and go out on their catamaran for a day or two. Sailing is a first for us, but we are excited!

I expect to have lots of great pictures to share when we get back.

What Time is it? Summertime!

2008-06-06T12:54:00.003-05:00

School is out and I think I am at least as excited about that as the boys. We are sleeping in and goofing off this week. Love it.

Jonathan has had a bad case of swimmer's ear, so we have not been to the pool since Memorial Day. He is a pretty tough guy, but this had him in tears. He is better now, thank goodness.

I think we are going to see Kung Fu Panda this afternoon. It looks pretty silly to me and I have been trying to get out of going to this one, but the reviews were better than I expected and the boys really want to see it.

Next week Jackson is going to be in a day camp at one of the local universities. This is his third and last year to attend this particular camp. We love it. It is science focused and so much fun. Even more exiting for me is what he is not doing next week: Cub Scout Day Camp. We have done this for the past three years and we have "been there, done that, gotten the ugly shirts to prove it." It is always too hot and chaotic for me. It is great for the boys and they have fun, but I am thrilled not to be going this year.

The thing we are really excited about is our vacation trip. We are going to the Virgin Islands! We are going to both US and British islands while we are there. If going to the Virgin Islands were not exciting enough, we get to see some of our dearest friends there AND they are going to take us out on their catamaran for a day or two. Seriously, we are in excitement overload here.

Birthday Boy

2008-05-15T08:42:00.004-05:00

My baby turned 8 on Saturday. I can't believe it. He is such a great kid. He is smart, funny, loveable, loving and sensitive. Here is my baby on his birthday:

Family Stories

2008-04-25T10:27:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure how it started exactly. It may have been after I read Ron Rose's book "7 Things Kids Never Forget: And How to Make the Most of Them". He suggests telling kids stories, including stories about themselves. I would make up fanciful stories starring whomever I was telling the story to. It may have been my mother who started it, by telling the boys stories about me and my brother and sister when we were kids.

No matter how it started, Jonathan and Jackson love to hear stories about silly things that have happened in our family. My brother is a favorite topic because he was known for doing foolish things as a teenager. My sister, on the other hand, does not star in many stories because she has always been the cautious and reasonable one.

Every night at bedtime Jackson asks if I have a story. Jonathan usually wants me to repeat it for him. One of their favorites is the "Cat Bomb" story as we call it. They laugh every time no matter how often they hear it.

Several years ago in their old house in Camden, Gran and Granddad had a mouse in their house. They could not catch it. As far as we could tell, there was just one and he was a fat and happy one. He got into the garage and ate birdseed and decorative corn. At night he would sneak into the house and eat dog food and cat food.
One weekend Aunt Jen and I were both there and we were sitting in the living room talking to Gran when saw the mouse run behind the large bookcase in the living room. We hatched a plan to get rid of the mouse. One of us would hit the back of the bookcase with the tip of a broom and scare the mouse out of hiding. Another one of us would stand at the end of the bookcase with the cat. (A small, aging, house cat.) When the mouse ran out, the cat would be dropped onto the mouse. (Brilliant, huh?)
Well, the noise scared the mouse out and we all screamed, the cat was totally freaked out by all the banging and screaming and being dropped and she ran in the opposite direction of the fat mouse who scurried back to the garage.

The point of that nonsense is this: tell your kids your stories. They will love it.

Easter and Spring Break

2008-04-10T08:24:00.002-05:00

After church we stopped at UCA for some pictures. Don't my boys look handsome?

They were cracking up when I asked them to pose with the Easter Bunny at the Country Club. We met my parents there for lunch. We had wanted to be traveling with Mark, but couldn't. We had a good time anyway.

We drove to the Toad Suck Lock and Dam to see how high the Arkansas River had gotten after all the rain. This is pretty high. We have gotten even more rain since then. I am sick of rain!

We went to "the farm" for part of Spring Break. Jonathan and Jordan love hanging out together.

Jackson getting ready for the next adventure. One big attraction was the dirt pile. Seriously.

On the way home we stopped at Mark's alma mater, Henderson State University, where he learned to fly.

Naked is Funny

2008-04-07T11:55:00.003-05:00

I have several things I need to blog about. I have Easter pictures and pictures from the annual Martinville Cemetary clean-up and potluck lunch. However, this is what is on my mind today: Naked Juice.
Jonathan and I picked up some of Naked Juice: Blue Machine the other day. The boys had it with breakfast this morning. Jonathan really liked it, Jackson not so much. The thing that I really found funny was that Jonathan said he would NOT be telling his friends at school what he had for breakfast. He was not about to say "naked" at school. I volunteered to come to school and tell them for him, but he was not amused. 'Cause, you know, if he said "naked" at school the other kids would giggle at him, and that is worse than death in 4th grade.

Connections

2008-03-22T10:08:00.006-05:00

The "blog world" is a funny thing. I feel like I have friends out there whom I have never actually met. There are several blogs I read regularly. Some are people I know, some are not. One in particular has held my attention lately.

Suzanne Catchings Motes was a young woman with a loving husband and a beautiful little boy. They will have to somehow learn to go on without her now. She passed away yesterday after a courageous battle with cervical cancer.

I heard about Suzanne from my dear friend Stephanie. Stephanie goes to church with Suzanne's parents in Waco, Texas. I was there several weeks ago and we all prayed for Suzanne. The news at that time seemed positive, but a couple of weeks later that changed. She is now free from pain and is whole again.

You Say Tom-ah-to...

2008-03-17T09:00:00.003-05:00

Another blogger had this quiz posted today. Since I am a sucker for a fun quiz, I took it. It says that I have a "Midland" accecent. While I realize this is probably a good thing, I serioulsy doubt these results. I have lived in the south my entire life. The list of places I have lived goes like this:

Camden, Arkansas
Pearisburg, Virginia
Charlotte, North Carolina
Irving, Texas
Camden, Arkansas
Conway, Arkansas (college)
Camden, Arkansas
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Fort Worth, Texas
Conway, Arkansas

With that list do you really think I could sound "midland"? I doubt it and am fairly sure that I do not. Accents are funny things. If I am really listening, I can hear a difference in a southern Arkansas accent and a central Arkansas accent. Really.

Take the quiz. Do you think it is accurate?

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The Inland North
The South
The West
The Northeast
Philadelphia
Boston
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

March (Weather) Madness

2008-03-04T08:30:00.004-06:00

Yes, it is March 4th and the boys are out of school for a snow day. That is crazy! This is the first snow we have seen all season, and really I thought we'd be snow-less this year. But surprise!

The boys jumped out of bed and went in the backyard in their robes. I called them back pretty quickly, don't worry.

I think our house looks pretty in snow. The roof and the sky almost blend into one another. Brrrr!

One of the many snowmen that sprouted up in our neighborhood today. Mark helped our boys and a friend build this one in our yard.

Jackson was not happy at all about the snowball that hit him right in the face.

INCOMING!

Snow is such a novelty around here. Jackson wanted to save this snowball, reminding me of the story on PBS's "Arthur" of DW and her snowball.

Jonathan was so excited about the snow he could not wait to get outside!

If one snowfall in March was not crazy enough, they are now predicting a chance of more of the white stuff on Friday. Seriously?!

My Cousin

2008-02-19T11:02:00.002-06:00

I need to get this off my mind, but I am having a hard time. My cousin passed away this morning. We were not close, but I still cared about him.

His is a long, complicated story and I am not up to it right now. Maybe later.

Catch Up Time

2008-02-04T12:27:00.000-06:00

I can't believe I have not had a new post in so long. Bad Blogger, shame on me.

I guess the biggest thing going on that I have not blogged about is the new addition to our household. We have another dog. This is Grady:

Grady was found by my aunt. He did not have a collar and no one seemed to be looking for him. My aunt asked me if we wanted another dog. I firmly said no. You see how well that worked. We brought him home on a trial basis to see if he and our first child, I mean dog, would get along. This was in early December and he is still here. He was already housebroken, he had been "fixed" and he is a pretty laid back character. Too good to be true? Of course.

After the holidays we took him in to get him checked out by the vet. She said he is a Shih Tzu mix about 2-3 years old. Oh, and he has heartworms. Heartworm treatment is $$$. I did not love this dog $$$ worth. Ugh. Sooooo...

After some debating we decided to have him treated. Before treating him, they needed to make sure he was healthy enough to stand the treatment. Bloodwork looked good. "Something" showed up on the x-ray around his heart. Could be this, could be that. Give him pills for 2 weeks and bring him back. Two weeks later "something" is smaller, but still there. He needs an ultrasound to determine what it is. Finally some good news: treating the heartworms should take care of the other problem. Oh goody, now we get to spend that $$$ on him afterall.

Of course with every day the boys just love him more. He is growing on me too, I guess. Corky tollerates him most of the time, but he will remind Grady pretty fast if he oversteps his bounds.

Two weeks ago the boys and I planned to fly out on a Saturday morning and join Mark on part of his trip. We were supposed to meet up in Albequerque and see some sights, then fly with him to Portland, Oregon and see some more sights the next day. Nice plan, huh?

Well, it did not work out that way, but we had fun anyway. As non-rev flyers, we can go as long as there are empty seats. We made it to Dallas and they pulled us off. We looked at our options and alternatives and made the decision move on to Plan B. We rented a car and drive to Waco to visit our good friends there. Plan B turned out to be a lot of fun. I am grateful to Stephanie for helping to save our weekend and put us up (and put up with us) at the last minute.

Jackson, who HATES change, did not want to go to Waco at first. He wanted to see his Daddy. In true Jackson style though, he had a great time and sobbed as we left our friends behind. He wanted to stay in Waco. That boy!

Currently my cousin is in the hospital with bacterial pneumonia. They have had to sedate him to prevent him from pulling out the tubes and stuff. If you think about it, say a prayer for him. He is very sick and has not had an easy life anyway.

In the meantime, it is 77 degrees here and Mark is weathered in in Chicago! Crazy.

Amazing Amanda

2008-01-18T11:11:00.000-06:00

I go to church with an amazing young mother named Amanda Sanders. Amanda is smart, funny, and has an incredible faith. She has started a blog and she never fails to inspire me. Go check her out:

Amanda Sanders

Northwest Arkansas Visit

2008-01-08T09:14:00.001-06:00

The boys and I spent the last weekend of Christmas vacation visiting my sister in Northwest Arkansas. The boys always enjoy going up there because Aunt Jen always thinks of fun, interesting places to visit. The weather was unusually warm for January, so we were able to spend time outside. On Saturday we went to a park near their house and to see the dam on Beaver Lake. The boys found some very interesting rocks and pronounced themselves rock collectors. Sunday we went to another section of Beaver Lake to see the floating restaurant there. (It was closed.) They boys were intrigued though. Fun visit.

