This and That

Hi All- it is Tuesday night in Maytown and all is well. I have just returned from taking Mary to the doctor. She had to have an endoscopy- they were checking her esophagus for damage. The doctor said she had very minimal damage, and that was good. They also discovered 4 small stomach ulcers, and put her on medicine. She will see the transplant doctor next week. The gastro doctor did not know what her transplant status was, but he hoped that they could get her moved up even higher on the list.
We had a great week at camp, but I am glad to be home. Working the kitchen is not easy, but it is rewarding.
My UWA classes are going well. 2 of my classes had assignments due yesterday, so I had a lot of grading to do. I still have a few "non-believers" who have yet to submit their assignments.
David has now lost almost 54 pounds, and I have lost almost 64. Together we have lost a person. Sad, isn't it? I am discarding clothes left and right. It's funny- for about the first 50 pounds I had some clothes that I could keep on wearing- then after the 50 pound mark, things began to get big. I have enjoyed shopping, but I am not going over-board because I hope what I have now will soon be too big.
I hope everyone is having a great week!

Tagged by Katie
The jest of it ~ This idea came from the book by Larry Smith and Rachel Fershleiser called Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure. The book is a compilation that is based on the story that Hemingway once bet ten dollars that he could sum up his entire life in just six words. His words? For Sale: baby shoes, never worn.Here are the rules:1. Write your own six word memoir.2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like.3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.4. Tag five more blogs with links.5. And don’t forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!

Make a difference, while you can.

Life here is so temporary. If we live to be 100, that will be short at best. So, we all need to make a difference while we can. Sometimes it is just the little things that matter. No kindness. no matter how small, usually goes unnoticed.
I tag-
Phyllis
Lynn
Pam
Emily
Mary
Have a great day and believe it or not, I am posting from ICYC- the greatest place on earth, where I hope I am making a difference!

In Memory of Mother

Velma Grubbs Melton

February 16, 1912- June 15, 1998

10 Years

You can only have one mother, patient, kind and true;

No other friend in all the world, Will be the same to you.

When other friends forsake you,To mother you will return,

For all her loving kindness, She asks nothing in return.

As we look upon her picture, Sweet memories we recall,

Of a face so full of sunshine, And a smile for one and all.

Sweet Jesus, take this message, To our dear mother up above;

Tell her how we miss her, And give her all our love.

Since I will be at camp on Sunday, I wanted to make this post while I had time. While I know that these are just words, I always find that by posting a poem it makes me think of Mother. Can it be that it has been 10 years since I last held her hand, had a conversation with her, shared family news, discussed what was happening in the world? I still miss my mother every day of my life. I remember that Mother expressed to me how she still missed her mother, and she had been dead for 3o years at that time. I know now how that feels. It is an emptiness and a longing. I am so thankful that I had a Mother who loved and cared for me. What a blessing. While 10 years at times seems so short, it seems it has been forever since I have heard Mother's voice. I can close my eyes and be right back at her bedside, watching her breathe her last breath, but when I try to hear her voice, it seems so distant. I often try to hear it in my mind, but it is hard. Ten years- so short and yet so long. Mother, I love you.

Sleeping Beauty

By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea!

Well, believe it or not, I had a post ready to go and hit a button and deleted the whole thing- so here I go again.
We are having a great time in Destin. My conference is good, and I am done by early afternoon. Tomorrow I will be done before noon. David is enjoying himself (see his blog), and is out deep-sea fishing at the moment. He is with some of my co-workers, and former co-workers. Hopefully they will be kind to him!
I have been shopping. I went to Burkes (it is Beale's here) and bought a pair of denim capris and a 65 cent pair of jeans. I then went to Ross and bought a new skirt, a top, and a pair of black capris. I am in pretty good shape now with a few new things that fit. I am going to put something in writing that is out of my character- I bought size 20's! I have not worn a 20 in forever. Now for my skinny readers, this sounds huge, I know, but to me, a recovering size 26-28, it seemed unreal! I can't believe I just put my clothes size in print!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I better hurry and post before I decide against it. Seriously, I have done fairly well this week. There have been food challenges, but I have managed. I have not been perfect, but I have not been bad. Food issues are so complex. I pray I can keep this weight off, this time. Been there, done that so many times. I have so much to live for, and while I still have good health I need to conquer this addiction. Next week, working in the kitchen at camp, will be a bigger obstacle. I seriously hope to maintain and not gain. Then I will have a few weeks before our family vacation to try to drop a few more pounds.
Well, enough of that. I have to go pick David up in a little while. I hope he has some fish!!

Happy Sunday Morning, to All!

