What a Week!!!

This is one of those weeks that is amazing and emotional on several different levels. I could not decide what to write about so I decided it might be a week for a top ten post. So here goes. My top ten events for the week:

10. Last Saturday we went to my Aunt's 91st birthday party. She looks much younger than 91 years, still is at home, and has a great mind and attitude. She makes getting old look easy.

9. We got some more rain with a beautiful lightning show Saturday night.

8. Sporting events with the grandchildren was fun. Soccer games and baseball games of a 4 year old, 5 year old, and 7 year old will touch your heart.

7. Inservice on Monday with Gloom and Doom was the downer for the week. Our school is in severe financial problems, and some of us will be losing our jobs next year. This caused me to go through many different emotions in a 24 hour period, but I will say that God spoke to me very boldly in my Bible study this day. What an awesome God we serve!

6. Homecoming activities and dress up days is one of the many reasons why I still love teaching at middle school.

5. Homecoming Parade in a small town is like no other.

4. Homecoming Pep Rally in a small town is also like no other. In my 35 years of education, this was absolutely the BEST pep rally ever. Thanks to so many talented people, sponsors, and teachers.

3. Saturday night, we went to a Larry Gaitlin/Kenny Rogers concert. Kenny Rogers has been one of my favorites for 30 years. He still can sing a love song that will stir your heart. The concert was no disappointment. We had great family time with one of Rick's first cousins and Diana and Rick. The cousin is such a delight to be with.

2. The answer to fervent prayer - Rick Ferguson is gaining movement and some of his eye sight back in his eye that he lost during his brain cell implosion. I probably prayed more for this than anything I can remember in years. What an awesome God we serve. I believe I have already said this once in this post.

1. I got the phone call from Greg that I have been expecting in some form or fashion since February. A girl finally took his heart. He knew in February after knowing her for less than two weeks that she was the one. They have been jet-setting for 8 months. Each Monday I have been expecting a phone call from him that says they eloped. He prepared me from the beginning that this marriage would be an elopement. So this Monday - I did get the phone call. However, it was to tell me that they were going to elope November 25, one day before he turns 30, in Santa Fe. But the fantastic news is that I am invited. This is one proud Mother. I will write more about this romance/wedding later. But for know thanks, Lisa, for loving my son.

With tears in my eyes as I finish this post, I say again:

What an AWESOME God we serve!

Happy Anniversary, Rick

Happy FIFTH Anniversary!

Rick, hopefully sometime this month you will check my blog and find this post for you!

A wedding anniversary is the celebration of love, 

trust, partnership, 

tolerance, and tenacity. 

The order varies for any given year (day).

I found this quote and thought this summarizes our relationship. Thanks for loving me (and tolerating the open closet doors and the lights left on)! As far as my favorite saying, "I love you bunches!"

Ashley + Jake = Marriage

Ashley and Jake got married this weekend at the cabin in the mountains. It meant different things to different people. For us it was the last of the road trips this summer to the cabin. We had already been several time in preparation for the wedding (building the deck). The weather was brisk on Friday - almost chilly. The weather for the outside wedding on Saturday was perfect.

The finished deck ready for the rehearsal dinner.

Abby posing with the wedding decorations.

A deer visiting at the deck early one morning.

The historical St. James Hotel - the reception site.

Jenna and Jared chilling.

Rick and I in the "picture".

Rick 

My first windmill picture.

The wedding was great; the bride was beautiful; and visiting with friends and family was fun. An added bonus was getting a camera lesson from the photographers, Toni Hedrick Clark and Denise Piyshack.
My wish for Jake and Ashley is that they will always be as happy as they are now. May their love grow and that they will cherish their time together forever.

Ashley + Jake = Marriage

Summer is Over

Summer is over and back to work I go. As I have said in several of the blogs this summer is that this is a stay-at-home vacation with projects. I am happy to say that most of them are finished and look great. Here are a few of the projects finished:
The outdoor kitchen.
The game room, which I now call the sitting room.  It was redone from ceiling to floor.
The home surveillance system, where we can watch the house when we are not there.
The deck at the Streetman-Harris cabin in New Mexico.
Sidewalks and drain.
Almost finished projects:
The multi-purpose building – shop, garage, and barn.
Television mounted on the patio.
Just started project: Pipe and cable fence around the house.

The Last Week of Summer Break

     Technically this is the last week of my summer break. It has been a very different summer, as I have eluded to several times. We did not do any summer vacations or a summer mission trip. We did do the traditional Fourth activities. We were at the mountain cabin Memorial Day to start the summer, and if nothing changes we will go there at the end of this week. Rick F. started the summer off with a blood clot and a brain tumor implosion with two hospital stays, and he will end the summer with another hospital visit this Thursday to get his gall bladder removed.
     Rick and I were hardly idle this summer. This summer was our summer of many projects. I will later  add pictures and the infamous list of al the projects. I am slowly getting in the groove of school by working a little here and there. I must confess, thanks to Jerry, I have a new addiction - Spider. This is a version of Solitaire. Instead of reading this summer, when I had a little free time I would be found playing this game. In fact, that is why I did not have as many posts as I usually do. If I will close now, I have just enough time for one more game.

Today in History

Today is a very special day to me. This is the day that my sister, who is also my very best friend, was born. I know without a doubt how lucky I am to have her in my life. We were raised as twins, did literally everything together, and still do. We are made fun of because we share food, candy, and donuts (when we worked together). I was very tempted to include a picture of her, but I knew that she would get even. So, Happy Birthday, Diana! Thanks for the memories.

Fourth of July, 2012

The Fourth of July holiday was just as expected - good family, friends, food, and fireworks. We got to spend time with all the kids and the many friends that stopped by to visit or purchase fireworks. The boys put on three great shows. The show in Van Alstyne will go down as the memorable one this year. Here are just a few pictures from the weekend.