Speaking of Rain

Ariel posted a quote on ForMyMoma Friday..."Life isn't about waiting for the storms to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain." Then this morning I received an email from a friend about this family @ Bring on the Rain and I must pass it on to you. It is touching and beautiful. It is sad. They are truly learning to dance in the rain.

Morning time is the greatest...

Because it is full of smiles, goos and gaas, energy and squeals of delight!
It's the one time I wished I had a video camera.

Two weeks passed and she's five months...

Emme went to Pikeville last weekend. So...it's been two weeks since she last visited. She can click her tongue, she can make blow sounds vibrating her lips, she has found her feet and they seem to be her bestest friends, she kicks when she's excited and she is sweeter than she was...all in just two weeks.

A short visit...

My Washington Friend, Connie, who move to Missouri came to KY yesterday. I got to visit with her about four hours after work last night. Hadn't seen her since our trip out west in 2004. I remember meeting her at church when Ariel was 3 or 4. I met my friend of 36 years, Deb, in church and my friend of 19 years, Connie in church. Pretty cool. Faithful friends.Matter of fact, I recently got to visit with my friend Deb, who now lives in Texas, too.

I am blessed.

One more giant step...

Three weeks at the range...OMG, what would I have done if it were four!? I am beat up! I am firearms / shotgun qualified...and getting more excited as time passes. I'm so thankful we were at the range in spring. The first two weeks it rained so much that the paper targets were "melting" off the frames. The third week...glorious sunshine. Hawks were flying over...groundhogs coming out watching us practice...blossoms floating through the air like snow.

Just wished I had more time to get things done...Looking at a graduation date of August 8th. Subject to change...but gives hope.

Quote worth sharing:
Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, satan shudders & says..."Oh no....she's awake!!"

TWENTY THINGS TO REMEMBER

It's the beginning of another week...I'm hoping to stick with positive thinking...thought I'd share with you.

1. Faith is the ability to not panic.

2. If you worry, you didn't pray. If you prayed, don't worry.

3. As a child of God, prayer is kinda like calling home every day.

4. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.

5. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God wants us to be still so He can untangle the knot.

6. Do the math. Count your blessings.

7. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

8. Dear God: I have a problem. It's me.

9. Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.

10. Laugh every day - it's like inner jogging.

11. The most important things in your home are the people.

12. Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional. (Preach it!)

13. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open. Come on in.

14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.

15. He who dies with the most toys is still dead.

16. We do not remember days but moments. Life moves too fast so enjoy your precious moments.

17. Nothing is real to you until you experience it; otherwise it's just hearsay. 18. It's all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done.

19. Surviving and living your life successfully requires courage. The goals and dreams you're seeking require courage and risk-taking. Learn from the turtle, it only makes progress when it sticks out its neck.

20. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. Your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting. Leave gentle fingerprints on the soul of another for the angels to read. I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.

Robin Williams says,“Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!"

A visit from Molly...

I see Papa in her, I see Rosie in her, I see Grandma Connie in her, I see a duplicate of Anna...

No More Oatmeal Kisses

I was feeding Emily some cereal tonight and remembered a poem by Erma Bombeck.

It's worth reading. Time passes so quickly...not too long ago I was feeding Emily's Daddy cereal.No More Oatmeal Kisses

One of these days you’ll shout, "Why don’t you kids grow up and act your age!" And they will. Or, "You guys get outside and find yourselves something to do...and don’t slam the door!" And they won’t.

You’ll straighten up the boys’ bedroom neat and tidy: bumper stickers discarded, bedspread tucked and smooth, toys displayed on their shelves. Hangers in the closet. Animals caged. And you’ll say out loud, "Now I want it to stay this way." And it will.

You’ll prepare a perfect dinner with a salad that hasn’t been picked to death and a cake with no finger traces in the icing and you’ll say, "Now there’s a meal for company." And you’ll eat it alone.

You’ll say, "I want complete privacy on the phone. No dancing around. No demolition crews. Silence! Do you hear?" And you’ll have it.

No more plastic tablecloths stained with spaghetti. No more bedspreads to protect the sofa from damp bottoms. No more gates to stumble over at the top of the basement steps. No more clothespins under the sofa. No more playpens to arrange a room around.

No more anxious nights under a vaporizer tent. No more sand in the sheets or Popeye movies in the bathroom. No more iron-on patches, rubber bands for ponytails, tight boots or wet knotted shoestrings.

Imagine. A lipstick with a point on it. No baby-sitter for New Year’s Eve. Washing only once a week. Seeing a steak that isn’t ground. Having your teeth cleaned without a baby on your lap.

No PTA meetings. No car pools. No blaring radios. No one washing her hair at 11 o’clock at night. Having your own roll of Scotch tape.

Think about it. No more Christmas presents out of toothpicks and library paste. No more sloppy oatmeal kisses. No more tooth fairy. No giggles in the dark. No knees to heal, no responsibility. Only a voice crying, "Why don’t you grow up?" and the silence echoing, "I did."

And the winner is...

Silas!!!!!

Silas won second place in his very first Hapkido tournament today!!! Wish I could have been there! He is a yellow belt...and is due to test for his orange belt. Today he broke two boards...One with a inside axe kick and one with an elbow break.
Did it hurt? Yes, it hurt...but it didn't stop him!

He does 20 pushups / 20 set ups a day, he tells, his Mimi.

"The trophy is almost is big as my car!"

"I'm gonna take it to school on Monday...and it's probably gonna stick out of my backpack!"

Silas, Mimi and Papa are sooooo very proud of you!!!! "Three cheers for the winner!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Sb8YxGz_Lo

(Example of an inside axe kick)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqXzzcPXmjU

(Example of an elbow break)
PS -Silas, let me know if this are not the right examples! :O)

Silas up to his elbows in winnings!

Teenagers are God's revenge on parents...

Heard a comedian saysomething to the effect of: "Teenagers are God's revenge on parents..." You HAVE to check it out...@ http://tsl1.thoushaltlaugh.com/?com_sel=4&mov_id==



BTW, these photos were taken Sunday, March 2nd...six days before the snow photos...Crazy KY weather!

“Grandchildren are God's reward for not killing your children.”

A Snowy Day Ride...