Well, it is Sunday morning, and VBS 2008 is now history. I can't believe how weeks come and go. We had a good VBS although our attendance was down some from last year. We have been hit hard by moves in the past year. While we seem to be holding our own, we can't seem to get "ahead". We lose one family of 4 and we get one- that seems to be the story. Speaking of losing,this morning will be our first morning without Daryl, Becky, and Emily. I am not certain about Rachel- I think she is going to try to keep coming for a while at least- but it is a drive for her and she will be by herself, so I don't know if she will keep it up or not. She said she would see how it went. I am sad thinking about them being gone. They will, of course, continue to be a part of our lives, but reality is, it will not be the same. Daryl came by yesterday to bring my new glasses, and he was exhausted- moving is not easy.
This week will find us in sunny Destin, Florida for my annual Nuts and Bolts Symposium for Middle Level Education. This is the third year that I have attended and it is a great program. What is really great is that it is basically a morning program and you are done by early afternoon. Then the rest of the day is yours, and there is great shopping, eating, fishing, beach, etc! We have stayed in the same condo for the past 2 years and we will be in the same one this time. It is soooooo nice and it is beginning to feel real familiar. David gets to come along for the ride, and we have a great time. We are excited.
Yesterday was a banner day at my house- I saw the bottom of the laundry hamper. I mean the TOTAL bottom, with nothing in it. At one point everything in this house was clean. Sadly, at this point one day later, I could do another load!
Our camera came and we are in total love. I am going to post some photos later. I will try to post some from Destin.
Well, I need to move on. We are having some reshuffling on Sunday School classes and I may have to "pinch-hit" this morning. Daryl and Becky both taught on Sunday morning and we have had to find teachers to take their place. David is moving to the teenage class on Sunday morning- something he has missed terribly. He loves teaching the teens.
Have a great week- and pray for us as we travel. There are a lot of crazy drivers out there, talking on cell phones, and playing with their CD players, etc., so everyone be careful.

Having fun in the summer sun!

What a great day- I did not have to go anywhere! I spent about an hour floating in the pool and would have stayed longer had I not been bit on my hind side by some type of stinging insect. It may have been a wasp or a horsefly- it left a pretty bad mark, whatever it was. Anyway, that did not ruin my joy at having nothing pressing to do.
Sunday was a wonderful day. We were honored by the congregation for our 30 years at Sylvan Springs. Daniel and Mandi were here, so all of our kids were present. Paul, Daniel, and Josh all spoke. I think Paul and Daniel had their speeches written, so I may get them and post them. Josh spoke from "the cuff" and of course, there was not a dry eye. I found out on Saturday, in an effort to keep David out of the building. He had not a clue. We were presented a beautiful outdoor lamppost. I am excited about having it installed. Thanks to everyone-I know it was a lot of hard work.
We are in the midst of VBS. What fun. The kids are all having such a great time, and the adults are too.
David and I took MaMa to Jasper yesterday and had her an upper denture made and we all had our eyes checked and got new glasses ordered. David and I picked out some frames that we were told made us look "younger". That should be interesting!
Addi finished her ball season. We now look forward to soccer. I believe Levi might be playing, so that should be fun. In sad news, one of the ballpark children drowned this past Saturday at one of the end of the year team parties. He would have been starting first grade. We have known this family since Kim was Addi's age. The little boy's aunt and uncle were part of Addi's coaching staff this season, and Kim played ball with the aunt. The grandmother actually helped coach and All-Star team that Kim was on and David was the head coach. It has been a sad event.
My summer classes at UWA officially begin next Monday. I already have a full roster in 2 of the classes, and my internship class has 16 on roll. I imagine there will be a few more to register between now and Monday. Woo Hoo- nice check!!!
I better go- I am cooking supper- baked chicken, green beans, low-calorie squash dish, and WW cornbread. The joy of being home- a great meal.
Oh yes- I am excited!!!! We have ordered a new camera. We have had a couple of little digital cameras that I have tolerated, but I wanted a good camera. Some of the photos that people post on their blogs are so great and I wanted to "compete", so we bit the bullet and bought what we hope will fit the bill.
Have a great day!