Jonathan Turns the Big 1-0!

2008-01-02T12:28:00.001-06:00

New Year's Day is Jonathan's birthday and we celebrated in a big way. First we took Jonathan, Jackson and 5 friends to see "National Treasure: Book of Secrets." Great movie! Action packed, but clean. Then we all went to Jonathan's favorite restaurant, a Chinese buffet. After a short stop at Gran and Granddad's house, they came to our house for a Murder Mystery/Treasure Hunt. Oh my gosh, they were wild and crazy, but it was so fun. Then cake, presents and a sleepover. They all wanted to help with breakfast this morning. What chaos that was. Boys are so much fun! They just crack me up.

Christmas Slideshow

2007-12-29T15:04:00.001-06:00

Deck the Halls

2007-12-16T08:54:00.000-06:00

Overheard this morning:

Jackson (singing): Deck the halls with pounds of holly.

Makes sense to me.

Bad Luck Comes in Threes? I Hope So.

2007-12-12T08:35:00.000-06:00

This has not been a good year for Jonathan. I know many kids have many multiple trips to the emergency room by the time they are 9-years-old. Jonathan just saved his up for one year.
Back in February Jonathan was playing in the sunroom and split open his scalp. Three stitches later he was as good as new. Fast forward to November 3rd. Jonathan fractures his ankle in a bounce house. A bounce house for Pete's sake! Another week and a half and he should be able to wear two shoes again.
While this last accident did not involve a trip to the ER, it had the potential to be the worst of them all. Jonathan told me Saturday evening that his left eye was bothering him. It felt like something was in there. I looked at his eye and saw a spot in the center of his pupil. The only way I know to describe it is that it looked like eye gunk. But it was stuck in the middle of his eye. Strange. I put Visine in his eye to try to wash it out. Didn't budge. I suggested that he try to gently wipe his finger across his eye to get it out/off. He couldn't do it. Water splashed in his face did not help either. I questioned him about what he had done that day and we decided that maybe he had scratched his eye on a sticker bush while playing in the neighborhood that afternoon. Finally he went to bed.
Sunday I asked him about it. The spot was still there, but he did not complain about it very much that day.
After school on Monday he said his eye was bothering him so we went to the eye doctor. I really thought it was probably just a scratch. The doctor came in and looked at his eye through his microscope and said, "I am glad you came in when you did. This is one tough kid. I am pretty sure he has a piece of steel in his eye. It has started to rust." STEEL?! In my baby's eye?! RUST?!! I felt sick.
The doctor got the speck out. It looked like a fleck of black pepper. When you are talking about your eye, that is huge. The he had to work on the rust stain in Jonathan's eye. I'll spare you the details.
We have several different types of drops to put into his eye several times a day. His "bandage" is a contact lens. He will probably have to take a steroid to help the healing process. He will probably always have a slight stain in his eye that only a doctor will be able to see.
Bottom line: he is going to be OK. Once again he has been lucky considering what could have been.
We have no idea how this happened. I have threatened to dress him in bubble wrap, a hard hat, and safety glasses from now on.

Christmas Trivia

2007-12-03T10:18:00.000-06:00

In the spirit of Christmas, here are some Christmas trivia questions. I will post the answers in the comments. Let me know how you do.

In the 1964 classic Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, what was the name of the elf that wanted to be a dentist?

In the Christmas Classic, "It’s a Wonderful Life", what happened every time a bell rang?

What did Ralphie want for Christmas in the movie "A Christmas Story?"

What was the name of Scrooge's deceased business partner in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol?

In the song "Winter Wonderland", who do we pretend the snowman is?

In the song "All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth", why do I want my two front teeth?

What are the names of Santa Clauses’ eight reindeer as named in Clement Moore’s poem “The Night Before Christmas”?

Who said, “God bless us, every one”?

What was Scrooge’s first name?

According to Dickens, just how dead was Marley?

What song contains the line "to see if reindeer really know how to fly"?

What were Frosty's last words?

How does St. Nick get back up the chimney?

What is the name of the town in "It's a Wonderful Life"?

Who said "catch me if you can?

What is the name of the angel in "It's a Wonderful Life"?

What prize did Ralphie's dad receive in "A Christmas Story"?

I Love Thanksgiving!

2007-11-21T15:09:00.000-06:00

I have said it before, I think, but I love Thanksgiving. The colors, the smells, the food, the family. I think it is wonderful.

Honestly, I have so very much to be thankful for. Life is good. I won't even try to make a list. It would go on forever.

A classmate of mine from high school sends us a daily prayer. They are always good, but I especially liked today's:

Dear Lord, as we go through the hustle and bustle of holiday preparations, let us remember to give you genuine thanks for your abundant blessings. We are truly grateful for your mercy and grace.

Thank you that we have made it to another Thanksgiving day.

In Jesus Name, AMEN!

Psalm 100: 4-5
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endures to all generations. KJV

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is Coming

2007-11-16T08:47:00.000-06:00

We are hosting Thanksgiving at our house this year. I love doing this, even though I stress myself out a little over it. Everyone contributes a couple of things so no one has to do everything.

Since moving back to Arkansas and close to family, our guest list always includes my parents, Mark's parents, my siblings and their spouses and children. I was discussing our plans with someone yesterday and he was surprised that we were having both sets of grandparents over together - at the same time. I have begun to take this for granted, and I really should not.

When I was growing up, Thanksgiving usually meant a trip to Conway, Arkansas to see my grandparents. My father's parents lived a block and a half from my mother's mother. On the same street. I guess I should be grateful that at least they lived close enough for us to walk back and forth, because they were not going to get together and share anything.

My boys have no idea how nice it is to have grandparents who all get along. They just accept it as how it is. For that I am thankful.

Injury Update

2007-11-08T14:34:00.000-06:00

Well, we got the best new possible under the circumstances I think. Jonathan is now in a walking boot. He cannot put any weight on it yet, but at least he can take it off to bathe. He will wear this for 3 weeks, then we go back to the ortho doc again. As long as everything is healing as it should, he will be walking in his walking boot for another 3 weeks after that.

IF things shift he is possibly facing surgery. As long as he keeps weight off of it, everything should be fine.

Bounce Houses are Evil

2007-11-04T20:16:00.000-06:00

Updated to show X-ray:

You probably cannot see it in this image, but there is a tiny fracture on the lower distal fibia. In other words, he fractured his ankle.

We had another trip to the emergency room yesterday. The ER on a Saturday night, so fun. It all started so innocently. Jonathan and the rest of the 4th grade choir from his school sang at a local shopping event. It is a yearly fundraising event for the hospital (ironically) and I was looking forward to seeing all the stuff after the performance. So...

The wise organizers had rented bounce houses so people could drop off their kids and shop in relative peace and quiet. Genius, right? I paid $5.00 for each boy to have unlimited jumping time, thinking I just bought myself about 30 minutes of shopping by myself. I walked back into the shopping area and was talking to a photographer friend at her booth when my phone rang.

"Mrs. Jenkins? You son has hurt his leg in the bounce house." Ugh. I was thinking would just check in and make sure everything was OK. To be honest I thought it was probably Jackson, who has a very low tolerance for pain, and that he would be fine once I told him it was OK. But no...I walked into the room and saw Jonathan, who actually has a fairly high pain tolerance, almost in tears. He is a pretty tough guy, and there we kids in there that he knew, so he was not going to cry if he could help it. He had jumped down the slide and landed wrong. His ankle was starting to swell. After talking to him briefly, I decided we needed to leave ASAP. This was no easy feat considering he could not walk.

First I took him to my parents' house where we did the Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation thing. In the meantime I called a friend and borrowed a set of crutches, just the right size. My dad was convinced that nothing was broken, and he is usually good at diagnosing things, but I was not sure. The more I read on the Internet, the more I thought we should get an x-ray just to be sure. So off we went to the ER.

About an hour and a half later we were informed that there actually was a little break in his ankle. It looks like a little "tooth sized" chip on his right ankle. I will call his regular doctor in the morning who is probably going to recommend he see an orthopedist. He is out of commission for a few weeks at least. He has joined a swim team, but he won't be doing that for a while. Recess and even lunch are going to be challenges this week.

Life has been interesting the last 24 hours. We all take walking for granted. Everything is harder for Jonathan right now. But he is tough and is coping pretty well. If you think about it, say a prayer that he heals quickly and uneventfully.

Farm Fest 2007: A Photo Blog

2007-10-30T19:54:00.000-05:00

Jonathan and Jackson were excited that their good friends Kolby and Rhett attended Farm Fest this year.

Farm Fest is hosted by Dick and Ruthie Graham. Jason, Justin and Jaime are three of their four kids.

Kristie and Toni helping the "little kid" group with their mural.

Jakson and Mark taking a break in the hammock. Too much fun.

Antique Daddy gives Sean and friends a ride.

Waiting on the next hayride. Do you notice anything funny about this group? These are all adults. Where are the kids?!

Mark introduced a new event on Sunday. Water-bottle rockets. It was a blast! Serioulsy, the kids loved it. (Warning: do not let yourself be hit by a falling water-bottle rocket. It hurts. Trust me.)

Victoria was so tired on the hayride that she had to lean on Checkers for support.

Mark was the hayride song leader. Some people are still haunted by his "Pine Tree" song.

Jonathan and I are ready for the hayride.

Dick Graham, our fearless hayride pilot.

This Week

2007-10-22T09:01:00.000-05:00

Canton was great. I bought so much stuff that weekend that I had to buy a new suitcase to take back with me on the airplane. But that was not enough. This weekend my co-shopper, Stephanie, is going to bring to me the rest of what I bought. This is very exciting for a couple of reasons. We are going to Farm Fest this weekend and Stephanie and her kids are going to join us for the first time.

But before we can leave for Farm Fest, we have a busy week to get through. Today Jackson has therapy, then we are going to Mark's parents' house for his Dad's birthday. Tomorrow, therapy again, then swim practice for Jonathan. Wednesday means Scouts right after school, then church with dinner squeezed in there somehow. Thursday is Jackson's musical program and Jonathan is supposed to have swim practice again. Not sure what we are going to do about that one. Oh, and by the way, this is Red Ribbon Week. That means that every day has a theme and I have to figure out what the boys need to wear that day to go with the theme. Then finally...Friday!

The boys are already campaigning to leave early on Friday so they will have a few hours of sunlight left to play with their buds Jordan and Konner once we get to "the farm."