Happy Anniversary

Today marks Kim and Paul's 10th anniversary. We love them so much and are proud of them and wish for them many more years to enjoy their family and one another. A good marriage is to be cherished. Paul has been a blessing to our family and I know that God in Heaven had a hand in their "finding" each other. Kim is one of the greatest joys of my life and she is a good wife and mother.
On another note- David is at UAB ER with Josh. He called a little before 4 this morning and said his back was killing him. He has not felt well this week having strept throat and some other pain that he thought might be a muscle pull or something. Anyway, David called me about 5 and said they thought he had a kidney stone or stones. They were doing an ultrasound/CAT scan. I have heard that kidney stones are painful, and many people compare the pain to childbirth. I guess only a woman who had given birth and had kidney stones could testify to that. Josh has never had any problem with stones, so I pray that this will be his one and only encounter. I hope to hear from them soon. Since it was the middle of the night, Katie stayed with Hannah. Hopefully once they see what is going on we will know which way to go.
I made it to WW last night and I had lost 2.8 making my total 61.4. I thought I would never hit that 60 mark. Despite parties and special occasions, I have managed to hold on. I know we have so many times when food is in abundance, so I just have to compensate during the "regular" times. My closet is getting pretty sparce, as I have had to discard at least 1/2 of my clothing. I have a Mother's Day gift card from Josh and Katie to Cato's and as soon as I have time I am going to go pick me out a new outfit. It is funny, but when I go look at clothes, I keep looking at the same size that I have been buying. It is hard to buy a smaller size for some reason. Thank goodness for jeans and t-shirts that take a while to get too big.
Last night we received a call from our sweet Brianna Montagano. She wanted to be baptized. Within about 30 minutes we managed to pull together a nice little group to witness this important and special moment. We love Bri and are so proud of her decision to put on Christ in baptism. She is a special girl.
I hope you all have a great day. Pray for Josh today.

Musings of a Proud Mom

Let me start by saying, I know I have been a blog slacker. It’s not that I haven’t had anything to say, it’s just that I have not had time to say it- and also, they have blocked our ability to post on Blogger from work. Imagine that!
Life has been busy. Kim and family spent a week during their bathroom remodel. The kids were good and I miss the big greeting I got every afternoon when I came home. Levi makes you feel like you have been away at war or something.
I am still plugging away at the weight thing. Last week saw a whopping one pound and I think this week has been about the same. I am going to miss WW tonight because Addi has a ballgame and I have some things I need to do. I will be back next week. I do think I have hit the 60 pound mark, but with Memorio Day (as Addi calls it) coming up, that might be a challenge.
The pool is open and I am working on getting the water clear. That is always a challenge because I like it to sparkle. Hopefully by Monday it will be blue and clear. It is on its way. We hope to get this year out of the pool and maybe upgrade a little and re-do our decks, etc. Everything costs so much.
On another proud Mother note- On Sunday Josh and Paul will be installed as deacons. I am so proud of both of them. They are good boys and I know they will do well in the position. Lord willing I know that one day they will both serve as elders. When my boys were little I used to think about wanting them to be leaders in the Lord’s church- and both have taken on roles and responsibilities in that field. I know that Paul’s parents are proud of him, as well. We will also have two new elders, Marty Glenn and Mark Wylie, and another new deacon in Brian Maddox. I am proud of all of them, as well. I have watched Mark and Brian grow up and it is a wonderful feeling to see them take on this position.
I hope all of you have a great week’s end and hold on- the long weekend is coming!

Mother's Day

Well, tomorrow is the day set aside to honor mothers. I feel honored every day, so I don't really need a special day. I have the best kids in the world and I am so thankful for all three of them. They are not perfect, but who is? They are pretty perfect to me, for certain. I can't imagine my life without my kids. I thank God for them every day of my life. I am proud of what they have become and when I look at the world around me, I know how blessed I am to have such good kids.
My kids have always given me sweet, beautiful cards and expressed their love in so many ways- but yesterday I had a little group of kids do something that brought me to tears. Our Hispanic population at school now stands at about 20. These kids are so sweet. They love the library, and there is hardly a day goes by that I do not see at least 15 of the 20. They love books. They are working so hard on their English, and I am working on my Spanish. We sometimes communicate with hand signals, but we manage to get by. Well, I had gone to the office and my clerk and my "Doctor" intern were in the library when the entire group came in looking for me. Dr. Martin told them I had stepped to the office, and she told me off they went to find me. Now we have a fairly small office, but somehow all 20 of those kids got into the office to present me with a candle and an artificial rose for Mother's day. That had to be the most beautiful "flower" I have ever received. Then they all, one by one, hugged me with such passion. I wept. I felt like more of a "teacher" on yesterday than in all my years. What a wonderful day.

A Whopping....

2 pounds. Slow and steady...boy that seems slow, but the total is now 57.8 pounds.