Farm Fest seems to grow every year. This one is promising to be be bigger than ever. More people are coming than last year, but they are mostly people I know from our time in Texas. I can't wait to see everyone. You can bet there will be pictures here next week.

Canton or Bust!

2007-09-25T08:27:00.000-05:00

This may come as a surprise to some, but it is the truth: I lived in Texas for eight years, but I have never been to Canton. Now that I am living back in Arkansas, I am going to Canton.

Saying I'm "Going to Canton" really means "I'm going to the first Monday trade days in Canton, Texas." Which apparently means I am going to the biggest flea market/craft fair/outdoor shopping extravaganza ever. It is in Texas after all.

There is at least one confusing aspect of the "Canton First Monday Trade Days." One might assume that these trade days would take place the first Monday of each month. One would be wrong. They are (if I have this straight) the weekend before the first Monday of the month. So October's trade days are the last weekend in September. Got it?

I am hoping to get some Christmas shopping done this weekend. Christmas shopping in September? You betcha.

So Stephanie and I are going to be loose in Canton on Friday and maybe Saturday without husbands or children. Woo-hoo!

HELP!

2007-09-11T14:22:00.000-05:00

We recently ordered new bedding for each of our boys. Jackson choose this:

I can decorate with this. Airplanes, sky, clouds, got it. No problem.

Jonathan chose this:I don't know what to do with this. I am stuck. Notice the walls in the demo room are plain white. Not helpful. I need inspiration. I could do big camo blobs on his walls, but I don't think I really want to do that. Any suggestions?

I had great plans for cute rooms, but this is what they wanted. Maybe that blue camo looks like the sea? I can do sea/beach/water decor.

I am also a little sad at the realization that they are now beyond having "cute" rooms. When did they get so big?

Update: Right now we are considering painting the walls a light blue and possibly going with a shark/underwater type theme. Jonathan loves sharks and there are some really great shark wall stickers out there that would look good. Thanks for the input!

Floating the River

2007-09-04T09:14:00.000-05:00

Just over a week ago, Mark and I took the boys on our first float trip. We, and some other people we love dearly, spent the weekend in cabins on the White River.

On Saturday we loaded into three rubber rafts and floated and paddled our way down a very pretty section of the river. We had lunch along the way, which was very nice until the Pringles can got soggy and the chips all melted into a VERY greasy mess in the bottom of our raft. I will never eat Pringles again!

We saw flowers, butterflies (check out Antique Mommy's photo), fish, turtles, all kids of trees and tall bluffs. Mark and I saw something we think may have been a muskrat. The trip was pretty and very relaxing. By the way, despite being the end of August, the water there was extremely cold.

This adventure took us about 4 hours and we were fairly tired afterward. We gathered for a late dinner and then sat around and visited while the kids played. I do not remember exactly how or why the conversation got started, but we learned that night that 6 adults can fold a simple white t-shirt 6 different ways. Who knew?

Maybe we were bored; maybe we were delirious from our time on the river. I can't say. But it was very funny.

Ruthie, a.k.a. Gigi, got it all started with her origami style of folding. I have seen her do this before, but I still cannot do it. She claims it is the "right" way to fold a t-shirt. But wait! Antique Mommy likes to fold hers in quarters because they fit into her dresser drawers that way. At this point I had to step in. I like shirts folded in thirds and then in half, so that you can see what is on the front of them. Kristie almost agreed with me, but she folds them in thirds and then in thirds again, making a little pillow-like thing. Then the overly obsessed love of my life demonstrated his military training inspired way of "folding". I cannot do this justice. Let's just say he ends up with something that would fit in a toilet paper tube. He rolls his shirts. Seriously. After that, Antique Daddy made fun of all of us and showed how it should be done. I was laughing so hard by this point that I don't even remember his way.

I think we all need one of these:

"This unique, easy-to-use folding tool folds shirts to a uniform 9" x 12" size quickly and easily so that anyone can create a perfectly folded shirt."

And maybe some therapy.

Jackson: The great mystery

2007-08-15T17:39:00.001-05:00

We do not know where Jackson came from. Well, yeah we do, but I mean personality wise he is a mystery to us. He is not shy. He will say anything. And he is funny! Sometimes I think there is a stand-up comedian in him bursting to come out. Then again he can be very serious. Anyway...

Mark is a talker. If you have ever met him, you probably know this already. I am the more conservative (read shy) one. As children we were both very shy and reserved. So where did Jackson come from?

We stopped to visit some friends in east Texas the other day. The grandsons of our friends are very close to my boys ages, and they love playing together. Then there is little sister Victoria. Victoria is 5, has blonde hair and big blue eyes. She is cute, but she is tough. Not a sissy, prissy girl.

After we visited and left, I jokingly suggested to Jackson that he should marry Victoria when they grow up.

He looked at me and said, "I am a million years older than her. How's THAT gonna work out?"

Not a Good Week

2007-08-02T07:45:00.000-05:00

Monday we found out that a friend and fellow scouting dad had died suddenly Sunday night. I am still having trouble believing that this man is gone. And if I feel that way, how must his family feel? It is tragic.

He and his wife were the best example of a blended family that I have seen. Eric Hall was a widower with a young daughter when he married Amy Jo. She had a young son. A few years later they had a son together. These kids are now 14, 9 and 4. And yes, the daughter now has no living parents. She sees Amy Jo as her mother and I believe that will not change.

Mark put it best: Eric was the epitome of the Cub Scout promise. He lived it everyday of his life. "I promise to do my best, to do my duty to God and my country, to help other people and obey the Law of the Pack." He was a Christian, an Air Force veteran and a man always willing to lend a hand.

The funeral is today. The Cub Scouts are planning to go in uniform. That alone is enough to make me want to cry.

In other news, my mother had surgery yesterday. She is doing well, but we are staying busy this week visiting her, helping my dad and trying to do whatever we can for the Hall family. Last night I was exhausted, but not complaining. We are very blessed.

Happy Anniversary to Us

2007-07-10T09:34:00.001-05:00

Fourteen years ago today I married the man of my dreams. Much has changed in those years, but he is still the one for me.

We were married in the Maul Road Church of Christ in Camden, Arkansas. My bouquet was so heavy that Mark is helping me hold it up in the pictures.

Kiss for the camera!

Mark and me outside the Hamilton House in Hot Springs this past weekend. We went here for our first anniversary too.

Happy Fourth!

2007-07-04T09:45:00.000-05:00

Summer So Far

2007-06-22T10:52:00.000-05:00

We spent the second week in June at Cub Scout Day Camp. The first couple of days were not too bad, but Wednesday and Thursday were miserably hot. By Friday we were all tired and grumpy and ready for it to be over. We were called the "Arctic Foxes." Our group was 17 boys, all ages 7 & 8. They are good kids, but even 17 good kids is a lot!

Jonathan team is not having a great season, but they are having fun. As long as they get a snowcone when it is over, they are happy.

The pool has been our favorite hang-out so far this summer. The boys are getting to be better and better swimmers. Jonathan even earned his Aquanaut badge at camp this year. Way to go!

Jackson loves to play around in the water, but is happier with some goggles on. He gets them so tight on his face they leave red circles around his eyes. This child was so afraid of the water a few years ago. It is wonderful to see him swimming and enjoying himself in the pool.

Jackson loves to run the bases after Jonathan's games. Jackson played softball this year, but I don't have any pictures yet. I have one more chance. His team has had a pretty good season. They are so much fun to watch that I forget to take pictures.

Good Night!

2007-06-06T22:18:00.001-05:00

Today was another excellent day. Mark got home in time for us all to have lunch together at home. Then we all went to the pool. The boys played while Mark and I read and talked. Eventually Mark joined them in the pool. Both boys have really learned to love the water. They had each had a little fear of the water at one point or another in the past. Now you cannot get them out.

Finally we left and made a quick stop at the grocery store before heading home. Mark grilled steaks and zucchini, and put together a tomato and mozzarella salad. I made mac-n-cheese for the boys and prepared some avocados. It was all very yummy. We decided to have dinner on the patio while we listened to music from my iPod. We enjoyed ourselves very much. We had ice cream and fresh peaches for dessert.

After we cleared the dishes, we all went out and lay on the trampoline and look at the stars. Silliness is par for the course for us, but Mark tried to point out stars and constellations to the boys. We saw the big dipper and imagined we saw some others. As we got sillier and louder, I worried what the neighbors would think. Mark again tried to be educational. He asked the boys, "Can you name that planet?" And Jackson, at the top of his voice, answered "Uranus?". I nearly got hysterical. And the thing is, he did not even get it! If you don't, try saying it out loud.

Summer!

2007-06-05T08:09:00.000-05:00

Summer, or at least the end of school, is here. I think I am as glad about that as the kids.

Friday was the school's end of the year carnival. Mark and I worked there all day. We are both sunburned, but it was fun. Our station was the dunking booth. Mark was in the booth a few times. I gave the kids the baseballs to throw and tried to get them "mad" at the dunkee. That night Jackson had a ball game and then we went to a Japanese steakhouse to celebrate a good school year.

Yesterday I took the boys to the pool. I sat in the shade listening to my iPod, reading my book and appreciating the day. Life is good.

A Birthday Party, Shedd Aquarium, a Baptism and a Funeral

2007-05-15T08:32:00.000-05:00

The title of this post tells you briefly what we have done in the past 5 days. Yes, only 5 days. It seems more like a month. Really, that is more than we do most months, but that is how it happened.

Thursday was Jackson's 7th birthday. We were going to have a family dinner Thursday night, then go to San Antonio to Sea World for the weekend. Well, Mark's schedule would not allow that, so we decided to go with him to Chicago a day early and go to the aquarium. Oh, but we have all this catfish that the Cub Scouts caught at the Fishing Derby, so let's have a fish fry. OK, so now the plan is to have a party at our house Thursday night, get up before dawn on Friday to go to Chicago, fly home Saturday and host house church on Sunday. OK.

Sooooo...the party goes off well. Pretty low stress actually since I did almost no cooking.

We got to Chicago, very cool hotel. Walk to Shedd Aquarium in the wind. Loved the aquarium. It is truly amazing. Stumble back to the hotel in the very cold, strong wind. Rest, dinner downstairs, bed.

Saturday morning we are have a late breakfast and are discussing the rest of the day when I get a phone call. A dear, sweet man, the father of a dear, sweet friend, has passed away unexpectedly. The funeral will be Monday. In Paris, Texas.

The boys and I fly home, Mark goes on to work. I stop on the way home and buy something new to wear to the funeral. Stop at parent's house and ask if we can borrow their new car to drive to Texas because the timing belt on the van needs to be changed and, most importantly in my mind, the air conditioner is not working. And we are going to Texas. Parents ask us to join them for Mother's Day brunch at the Country Club after church Sunday.

Sunday morning we are later than usual for church. A friend tells me that he daughter is going to be baptised after church and she would like for the house church members to be there. Call my parents and tell them we will be later than expected for lunch. Stick around to see Maddie be baptised by her uncle, Mike Cope. I always like for the boys to witness a baptism, but this was special because they know and look up to Maddie.

Lunch was enjoyable. Home to unpack and repack. Finalize plans of where to stay. Hotels in Paris or only motels? Never mind, we are going to stay with the family. The boys rejoice. Drive straight through to Mt. Pleasant, Texas and enjoy time with our dear friends. Monday morning eight people manage to get ready with only one bathroom available. And we were pretty much on time. The funeral was nice, very touching. The oldest grandson did a wonderful tribute to his "Paw paw". Saw people we used to go to church with including Ron Rose and Antique Mommy. After lunch we drive the long way home and finally get back home about 7:30pm.

Tuesday look at mountain of laundry and decide to blog instead.

Happy "Daze" are Here Again

2007-05-04T09:19:00.000-05:00

It is that time of year again. Toad Suck Daze is this weekend. It is one of Arkansas' biggest festivals. My boys love it. We are planning on going there this afternoon after school. We will look at all the crafts, watch performances, and eat fried food on a stick. Aren't you jealous?

Legend has it: Long ago, steamboats traveled the Arkansas River when the water was at the right depth. When it wasn't, the captains and their crew tied up to wait where the Toad Suck Lock and Dam now spans the river. (Near Conway, Arkansas.) While they waited, they refreshed themselves at the local tavern there, to the dismay of the folks living nearby, who said "They suck on the bottle 'til they swell up like toads." Hence, the name Toad Suck. The tavern is long gone, but the legend and fun live on at Toad Suck Daze.

One of the biggest draws is a relatively new contest called Stuck on a Truck. The idea is that the person who can keep their hands on the truck the longest wins the truck. These people are crazy. They get breaks every hour and a longer break every 4 hours or so. The contest lasts longer than the festival. Toad Suck Daze is over by Sunday evening. These "stuck" people will be there into Monday and maybe Tuesday. They start to hallucinate and fall asleep standing up. I don't want a truck that badly. More power to them, I guess. You can watch them by clicking on the link above.

This is the 26th Annual Toad Suck Daze. And yes, the boys are wearing their festival t-shirts at school today. Everybody has them, it is the thing to do. Don't you want one?

Stuck Again

2007-05-01T19:59:00.000-05:00

When I am driving around town, grocery shopping, or maybe even taking a shower I have all these ideas that I think would make a great post. Then I sit down at the computer. . .

Nothing.

We are busy with baseball and softball games and all that end of the school year stuff. I will try to come up with something blog worthy soon.

Current Events

2007-04-19T11:10:00.001-05:00

Watching the news these days is sad and often frustrating. I have a few random thoughts on our "current events."

Don Imus - What he said was wrong, no question about it. However, I really doubt he meant to be malicious. He probably thought he was being "hip" or "cool". Maybe he thought it was funny. It was not. It was hurtful, mean-spirited and in bad taste, at least. Should he have been fired? I don't know. I could argue that either way. I don't really like censorship, as a rule. But if sponsors pull their money out, that is their right too.

Hip/Hop Artists who use the same words - Still wrong. I know this is a very controversial topic, but I do not think it is OK for them to do it either.

Virginia Tech tragedy - Unbelievably sad. I mourn for those families who lost loved ones and the other students who have been effected by this. This young man was troubled and showed all sorts of warning signs. People we already afraid of him.

News commentators and "experts" speaking on the tragedy - I have heard lots about what an open campus VT is and how security needs to be tightened on campuses everywhere. While there may be some truth to that, it would not have changed what happened this week. HE WAS ONE OF THEM. The tightest of security around the campus would not have stopped this guy. He was already there.

Rosie O'Donnell - She is getting on my nerves. Big time. I want to tell her that just because she states her opinion more often, very loudly and with much feeling, this does not make her more correct.

Enough of that, but I feel better for getting it off my chest.

We are supposed to go camping Friday night. Oh joy. Can't wait.

Jonathan's baseball games start May 24, then Jackson's softball games start May 30. They have several games on the same nights. In different places. Should be fun.

Happy Easter!

2007-04-09T09:44:00.000-05:00

We had a nice Easter, but it was chilly. At least we did not have snow like they did in Texas. Crazy weather.

Hope your Easter was a good one too.

Aren't they handsome? I MIGHT be prejudiced...

We stopped on the UCA campus after church for a few quick pictures.

Also at UCA. It really was beautiful.

Jonathan models his Easter duds.

Jackson hunting Easter eggs in Gran and Granddad's backyard.

The cousins: Jackson, Ella, Caroline and Jonathan.

New Hobby?

2007-04-05T19:11:00.000-05:00

First, I have to admit that I got this idea from Deana's blog. She said that when she has a minute to goof off, she Googles "worst album cover" to see what comes up. So I thought "what the heck, I'll try that." Oh my goodness. I understand why she does it now. These things are hilarious (and sometimes gross and/or in poor taste).

My favorite examples so far:

I mean really, what do you do next after you have been in an elephant orchestra?

Ethel Merman made a disco album? Ethel Merman. Made. A. DISCO album. Seriously?

We are Home

2007-03-30T16:12:00.000-05:00

We got home last night exhausted, but happy. Well, actually that is not quite right. We loved the cruise so much we did not want to come home. It was over too soon.
I am still feeling foggy-brained, but I am going to try to post some pictures from our trip.

Jonathan and Jackson in Disney's port terminal in Port Canaveral with Pluto. Ready to set sail!

Jonathan and Jackson at muster. This is my least favorite part of a cruise.

Jonathan at the "Sail Away" party. Jackson did not like the noise.

Mickey and Minnie Mouse danced at the Sail Away party.

The boys hanging out with Captain Jack Sparrow. Arrrgh!

I wanted to get a family picture with Mickey and Minnie. I just love that Mouse!

The second night of the cruise the dress code was "Dress Up." I thought my boys looked pretty spiffy.

Jackson on the beach at Castaway Cay. It is beautiful there! We all had a great time and got a little sunburned.

Jonathan at Castaway Cay, taking a break from snorkeling. He loved snorkeling. He could be a beach bum.

Mark and the boys in front of the "Flying Dutchman", the ship from "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest."

The gold medal winners of the Mickey 200! It is sort of a Pinewood Derby using vegetables.

Jackson on the ferry to the dolphin encounter.

In the (cold) water with a dolphin. This was an incredible experience!

Jonathan, Jackson and Austin, a friend of Jonathan's whose family was on the cruise with us.

At dinner on "Pirates In the Caribbean Night".

Jonathan danced and had a wonderful time at the "Pirates IN the Caribbean" party on the third night of the cruise. Jackson, once again, did not appreciate the noise.

Jackson appears to be over-whelmed in this picture, but actually had a great time. He graduated from D-Sea-U, the kid's program on the ship. He was on stage with Mickey and Minnie, and he got a T-shirt and a grad cap. Very cute.

The finale to the "Pirates IN the Caribbean" party was a fireworks display. I could not capture in one picture everything that was happening. Pirate Mickey slid from an upper level to the stage while "We Need a Hero" was playing. He then chased off the bad guys Captain Hook and Mr. Smee. (Stephanie, I thought of you.) It was fantastic!

Vacations are Work

2007-03-21T10:45:00.000-05:00

If you have children, getting ready for a vacation is work. I have been planning and making lists for months, now I am wahing, drying, ironing and folding for three people. Mark only has to pack for himself, which of course, he does every week so it is no big deal for him. I on the other hand, have to pack for myself and the boys. Plus figure out and find/purchase anything special we might require for this particular trip.

I like to be prepared for things. When I was pregnant the first time, I read all the books and magazines I could get my hands on. When one of Jonathan's friends was diagnosed with dyslexia and Jonathan seemed to match some symptoms, I bought a book. My niece has Autism, we bought books. When we went to Walt Disney World a couple of summers ago, I bought books and studied them. So, now we are going on a Disney Cruise - of course I have a book. I want tips and ideas and what to expect lists and what to wear suggestions.

I found packing list ideas and adapted them to our needs, then bought all the stuff I thought we might need. Now all the clothes and other things must be packed. The night before we left for WDW, I had a meltdown over the packing situation. I am not sure why now, but I was convinced that it was not going to work for some reason. I was tired and possibly hysterical, but it all worked out. Just thinking of that makes me tired. I need a vacation!

P.S. 3 days, 18 hours, and 43 minutes!

10 Days, 14 Hours...And Counting

2007-03-14T15:57:00.000-05:00

In 10 days, 11 housrs and 58 seconds from the time I am writing this, we are leaving to go hang out with The Mouse. We are going on a Disney Cruise! Can you tell I am excited?

Mark and I have been on two other cruises and loved the experience, but this is the first time we are takeing the boys. AND it is Disney. Woo-hoo!

The boys are out for Spring Break and Mark was able to get vacation that week, so we are gone. I have been buying clothes for myself and the boys for months. These things take planning, don't cha know? Then I bought 3 more pairs of shoes today, just to be safe.

Did I mention that I am excited?

Update: My Magical Countdown Clock now reads 8:22:15:25!

Hallelujah and Pass the Margaritas

2007-03-08T14:50:00.000-06:00

The school yearbook is done! Another mom and I have been in charge of the yearbook for our kids' elementary school for the last two years and we just finished this year's book today.

We have studied so many pictures and identified so many kids in the past several days, that I feel as if I could tell you where every one of about 615 kids is in that book. Whew!

I am sure when the books come in someone, somewhere will be upset about something. But we tried our best to get every child possible in that book. Seriously.

I am retiring from the yearbook business at the end of this year. I am sure another volunteer opportunity is out there for me. In fact I already know, but for now, I am celebrating!

A First

2007-02-23T08:42:00.000-06:00

Jonathan is 9 years old and last Saturday he made his first trip to the emergency room. Honestly, I think he was doing pretty well to get to 9 without an ER trip.