Sunday Afternoon Thoughts

I have been blogging on Thursdays to give a WW update, but did not get to go this week because I went to Quintown with David. He preached in their revival this past week and I went every night. I don't often get to go every night when he is preaching away, but I did this time. I will get back to WW this week (while I did not have an official weigh-in, I have lost several more pounds according to my scales). David hit the 45 pound mark this week- WOO HOO!!!! Continue to pray for us, and I am not saying that lightly. Losing weight is harder than gaining it, and keeping it off even harder. When I was a kid I used to think that when I got older that I would no longer like candy, cake, pie, all that sweet stuff- but guess what, that did not happen. I have a very strong desire to be around for many more years, and I know that losing weight might help to insure my years. Again, it might not. I really want to see my children grow old and my grandchildren grow up.
The past week was busy with the revival (David did a great job and the people were very kind, work, a little ballpark activity, and a day of shopping on yesterday. I am trying to do some laundry this afternoon, and a little dusting and vacuuming. The next few weeks look to be very busy, as well.
I am in the process of inventory at school- ugh!!! I can't get it done for the interruptions. I hope this week might be better, as I think several grades have field trips planned. I wish they would all go somewhere on the same day!!!!!
In other news, the cemetery that was vandalized this past week is the cemetery where my parents, grandparents (both sets), aunts, uncles, and cousins are buried. We went by to check that afternoon as David had to go to Quintown anyway. The row of markers behind my Daddy's parents graves had all been knocked over and broken. How sorry is that. The people they showed on TV that had been arrested gave the appearance of "inbreeding" if you get my drift. They looked pretty low-life. Anyway, we went back by on Thursday so that I could put flowers on Mother and Daddy's grave, and my grandparents (Daddy's parents-I always put something on their grave as Mother tried to do that because there is no other family left- my aunt and cousin still put something on Mother's parents grave), and they had the grounds looking really nice and most of the damage as repaired as possible. I know my flowers got rained on hard on Saturday, but it did not make sense to make another trip out there as we were already there on Thursday.
MaMa and PaPa Courington are doing pretty well. MaMa's feet have been swelling a lot and PaPa had an eye infection. At their age and health, it is one thing after another.
Mary had to go to the ER this morning. She came to church but she was so tormented by the itching that she had to go to the hospital. They gave her a shot and told her to see her doctor. Of course, her doctor has said until the transplant, he has done about all he can do. They may have to put her on a benadryl IV to help the itching. I know I have said this before, but unless you have ever had anything to make you itch (I have and had to be hospitalized), you can't really imagine the torment. Pray for Mary and pray that a liver will be found soon.
I hope everyone has a great week.

Thursday Night Update

2.8 pounds- slow but steady wins the race. Actually, it has not been all that slow, but on the weeks where I lose less than 2 pounds I feel kind of like I should have done more.
David had a check-up this week. He has lost 42 pounds and dropped his Cholesterol to 146. Not bad!!!

Just some thoughts

I don’t intend for this to become my “Diet Blog” but since dieting is first and foremost among my activities at the moment, I thought I would share this small list.
Things I have not had since December 29th-
• A Big Mac- and yes, I still have an occasional Big Mac attack. I guess some things never end.
• A real candy bar. I have had a couple of Hershey’s Kisses and on Easter I ate a Reese’s Peanut Butter egg, but no Snickers or Three Musketeers for me.
• A milk shake or malt- chocolate would be good!
• Heartburn. I have not taken one antacid tablet in almost 4 months.

Well, a loss is a loss

1.2 pounds- not exactly a record-breaking week, but it could be worse. I just felt like it was going to be a low week even though I had pretty much been on program.

WW Update

I lost 2.8 last week to bring my total to 52 pounds. The pile of under-grown clothes is growing, which is nice. David is fixing to hit the 40 pound mark, so he is doing good. I am going to try to get on the treadmill some this week. I have been lax with exercise in part because I have been loosing pretty good to this point, but I know I need to get walking.
Have a great week!!!