It had been a fairly normal Saturday until that point. We got up and went to Starbucks for breakfast before Jackson's Upwards basketball game that morning. Back home, I was watching HGTV (OK I was sort of napping) and the boys were playing in the sunroom when I thought I heard the back door slam. Then Jonathan came into my room crying with his hand to his head. There was blood everywhere. He had somehow hit (more like crashed) his head on the frame around one of the windows in the sunroom. What I had thought was the door slamming was his head hitting the wood of the window frame. He was freaking out, Jackson was freaking out, I was strangely calm. I gave him towels to put on his head and told him to apply pressure, put his shoes on him, told Jackson to calm down (or else), loaded everyone into the van and took off.

Whenever something happens around here, Mark is out of town. It never fails. This time he was at a Scout training camp. I called him to tell him what was happening, then called my parents. When we got to the ER, it was very busy. Most of the people there were sick, not hurt. You could nearly see the germs swarming around. My parents arrived and they took Jackson. They all went home and disinfected themselves.

Jonathan ended up with three stitches in his head. He was incredibly strong through the whole ordeal. It turned out he was more afraid of the idea of the ER than the reality of it. He is a trooper. I wish I thought he got that from me.

What Price Progress?

2007-02-20T11:27:00.000-06:00

The boys were out of school yesterday and Mark was home, so we goofed off. I love days like that. We had breakfast at Cracker Barrel and then went for a drive.

Part of our drive included the area where my dad was born and spent his first few years. I cannot explain to you what a small place this is. To get to the place in the picture above sounds like the start of a redneck joke: "Dive up County Road 25, take a left at the historical marker, then turn right onto the dirt road beside the cemetery." Seriously.

What used to be the very definition of the middle of nowhere has been invaded. This poor area that most people did not even know existed, is hiding riches underground. Natural gas. I lost count of how many of these gas wells I saw, but his one in front of a dilapidated old barn made me stop. The juxtaposition of these two structures is so strange to see.

My dad joked for years that we should all buy some land out there in the country. He did not know how right he was!

Pet Peeve

2007-02-06T09:09:00.001-06:00

Now and then I see the question "what is your biggest pet peeve"? My standard answer is "people who drive slow in the fast lane." That does bug me, however to be honest, that is not my biggest pet peeve. Bad grammar drives me up the wall.

There is a local commercial on TV this time each year that bugs me. It is for a Little Rock jewelery store and they are trying to convince all men that they need to give jewelery for Valentine's day. A couple comes on and the woman says, in what I assume is supposed to be a seductive voice, "Words are never just enough." This drives me crazy. Doesn't she really mean "Just words are never enough" or "Never are just words enough"?

Maybe I watch too much TV?

Yahoo! News Photo

2007-02-05T10:59:00.000-06:00

From the "Whatever Happened to___________?" files: Remember the cute, sad, little, orphaned ice skater Oksana Baiul? Here she is:

Yahoo! News Photo

We Have SNOW!

2007-01-31T21:45:00.000-06:00

My kids are so excited. It is 9:46 pm right now and they are watching TV and playing video games with their Daddy. They are usually in bed by now, but they do not have school tomorrow because it snowed today.

About 2:00 this afternoon it started snowing lightly. The kids at school went nuts! Snow is not a common occurrence around here. Even tough it was barely visible on the grass, they were already planning and praying for a snow day. Then it stopped. Then as we were leaving for church, it started coming down in big, beautiful clumps. I love it when that happens. School is definitely closed tomorrow.

This neighborhood is going to be crawling with kids tomorrow. The boys have a new sled that we bought last year and never got to use. I can't wait to get some pictures of the boys in the snow. (I will even post some, Steph.)

UPDATE: SNOW PICS!

Jonathan is ready for battle. He wanted to got out into the snow early this morning.

It took Jackson forever to get all his layers of clothes on and get outside, but he had a great time once he got there.

Jackson with neighbor and fellow first-grader William.

Jonathan with neighborhood classmates Jacob, Desiree and Mallory.

I'm thinking, I'm thinking

2007-01-29T08:56:00.000-06:00

I want to blog, I really do. I just don't have anything witty or thought provoking to say. There are a couple of things on my mind, but I can't blog about them. So that leaves me with . . . nothing much.

I found this slightly amusing, maybe you will too:

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is:
Lady Susan the Capricious of Fishkill St Wednesday
Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Tell me your title.

Christmas 2006

2006-12-31T15:24:00.000-06:00

Jonathan "the Happy Elf" on Christmas morning.

Jackson finds a red MagnaMan in his stocking.

Santa brought both boys an R2-D2 for Christmas.

Every year we try to get a group picture at either Thanksgiving or Christmas. This year Christmas was the day. It is a rare and special occasion when all of this group can get together. Many times there is at least one person who cannot be there for one reason or another.

It is a comedy of errors to try to set 2 and sometimes 3 cameras to timer mode and then get everyone back into the picture and not lose a toddler or a dog in the process.

I hope my boys realize someday how lucky they were to have all four grandparents at most holidays and other special events. I never had that. I only had three grandparents to start with, and then my grandmothers did not get along.

We have a new tradition (if 2 years in a row counts) of breaking "poppers" after dinner. They make noise and have trinkets in them, but most importantly, each one has a crown inside. There is nothing better than seeing usually serious adults wearing silly paper crowns. Need proof?

Larry, my brother-in-law, sporting a lovely pink crown.
Mark with a crown to match his sweater.
My dad with his orange "it's time to make the doughnuts" hat.
The three stooges, my sister, mom and me. We are all wearing gold crowns, aren't we special?

Tomorrow (New Year's Day) is Jonathan's birthday. I cannot believe he is going to be 9-years-old! We are going to "the farm" for a couple of days. That is what he wanted, and it sounded great to us too.

"See" you next year. I will try to be a better blogger, or at least a more frequent one. TTFN!

The Annual Pilgrimage

2006-12-18T16:19:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow we will make our annual pilgrimage to Northpark Mall to visit Santa Claus. He is the only Santa my kids have ever visited. This will be Jonathan's 9th visit to the Northpark Santa. Here is part of the reason why:

Heralded as "one of the country's premier Santas" by CBS News, NorthPark Center's Santa Claus is a Dallas favorite. Carl Anderson, Ph.D., has been portraying the jolly old elf for 24 years, the last 18 at NorthPark Center. Anderson, who has an uncanny resemblance to Saint Nick, is an adjunct professor of educational psychology at the University of Texas in Austin and a counseling psychologist working with families. He has been featured in "The Wall Street Journal," "People Magazine" and "USA Today". "The Dallas Morning News" gives him four stars, "Park Cities People" People's Choice Awards have named him "Dallas' Best Santa". We agree that he is the best Santa Claus ever.

He is great with the kids. The setting is intimate and fairly quiet. You take a number so you do not have to stand in line. He has moved this year, so I am not sure if it will be as intimate as it has been. We shall see.

I have to admit, I love the trip as much as the boys. It is our tradition and that is important, but to be honest, I love that mall. Especially at Christmastime. The first 6 trips were shorter since we lived in Fort Worth. Even then people thought we were a little crazy for going that far to see Santa. There is a perfectly good Santa at Northeast Mall in Hurst. It is not the same, it just isn't. Besides, the stores at Northpark are awesome. And I swear the crowds are just a little nicer than at other malls.

Then there is lunch or dinner. The last several years we have gone across the street to the Cheesecake Factory. This is one of the highlights of the trip for Mark and I. We absolutely love the Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes. My mouth is watering just thinking of it.

My friend Nancy has asked me to return something to the James Avery Craftsman store. Thank you Nancy. This gives me the perfect excuse to go into that store. "I have to, it's for Nancy!"

The weather has been so crazy hot here lately, I have not really gotten into the Christmas spirit. I am hoping this little trip to Dallas will change that. It usually does.

Long Time Gone

2006-12-16T13:31:00.001-06:00

Has it really been over a month since I posted? Apparently so. 'Tis the season to be busy! I don't have any great stories to share at the moment, so how 'bout some more pictures? (This is for you Stephanie.)

The day before Thanksgiving, we went to south Arkansas to visit some of Mark's family. Jonathan took his BB gun for a little practice. He's pretty good. He has not shot anything living yet, thank goodness!

Jackson wanted to try his skills. He needs a little more practice.

"The cousins" at Gran and Granddad's house: Caroline, Jackson, Jonathan and a very reluctant Ella.

This was one of my early attempts at getting our Christmas card picture. Not quite the winner that I hoped it would be. Actually, this is not the winner at all.

We went to Sears to have pictures made with all four cousins. This was a major ordeal. First was getting outfits to coordinate, then just finding a date that we could all meet was a huge hurdle. Finally we are all there with fingers crossed. With a 2-year-old girl , an Autistic 4-year-old girl, and two fidgety 6 and 8 year old boys, you just never know what to expect. The kids were fabulous! Unfortunately, the pictures were not. I did get this one of my boys though.

We have a winner! This is the picture I finally chose for the Christmas card. Not all that Christmasy, but cute I think.

I Tried!

2006-11-09T17:12:00.000-06:00

I tried to post Halloween pictures of the boys. Twice. Blogger did not cooperate, so maybe I will try again. Then again, I might just move on to the next thing.

Speaking of the next thing, I tried to get a jump on the season and take a holiday photo of the boys in front of the fireplace today. Never mind that it is nearly 80 degrees in November. Photo 1: Jackson is looking off camera; photo 2: not bad, not great either; photo 3: Jonathan is snarling; photo 4: Jackson's eyes are closed. Between 4 and 5 the boys start rolling on the floor like puppies. Photo 5: almost there; photo 6: Jonathan looks big-eyed and stiff.

And then my batteries died. So much for that bright idea.

Farm Fest: A Photo Blog

2006-10-24T12:39:00.000-05:00

The 5th Annual Farm Fest at Acres Away in east Texas

Jackson riding Wibur.

Jonathan catches a ride on the back of a 4-wheeler.

There were so many kids this year that they were divided into age groups. This is the 6-8 year-old group painting their farm scene.

Notice all the red shirts? We got Farm Fest t-shirts this year. This is definitely becoming an event.

Pumpkin ball! This is played basically like baseball, but with pumpkins and without bats. If your pumpkin busts, you are out.

Jackson led Spring Forward around like a large dog.

Everybody loaded up and ready for the hayride.

Jonathan and Jackson pile on. They look forward to this each year.

The kids got prizes for the games they played. Many of them chose Silly String and then used it on the hayride driver, variously known as Dick, Uncle Dick and Poopah.

Dinner is always a weenie roast over a huge bonfire with roasted marshmallows for dessert. This is just part of the "dinner crowd."

Konner and Jackson, friends since birth.

My family is so very grateful to the Graham family for making us part of their family. We love you all!

Hitting the Target

2006-10-06T08:13:00.000-05:00

There are many things I do not understand about the male human being. There is one thing though that truly does not make sense to me: Why is it that if they have a "precision instrument" with which they can urinate into a Coke bottle if the need arises, can they not manage to urinate into the toilet without marking the surrounding territory?

I recently had the boys' bathroom redone. Where there used to be goldish animal printish wallpaper, there is now white beadboard. The boys lack of good aim is much more apparent now. Yuck. What is the deal with that?

A school in Norway recently drew attention to itself and sparked a political debate when they announced that boys had to sit to urinate. I understand their frustration.

Maybe in the next bathroom redo, I will just have the whole room done in porcelain tile and put a drain in the middle of the floor. Then I could just turn the garden hose on the whole deal.

What a Difference a Week Makes

2006-09-29T08:55:00.000-05:00

What a difference a week can make in the weather.

Last Friday we were supposed to go on a Cub Scout Family camping trip. We have never been camping, so this was going to be a big adventure for the Jenkins family. (Mark claims he loves to camp. I am not a camper though, thank you very much.) We have a nice big tent, sleeping bags, mats, lamps and tarps. Mark had planned our meals and even purchased a camp stove. My living room was full of camping gear all ready to be loaded into the van. The weather on Wednesday and Thursday had been beautiful.

The weather on Friday was different; severe thunderstorms were predicted for our area. The camping trip was cancelled. The boys were very disappointed, so we decided to set up the tent in the backyard and have our own little camp out. I had visions of family togetherness, going to bed early and sleeping well in the fresh air. humph

We settled into the tent around 8:30. We were prepared to run to the house if a big rainstorm came, but we were not worried. It did not rain, at least not during the night. However, the heat index was still 95 degrees at 11:15 p.m. Mark, Jackson and I took turns drifting off to sleep. Jonathan could not sleep at all. It was too hot! We were all miserable, but I was not going to be the wimpy girl and be the first to give up. Finally, at about 12:30 Mark had had all he could take. We quickly retreated to the wonder of air conditioning and slept comfortably in our own beds.

Now one week later, the weather is once again beautiful. It is starting to really feel like Fall this morning. The boys actually wore jackets to school for the first time this year. I am thinking this may be a taco soup night.

Losing Interest

2006-09-14T10:17:00.000-05:00

It will probably come as no surprise that I am losing interest in blogging. Don't get me wrong, I love keeping up with other people's blogs. It is just my own that bores me at the moment. Maybe I will post some pictures. OK here goes:

Jonathan and Jackson at an Arkansas Travelers baseball game this summer.

Guilty! Time out at Silver Dollar City.

In the cockpit of a Southwest 737 before a flight with Daddy.

Mark and the boys on a hanging bridge at Silver Dollar City. It was a beautiful day, especially for mid-August.

Me with the boys in Marvel Cave. I am trying to look brave and had Mark take a picture as proof that I really did go down into that cave.

To Cave or Cave Not

2006-08-24T11:05:00.000-05:00

On our recent vacation trip to Branson, Missouri, we visited Silver Dollar City. SDC is a nice theme park with some good shows and rides. OK.

Silver Dollar City evolved around the opening of Marvel Cave. There were cave tours long before there was a theme park.

Of course my husband and both my boys wanted to go on the cave tour. My first thought was that I would just do a little shopping while they went caving. But the tour lasts one and a half hours. There is just so much artsy-craftsy shopping I can take, so I started considering joining them on the tour. Mark assured me that I could do it and Jonathan told me I could hold his hand if I needed to. So we go and get in line to join the last tour group of the day. A park ranger/tour guide spoke to our group. She warned us that there were no restrooms in the cave, so go now. Also, she said, if you have a fear of bats, the dark, heights or tight spaces, you might want to reconsider. Now I am nearly in tears. I looked at Mark and reminded him that I was not happy with ANY of these things. I got more reassurances from my guys. With shaky legs I started down the steps to get to the "mouth" of the cave. Jonathan stuck close to my side and encouraged me the whole way. Jackson and Mark hung together.

When I have heard the word cave in the past, I always pictured a carved out space in the side of a mountain or something like that. Something that a bear might hibernate in. This cave was nothing like that. It is a monstrous hole in the earth.

Check out the picture. That hole in the "ceiling" and that long set of stairs coming down is just the beginning of the cave tour. We went hundreds of feet under ground. There are many different "rooms" down there, including the Waterfall Room. It was amazing. It was a little scary at times, but I had my brave guide Jonathan to help me. I am actually glad I did it. But do not ask me to do it again.

In the Meantime

2006-08-17T17:09:00.000-05:00

We just got back from Branson and I have a lot I want to share, but not enough time right now. In the meantime, go over to By The Way and read part of the story of me.

The Next Two Weeks

2006-08-07T17:48:00.000-05:00

We have not had our official "vacation" yet this summer, we decided to pack it all into the last two weeks before school starts. Seems logical, right?

Sooooo...Wednesday we are going to get up bright and early and drive to Dallas. We are going to visit the Boy Scout museum in Dallas and have dinner in Ft. Worth. It is Mark's birthday, so he gets to choose the place. Thursday we are going to get up early and drive to Waco to see SG and the new little addition to her family. I can't wait to hold her! (Ella Kate, that is, not Stephanie.)

Friday we are scheduled to drive home and get ready to start the next leg of our vacation adventure. On Monday we are leaving for Branson, Missouri. Apparently my family and I are the only people left in the state of Arkansas who have not been to Branson. People are shocked when I tell them I have never been. It is as if there must be something wrong with me that I have not made that pilgrimage yet. While what we have planned sounds like fun, I don't see myself becoming a Branson convert. I'll let you know when I get back. We will be back on Thursday night.

Friday the PTO Board is helping host a teacher luncheon, then school starts on Monday. And that is not the finish line, it is just another starting place.

New to Blogdom: Mom

2006-07-31T09:06:00.000-05:00

My mom has just published her first post in the blog world. I have been encouraging her to do this for a while. My sister and I have teased her for years telling her that she is much funnier and colorful in her writing than in person. She did not disappoint.

Check her out: By The Way

What I Wanted to Say

2006-07-28T11:19:00.000-05:00

I have wanted to mention something for a while. It has been on my mind and on my heart, but I could not find exactly the right words.

Antique Mommy has said it better than I ever could. Read her "Last Weekend in July" post to see what I mean.

Picture This: Summer

2006-07-14T10:48:00.000-05:00

Jonathan and Jackson lead the "Redbeards" at Cub Scout Day Camp.

Fishing Day at Scout Camp. With 20 or so people on a wooden pier, do you think the fish suspected anything?

Ready to tackle Magic Springs.

Jonathan at bat for the Oxford Learing baseball team.

Jackson at bat for Oxford Learning's softball team.

Thirteen Years (and Counting)

2006-07-10T09:58:00.000-05:00

Thirteen years ago today, I married my soul mate. Mark is a wonderful husband, the best father and an all-around great guy. I cannot imagine being married to anyone else.

I had an epiphany recently. It is the secret to a happy marriage. Once I thought of it, I realized it is also painfully obvious. Here it is: You have to marry the right person. Yep, that is it. There are things you can do to help improve a marriage, but there is nothing you can do to save a marriage to the wrong person.

I was 27 when we got married; Mark was a month short of 30. We had been dating for a little over a year. Our first date was in April of '92 at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. We got engaged in October of that year. It was not the world's most romantic proposal, but it worked! Besides, I already knew he was the right guy.
We were married in my hometown of Camden, Arkansas at the Maul Road Church of Christ. My sister and my friends from college were my bridesmaids. A bunch of crazy pilots were our groomsmen. I used to refer to our Best Man as the "worst man" because he got the nervous giggles during the ceremony and made everyone laugh. I know that does not sound that bad, but at the time it felt disastrous. The preacher also introduced Mark and I as "Mr. and Mrs. Mark Holyfield" (my maiden name). As we were leaving my parent's house to start our honeymoon, Mark realized he had lost his wedding ring! Nerves and exhaustion caught up with me and I said to my sister "this has been the worst day of my life." I seriously thought she was going to slap me. We eventually found the ring and enjoyed a honeymoon in Jamaica. Except for one thing. The second night of our honeymoon, I thought it would be romantic to take a moonlit stroll on the beach. I was walking along in about ankle deep water thinking we were just the picture of romance when I was stung (stung seems very inadequate a word - more like viciously attacked) by a jellyfish. Yee-ow!

Our first several years were a struggle financially. We were both working for the same small airline (that is how we met) and we were not making a lot of money. In 1997 I went to work for the Paint Horse Journal . I worked there for a year before God blessed us with our first child and a job for Mark at Southwest Airlines at just about the same time. I quit my job and became a stay-at-home-mom, the only job I ever really wanted. Not quite 2 1/2 years later we were blessed with our second child. Mark is the best father I could imagine for our boys.

I think I chose very well.

Happy 230th Birthday America!

2006-07-04T09:20:00.000-05:00

HAPPY FOURTH EVERYONE!

I am a real sap when it comes to the Fourth of July. I can't explain it, that is just who I am. It may have started when I was 10 and America was celebrating her Bicentennial. Can that really have been 30 years ago?

My family lived in Irving, Texas at the time and around there it was a big deal. People adopted fire hydrants and painted them as patriotic characters. (Did they do this other places?) I thought that was very creative and loved to check out the different ones. We went to the Cotton Bowl to watch the fireworks display that night.

Or it may have started before that. My dad used to wake us up on July 4th with the music of John Philip Sousa blaring from the stereo. (I could not make this stuff up.) It was an interesting way to start the day.

Then again, when we moved to Camden, Arkansas, we spent may July 4ths hanging out at the Country Club. We swam, ate hot dogs, swam some more and finally watched the fireworks. We went home happy, tired and sunburned.

Mark and I still laugh about the time we went to watch the fireworks over The Ballpark at Arlington with SG and her family. Her family consisted of Rob and Kolby at the time, but she was pregnant with Rhett. We got there late, took a wrong turn and ended up in a parking lot near the railroad tracks as our viewing spot. The kids had a great time, but the adults were all a little irritated at where we ended up when we had had such great plans. It is funny now.

Maybe the thing I enjoy so much about this day is the memories it recalls.

I hope everyone enjoys their day and makes some great memories.

Sitting on my Hands

2006-06-29T16:34:00.000-05:00

There is plenty going on in my life, or at least in the periphery, that would make interesting and humorous blog entries. The problem is that I cannot blog about them. Oh how I wish I could, but I really can't.