100th Post and Goodbye to a Dear Friend

I had thought I would make my 100th post after WW tomorrow night, in hopes of posting about the big "50" mark, but I could not let the passing of my dear firend, Betty Garrison go without a post. Betty passed away in the early morning hours. She had many health issues, especially heart-related problems. The past several months she has been in the nursing home, and at times seemed to be making some progress. Betty had more near-death episodes and comebacks than about anyone I have ever known.
When we moved to Maytown in 1978, Betty and Teamus Garrison endeared themselves to us. Betty and Teamus were so close that after Teamus died at a relatively young age, we wondered if Bet would be able to survive. Sadly her health became an issue almost about the time of Teamus's death, and she never really enjoyed very good health from soon after his passing. I well remember the second Christmas we were at Maytown. Kim was just over a year old, I was not working, and while we were certainly not going hungry, money was not in abundance. Betty gave me a set of Holly Hobbie Salt and Pepper Shakers. I thought- "How cute" and put them in the cabinet. A few weeks later I decided to get them out and use them. When I opened the package, out fell a $50.00 bill. Now remember, this was about 28 years ago and a $50.00 bill was a lot bigger than it is today. Needless to say, I immediately called Betty and apologized for not having thanked them earlier for this generous gift. I guess if I had not opened the shakers someone at a yard sale down the road might have got a $50.00 bill with the $2.00 salt and pepper shakers. I have many other physical memories- the rocking chair sent to the hospital when Kim was born, Kim's baby ring, the Bibles for the children, a crystal container, etc. but the best memories are of Betty. I never knew if I was going to be in the "dog house" because I had not visited in a while, or if she was going to let me know I was forgiven. That was Betty. I always felt that she treated me like one of her own because she would act mad at me if I did not come as I should. Sadly, I did not always go as I should. Sometimes the business of life gets in the way of doing what we need to do. All that aside, today I know that Betty is truly happy. She and Teamus are probably sitting under a tree singing praise to the Lord. If there is an old RV in Heaven, they might be traveling down the streets of gold. Whatever they are doing, I know she is where she wants to be, at home with her Lord and with the love of her life. Rest in Peace Betty, we will miss you and we long for the day when we will see you again.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame and Addi's Come-Apart

Last night started my favorite time of the year- ball season! Addi's team- the Firecrackers were defeated by a score of 7 to 5. I believe they are going to have a good team. The team they played is supposedly the team to beat. Save for a few "errors" the Firecrackers would have won the batting war and probably the game. Addi went 2 for 3, not bad for a first game, I would boast. She is so cute and funny. Just like last year, when she gets on first base she does the "Addi Dance" where she jumps up and down and laughs. Going to the ballpark last night was somewhat like a homecoming. We saw people that had kids that played with our kids, and now their grandkids are playing. As a matter of fact, there are 2 of the girls on Addi's team whose mothers played ball with Kim. One of the little girls looks just like her mother looked at her age, and of course Addi looks just like Kim (even playing 3rd base which was Kim's position at Addi's age), so it was like looking back in time last night. What fun!
The funny part of the night was once the game was over. We were walking toward the concession stand and Addi was in front of me. All of a sudden she started crying and she looked like she was in a panic. I thought she had lost sight of Kim, as we were in a pretty big crowd. I said, "Addi, we will find your mother." Addi turned around and still in a panic said- "I'm not hunting my momma, I'm hunting the snacks!" Well, apparently the snack bringer for the night overheard Addi and came apologizing for forgetting the team snacks. How funny.

Weight Watchers Update

3.6 pounds this week- for a total of 49.2. I really wanted that other .8 so I would hit the 50 pound mark. I have many more 50's to go, but it is a start. I have lost this same 50 pounds so many times and EVERY time I tell myself that I will not gain it back. Hopefully I am changing some habits that might help. David is doing great- I think he is close to the 40 pound mark.
Have a great weekend-
Susan

A Few Bullets

All is well in my world. These are just a few of the highlights of the past week or so.

- Another 4.2 lost last Thursday at WW. I hope to add to that this week, but it might not be but a little.
- Lads to Leaders was wonderful. My girls did great, and almost all of them placed in speech. The kids really did well in everything. Addi led her song, and she was adorable. She will be really good by the time she can compete.
- Today is Alex's birthday. He is 17. Hard to believe. He is a good boy.
- We celebrated Billy's 50th Birthday on Sunday night with a little gathering after church. I think, from his face, that he was surprised.
- All the grandkids seem to be well- TODAY. Addi, Levi, Hannah, and Lila have all had first one thing or another in the past few weeks.
- Hannah is talking big time. She is really a funny little girl and makes some wild faces. She also says something like "Where is he?" or "Where did it go?" and she throws her hands back to her side so cute.
- Lila is also talking, a lot. That might not be so good.
- Addi is going to do great in ball this year. She is fielding well, and hitting great. We are excited about her ball year.
- Levi is doing better at church. He made it through both services on Sunday, with a little entertainment from those around him. He volunteered "I love you, Granna" the other day, and I melted.
- MaMa and PaPa are doing pretty good. MaMa is still taking therapy, and seems to be improving. We are thankful for small signs of improvement.
- Daniel likes his new job, thus far. He and Mandi have a new dog and it has "separation anxiety", so they have it on medication. Quite funny, I think. She is a year old and never been away from her mother. I did not know dogs went through this type of mental stuff. I think she has torn up a door or something, so we will see how the new Grand Dog works out. Maybe she will adjust.

My love to you all!
Susan