In the meantime Mark and I are trying to escape some of the insanity by taking the boys to Magic Springs tomorrow. It is Arkansas' amusement park. I have not been there in years, so I have no idea if it is any good. We'll see.

How Are You Today?

2006-06-18T13:17:00.000-05:00

How often do we say or hear that phrase on a daily basis? Usually I answer without thinking, or I might complain just a little. Something happened this morning that made me stop and think about my words.

A few months ago tragedy struck my church and my neighborhood. Earl McGhee was, I believe, struggling with terminal cancer. He and his wife lived in the same neighborhood as we do and we attended the same church. I did not really know them, but recognized Nina when I saw her. Earl was receiving treatment for his cancer in Little Rock, but they had come home for a few days. Nina left to run some errands here in town and while she was gone, Earl went out to the garage and shot himself.

I have seen Nina at church a few times since then, but always from a distance. She appeared to be doing well.

In the meantime, my busy life has rolled on. We have been taking the boys to this thing and that thing this summer. I have been having allergy issues and other pesky aches and pains. Last week we were all at Cub Scout Day Camp. Those were long, hot days. The boys and I were so tired that Saturday we did a lot of nothing. We are still tired today. Mark has been working a lot and when he is home he is busy mowing the grass or doing other necessary things around the house. It feels like we never have time to sit down and have a nice meal together at home.

This morning I came face to face with Nina McGhee. I looked at her and asked in all sincerity how she was doing. She replied that she was doing alright. And then she did the polite Southern thing and asked how was I doing? Looking at her and knowing what she had been through, I said "I am good." And I really meant it. Her polite question put things into perspective for me.

Despite all the craziness in my life right now, I would not change it. Life is good.

How are you today?

Quiet Time

2006-06-10T10:15:00.000-05:00

It is Saturday morning and my house is quiet. Strangely quiet. There are no cartoons blaring from the TV. No kids asking what's for breakfast. No husband snoring in the bed.

Last night after a softball game and a baseball game, the boys went home with Mark's parents. Early this morning Mark left for work. Corky (our dog) and I are home alone.

Mark has called once so far to check in. Jackson has called twice, once just to check in, another to fuss at me for not packing his flip-flops. My mother-in-law called to ask if they could take the boys to see "Cars". They are going to have a great time today.

They have barely been gone 12 hours and I miss them. I know I should enjoy this time. Relax or maybe get something productive done. I could clean their rooms and throw out all the little toys from fast food restaurants that they would not miss but cannot bare to throw out them selves. I could (and should) go grocery shopping, a task they hate and one I dread when they are both with me. I could schedule that massage, manicure and pedicure Mark and the boys gave me for Mother's Day.

I will probably not do any of those things. Soon I will take a shower and get dressed. Then I will check email. Again. Clean the kitchen. (Finger tapping, finger tapping...) As soon as it is reasonable, I will go get the boys. It is too quiet in this house.

Did I mention that I miss my boys?

Jackson the Tenderhearted

2006-05-23T19:40:00.000-05:00

Last night I read a great book to the boys. It was "Polar the Titanic Bear." According to the story, there was a little boy named Douglas Spedden on the Titanic who had a stuffed bear he named Polar. The Christmas after the sinking of the Titanic, Douglas's mother wrote the story of the bear and the boy and gave it to her son. It is a sweet story and is beautifully illustrated. All this sounds lovely, right?

Well, at one point Polar gets left in the lifeboat and before Polar and Douglas are reunited, the mother buys Douglas a brown bear to hold. When Polar is returned, the brown bear is forgotten. This is a very minor plot point to most readers, but not for my Jackson. Tears well up in his eyes and he buried his head in the covers. Then he started to sob. You see the problem, don't you? What happened to the brown bear? It was abandoned! Douglas did not love the brown bear.

We tried to tell him that someone else came along to love the brown bear. The story was not about the brown bear, it was about Polar. That did not seem to help. We decided that we might write our own story of what happened to the brown bear. He also decided that he would pretend one is his bears was the long forgotten bear. Jackson finally seems to be claiming down

In the meantime, all of this tenderheartedness had an effect on Jonathan. He got choked up about a missing toy of his. In a strangled voice, he said that it was important to him because Trevor (a friend from Texas) had given it to him. "I used to have friends in Texas, remember?" Oh geez! I knew there was no point in reminding him that if this toy was so important, he would not have lost it in the first place. He is very sentimental.

He finally decided that maybe if he cleaned his room, he would find the missing toy. There's a winning idea if I ever heard one. I probably could have scrounged around in there today and found it, but I did not want to take away the incentive I have right now.

I have not found the heart to tell him that our trip to see some of our Texas friends has been postponed. I strongly suspect that we will be visiting some part of Texas at least once this summer.

So Much to Do, So Little to Blog About

2006-05-19T08:28:00.000-05:00

Once again I am to the point where I think to myself, "I should blog about that." But when it comes down to getting it done, I can't really think of anything.

The biggest thing that has happened in the past week is that Jackson turned six-years-old. That snuck up on me so fast! My baby is 6!? NO! Not already! His birthday was on Wednesday, so he basically partied all week. We had a pizza party at school that day then took mini-cupcakes to church that night. On Saturday we had a Taekwondo birthday party. That was fun.

Speaking of Saturday, that morning we got up early and took our boys plus two other Cub Scouts to climb Pinnacle Mountain . One other mom went with us. The view was beautiful, but I am here to tell you, that was work! My right leg was so sore on Monday I was limping. I need to get more exercise. The Scouts earned a patch for their effort. What did I get? The satisfaction of tagging along.

The yearbooks that I have spent the last months working on arrived. We delivered them on Monday to some very excited kids. Then the question started: Are there any extras? Well, there were a few. Long story short - we sold out. I am happy that everyone wanted a book, and feel badly for those who were not able to get one. However, I am frustrated with some of the adults. The people who had the opportunity but chose not to order a book back in the fall and who now want one frustrate me. One person in particular specifically told me she did not care about getting a yearbook for her children. This week she decided she wanted TWO. Ugh! Think ahead people.

Then last night I got a call from a dear friend. Her daughter's July wedding is off. The fiancee called it off yesterday. Everyone is upset and in shock. I wish I had wise words to make everyone feel better, but I just don't. They all realize it is better that it happened now rather than later, but it hurts. I hurt for them.

One more week of school left. I am as ready as the boys are for summer vacation.

Men are Just Different

2006-05-08T09:02:00.000-05:00

Men and women are different. I realize this is not big news. I am the only female in my household. Even the dog is male, so I am well aware that males and females think differently. Every once in a while though, something happens that just makes me think: "a woman would never do that. In fact, a woman would never think to do that."

Case in point: I mentioned that our master bath was stopped up in a previous post. After the plumber came and did his thing and we had drainage again, the bathtub needed to be cleaned. The toilet had backed up into the tub, so it REALLY needed to be cleaned. I had a plan. I was going to don my rubber gloves and get a strong cleanser and go to work. I would then rinse and rinse using the faucet in the tub. Sounds reasonable, right? Well, I had to leave before the plumber was finished so Mark took it upon himself to clean the bathroom. Not that I am not grateful. I really am. But I had to laugh when I came home and found Mark dragging a garden house through the bedroom, into the bathroom in order to rinse out the tub. It just would never have occurred to me to do that. Only a man would think of that.

Toad Suck Daze 25th Anniversary!

2006-04-28T08:46:00.000-05:00

It is that time of year again. Next weekend is the 25th anniversary of Toad Suck Daze. You read it right, Toad Suck Daze. Around here it is a big deal. Seriously.

In other news:

Jackson had his first softball game last night. What he lacks in talent, he makes up for in enthusiasm. They had fun and are learning and that is all I really care about.

Any disaster that is going to happen in our house or life, starts as soon as Mark gets on a plane to go back to work. Last week it was a clog in our master bathroom. Yes, the whole room: toilet, tub and shower. I plunged, I ran a snake (something I will never do again), I tried everything except calling a plumber. Mark had fixed it before, so I waited until he got home. He called the plumber. Oh well, it is fixed now.

Jackson is going to have his 6th birthday soon. I cannot believe my baby is going to be 6! Where has the time gone?

The boys are going to have a busy summer. When I was a kid I can remember getting bored during the summer. Not going to happen to these boys. It is just crazy. A little boredom might do them good. In addition to their ongoing taekwondo lessons, they have Scout Day Camp for one week, swimming lessons for one week, an academic day camp for another week, Jonathan has a baseball camp for 3 days, plus they are playing softball and baseball. Mark asked me last night if we needed to sign them up for gymnastics classes. I just laughed.

Enjoy the weekend!

History Has a Way...

2006-04-21T08:40:00.000-05:00

Of repeating itself. When Jonathan lost his first tooth, it was a traumatic thing. For me. We went to see Shrek II and he apparently swallowed his tooth along with his popcorn. His first baby tooth! I cried as the movie started.

He also swallowed his third tooth. I was much calmer that time.

Earlier this week Jackson, my baby, had two loose teeth. This happened sooner than I expected, I was not ready. He went to school Tuesday with one VERY loose tooth. I was not surprised when he came up to me after school with the tooth in a tiny plastic treasure chest. I looked in and there it was, that precious first tooth. Then I closed the chest and handed it back to Jackson. What was I thinking?! When Jonathan got to us, Jackson opened the chest to show off his tooth - and he lost it. The tooth flew out of the chest and into the grass. We started pulling up grass and combing the area. We attracted several helpers, but we did not find the tooth. Not again! I guess I am not destined to have my children's first teeth. (And really, what would I do with them?)

Jackson has already lost his second tooth. He has the cutest gap and just the slightest lisp. I am going to take a picture of him this afternoon.

Oh, and that second tooth? It is in a Ziploc bag, where I hope it is safe.

A Blast from my Past

2006-04-15T15:31:00.000-05:00

A long time ago in a land far away...

Actually, it was about 1968 in a tiny Virginia town in the Blue Ridge Mountains, so that fits. My parents and I (this was B.S. - before siblings) moved into a duplex next to another young couple with a child a few months younger than me. The two couples became good friends and did everything together. "Chip" and I were playmates since before I can even remember. We went to each others birthday parties, played at one another's houses, had tea parties, played G.I. Joe together and were one another's first "boyfriend/girlfriend." (It reminds me very much of how Jonathan and SG's Kolby are.) In a strange coincidence, both families moved to Charlotte, N.C. and continued the friendship for several more years.

I don't remember who moved first, but they moved to South Carolina and we moved to Texas. Our mothers kept in touch, but Chip and I did not correspond. Eventually our mothers lost touch too.

I always wondered what happened to Chip and his family. When the internet came along, I tried now and then to find him on people searches. I sent a couple of emails, but they must have been the wrong person. Last week I typed his name into the search area on Classmates.com and there he was. This "Chip" included his real name, the years were right and he was listed as graduating high school in South Carolina. This had to be my old friend. I sent a cautious message through Classmates, wondering if I would hear anything back. I got a reply later that day! He was surprised and thrilled that I had tracked him down. We are emailing back and fourth now trying to catch up on more years than I can believe. It is just so nice to find a connection like that. We both have very fond memories of that time.

This experience has strengthened my reslove to stay in touch with our Texas friends. I don't want Jonathan and Kolby to have to search for one another someday. Even if they loose touch, I pray Stephanie and I won't. Like the old song says: Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.

Spring Fever

2006-04-11T11:54:00.000-05:00

The weather is beautiful here and I cannot get motivated to blog about anything. It is not true Spring Fever, because I am actually getting some things accomplished around the house. Finally. It is just the computer that is not getting my attention. This is the first day it has been on for a few days. That could be a record.

The boys have a different version of Spring Fever though. Jackson has decided that he does not want to go to school. Ever. Jonathan would much prefer it if school started about 9 a.m. and I have to agree. I am trying to motivated them this week by reminding them that they each have a field trip on Friday. The Kindergarteners are going to the Little Rock Zoo and the Second graders are going to see something at the IMAX theater, also in Little Rock. This means, obviously, that I need to be in two places at the same time. We finally decided that Mark would go with Jonathan, since the IMAX is close to the airport and Marks has to fly later that day. I get to go to the zoo. Yippee.

I have not been to the Little Rock Zoo in many years. It was not great then, but maybe it has gotten better. My boys have been to the Fort Worth Zoo several times, and it is fantastic. Maybe Jackson does not remember it very well and won't be too disappointed.

Enjoy the Spring weather.

Family Tradition

2006-04-03T09:20:00.000-05:00

The first Saturday in April my family participates in the annual Martinville Cemetery Clean-up and Potluck Lunch. This is significant in my family because the tiny town of Martinville, Arkansas is where my father's family is from and many generations of family are buried in the cemetery there. My great-great-great grandfather is buried there. Both of my paternal grandparents were from there, so my dad, aunt, my siblings, children and I are related to more people there than most. So it is sort of a family reunion every year.

I have to confess I have not fully appreciated this gathering until recently. As a teenager I just did not care. But I am hoping to instill a sense of history and love of family in my boys early on. They had a great time Saturday, so it is going well so far.

The potluck lunch is a good enough reason to go even if you don't have anyone buried there. My mother and I discussed the idea that we should put together a cookbook. We are still working on the title though. "The Martinville Cemetery Cookbook" just does not sound all that appealing.

Here are a few pictures from Saturday:

Jonathan and Jackson with their cousin, my niece, Ella. Ella is my brother's daughter.

Jonathan and Ella by the headstone of their great-great grandparents.

My (great) Uncle Buddy Jones and my Aunt Sharon Gaskin.

Grady Martin, Robert Holyfield (my dad), Becky McCollum and Luana Beene. Grady and Becky are first cousins. They are my dad's second cousins. Luana is my dad's second cousin once removed. I had to draw a chart to figure all this out. Luana is a teacher at the boys school, but I did not know we were related until Saturday.

The Rock

2006-03-27T10:36:00.000-06:00

Thursday afternoon as I was sitting in the St. Louis airport, my cell phone rang. When I answered Mark asked me, with panic in his voice, "where are your tweezers?" Right away, I know this cannot be good. Trying to stay calm, I tell him that my tweezers are in my suitcase sitting beside me. "WHY?"

"Well, Jonathan put a pebble in Jackson's ear and we cannot get it out." The boys had tried to get it out before telling Mark, and probably pushed it farther in.

Plan B: Take Jackson to my parents house and see if Gran can get it out. My mother is standing at the ready when they get there with 2 different sterilized tweezers. No go.

Plan C: The emergency room at the local hospital. (Now remember, I am stuck in St. Louis while my baby makes his first trip to the ER. I am holding my cell phone willing it to ring with news that the rock is out and everything is fine.) Finally Mark calls....the ER doctor cannot get it out.

Plan D: He will have to see an ENT specialist. Tomorrow. Jackson is the only one of us who has been to an ENT doctor, so we get an appointment with his doctor for noon Friday. Jackson is not in pain, so he sleeps and goes to school the next day with the rock in his ear.

Having the right tool made all the difference. Rock gets extracted and Jackson goes back to school with the rock in a baggie to show everyone.

Happy Spring Break!

A Helping Hand...I Hope

2006-03-20T08:16:00.000-06:00

This afternoon I am flying to Bethesda, Maryland with my sister and my niece. Caroline is going to her second round of therapy at the Spectrum Center. Caroline is 3 1/2 and has PDD (Pervasive Development Disorder). It is a Autisim spectrum disorder, which means she has many autisic-like symptoms. She does not talk and that is what we are hoping this therapy can help. The therapy is call the Tomatis method and it is very interesting, although I do not fully understand it.

For the first round, the family drove up there and spent three weeks. My brother-in-law, Larry, could not go this time so Jennifer enlisted my help so they could fly up there. Caroline has never flown before, so this could be interesting.

If you read this, please pray that we have a safe, uneventful flight and that this therapy will help Caroline. She is a beautiful little girl and it is hard to see her struggle. It is also very difficult to see how hard this has been on my sister.

I will be back Thursday night. Have a great week.

Worried?

2006-03-17T11:01:00.000-06:00

Is anyone else out there getting paranoid over the Doomsday-like predictions of an inevitable pandemic from avian influenza?

Mark told me that some experts are predicting that up to a quarter of the population could die. My mother said she heard 50 percent! They are saying that we could run out of food, clean water, have no electricity, etc. People who work at the Center for Disease Control are reportedly stocking up on non-perishable food items and water so that they can essentially hibernate at home.

I do not want to believe this could happen, but do I want to take that chance? My husband is a believer in "better safe than sorry". I know he will be as prepared as he possibly can be.

Obviously, if half the population dies, it would greatly affect the way we all live. Anyone else worried or planning?

It was Fantastic!

2006-03-10T09:38:00.000-06:00

It's true that you can't always get what you want, and sometimes you can't get no satisfaction. Last night however I got what I wanted and I was satisfied. I know it's only rock and roll, but I like it. In fact last night I loved it. Mark and I saw the Rolling Stones last night. They played for just over 2 hours and blew us away. I was exhausted from singing, dancing and screaming from my seat. I do not know how Mick and the boys do it.

The crowd was pretty interesting too. There were people in their 60' and 70's down to elementary age kids. More on that later. Right now I am tired and have to be up late again tonight, so I am going to take a nap.

Third Generation Fans

2006-03-08T10:12:00.000-06:00

In 1973 my parents went to see the Rolling Stones at Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. I remember stories about my mother getting her first glimpse of Mick Jagger and then grabbing my Dad by the hand and dragging him closer to the stage.

In 1994, for our first anniversary, Mark and I bought tickets to see the Stones in Little Rock. The Rolling Stones had never been to Little Rock before, so this was an historic moment. It was held in War Memorial Stadium which is an open air football stadium. It was misting rain that might and the news helicopters were hovering overhead to capture footage for their 10:00 broadcasts. It was all very surreal.

Tomorrow night Mark and I are going to see them again. I am so excited! This time they will be performing in Alltel Arena, a relatively new venue. We figure this is most likely their last tour, so we wanted to be there. Turns out, my children want to be there too.

Yesterday Jonathan asked me why I did not buy tickets for them too. They will tell you that the Rolling Stones are the greatest rock 'n roll band in the world. I have raised them right.

They asked me this morning at breakfast if I thought people would still be listening to the Stones when they (my boys) were adults. I have to say I think they will be.

Maybe they will raise a fourth generation of fans.

Spring is Springing All Around.

2006-03-04T13:13:00.000-06:00

I love Spring. The weather gets warmer, things start to grow. I just love it.

A couple of days ago, as Mark and the boys were leaving for school, Jonathan ran back in to the house and said "Mama, come quick." He want me to see that we had a daffodil blooming in the front flower bed. I noticed today that all the trees in the back yard have buds on them. Then later this morning we went on a little hike near the Arkansas River. It was wonderful. (Except for the part where I fell down and hurt myself.) We saw all kinds of things starting to put out new growth.

We walked the Tollantusky Trail.

We took Corky with us. We all enjoyed the walk and the views.

Overlooking the Arkansas River. Near here was a stop on the Trail of Tears. Got in a little history lesson for the boys.

See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come.” Song of Songs 2:10-12

We Did It!

2006-03-03T18:03:00.000-06:00

Just a little over 24 hours ago, my co-yearbook coodinator and I finished the yearbook. We are so excited and relieved, you cannot imagine. I have enjoyed being up at the boys' school taking pictures and being involved. It has been nice to get to know more kids through this project. We were even crazy enough to agree to do it again next year. But right now it is a huge relief to have it done.

We are pretty proud of our selves. We worked hard to try to get every child in the book. Unless they are very new to the school, they are in there to the best of our knowledge. Some kids seem to pop up in lots of pictures, while others we had to hunt down and get a "candid" of them. I'm sure that someone will complain about something when the book is distributed, but for now we are happy.

Now I can work on the mountain of laundry that has been building for a couple of weeks. Oh yeah.

Setting an Example?

2006-02-27T15:58:00.000-06:00

Saturday night Cub Scout Pack 400, of which Jonathan is a member and Mark is the leader, had its annual Blue & Gold Banquet. Blue & Gold Banquets are held every February to celebrate the anniversary of Cub Scouting. It is kind of a big deal, or at least we try to make it one. This year we had a buffet style dinner, a guest speaker, a slide show, a skit or two and then awards were given out. Parents, grandparents, cousins, friends, etcetera are invited.

I am getting to a point here. Our speaker was a representative of Friends of Scouting. Now, to be perfectly honest, he is not the most exciting speaker. Many of us heard him last year. Twice. And he is there asking for money, but we do get something out of it. Here is the problem: you could barely hear the man because of the noise in the room. Rowdy Scouts? Bratty siblings? Bad acoustics? No, none of these things were the biggest problem. The biggest issue was chatty parents! Mark now feels he owes the FOS man an apology because the parents were so badly behaved. Seriously people, how do you expect your children to learn how to behave if you do not set the proper example for them? Mark is also wondering if he needs to bring this up at the next meeting.

Thanks for letting me get this off my chest.