Cemetery Beauty & On To Branson

There was only one thing that I had left on things that I wanted to do in Harrison and as strange as it may seem, it was to go to a cemetery. As I explored on the internet things to do in Harrison, one thing that they said that was a must see in the Fall is the Maplewood Cemetery. So we left the camp around 10:00 and ventured out to find the cemetery. WOW, is all I can say! I have never seen such beautiful maple trees with so many different colors. I must have taken 30 pictures and I have put some of them in this post. They were simply amazing!

After the cemeteryvisit, we went back to the camp and picked up our trailer and headed onto our final destination of Branson, MO. Branson was where we decided to take a week vacation to this year and about a month ago, we decided to expand it to another week so that we could visit the national parks in the area as well.
The weather today is beautiful. It was around 65 at 11:00 when we left Harrison. We had only about an hour ride into Branson. We are now in Branson and our campground is great. When I made the reservations about 7 or 8 months ago and told the woman at the campground that it was our first trip to Branson, she told me she would give me the campsite with the best view.....and she did. I have also posted a picture of a view of Downtown Branson from our campsite. GORGEOUS!

Once settled into our campgrounds, we went downtown to explore and see about show tickets. When we checked into the campgrounds, we talked with the lady here about shows she recommended. One of those shows was a relatively new show called The Rankins. These are two brothers who impersonate great muscial duos of the 50's-90's. They have a band, as well as three girl backup singers who also perform different numbers throughout the show. The show was OUTSTANDING! I am so glad that we went. Before the show, we went out to a beautiful Italian Restaurant called Tony Z's. It was one of the prettiest restaurants I have ever been in and had wonderful food!
Today was a great way to begin our time in Branson. This week will be completely different from last week. Last week was all about country life...this week it is all about shows and city life. On our vacation, we are experiencing the best of both worlds! I am so thankful for the wonderful time we are having.
Love you guys!

Mountain View, AR 25th Annual Bean Festival

Back when we decided to extend our vacation to another week, we began to look for a couple of towns south of Branson where we could stay that would be close to the National Forests that we wanted to visit. One of the towns that we thought we might want to stay was Mountain View. I called two different RV parks and they were both completely full which was very unusual. When I inquired about openings for this weekend, the woman at the park acted like I was crazy to think that I would be able to get a spot. She said, "Honey, I have been booked up for over a year for that weekend. When I asked her if something special was going on, she said with much excitement...."Oh yes, the Bean Fest." She said they have it every year and it is a huge event.

So we decided since we were only a couple of hours from there that we would drive over and check it out. This gave us a chance to see scenery we had not yet seen and have something to do once we got there. She was right! The little town of Mountain View was packed. There were lots of arts and crafts booths, food booths of all kinds, live music in the square with one act after another, silly races that people had made push carts and raced, as well as every kind of bean and cornbread that you could possibly imagine. People came in from all over with their best beans. Who knew??

We enjoyed the Bean Fest. We got back to camp right around 4:15. I am in the middle of doing some laundry and I think the clothes should be dry. So I better run over to the laundry room and check them, Looking forward to watching Alabama football in just a little while. ROLL TIDE!

Have a wonderful night!

Buffalo National River Area

We began our day around 9:00 this morning heading towards the Ponca-Boxley Valley area. We stopped and got gas just down the street from the camp where the gas was $2.57 gal. The road to this area was gorgeous. I believe these leaves are definitely at peak. Our first stop was in Jasper where we stopped at the
Elk information Center. Here they gave us all kinds of information on the area, including some short hikes they recommended. They had a wildlife museum here too which was very interesting.

The first stop they recommended was Steel Valley. When we left the road to go to Steel Valley, we went down, down, down a road. When we got to the bottom, we were met with a beautiful valley where there were stone sides just above the bank of the river and we hiked a short trail where we shared the hiking trail with horse back riders. This area was beautiful!

We continued down the road and the next stop we came to was an area called Lost Valley. This was another hike that was recommended by the girl at the information center. She told us there was a difficult trail and an easier trail. It was only about 2 miles, but at the cross roads where you decide whether to do the difficult or easier trail, there was nothing to tell you which was which. So we just chose the one that looked the easiest from that point. One went straight up a hill and the other was straight. So we chose the straight one.......WRONG CHOICE!!! We ended up have to climb rocks up hill for about 1 1/2 miles! You can see the rocks on some of the pictures I have posted here, but pictures do not convey how difficult this was. I am proud that we completed it, but boy did I have to listen to Randall complain alot because he had wanted to

turn around before we ever even got to the difficult part and I just insisted that we go on. Oh well, maybe be lost some weight today, or at least we didn't gain any:)

The rest of the afternoon we continued on the scenic highway that we had been on. I can't tell you how beautiful it was!!! Every curve was more beautiful than the next.

Our main objective of going to this region today was to be in the Ponca-Boxley Valley area late in the afternoon so that we could see the elk herds that were supposed to appear in the fields along the highway. People just go up and down a section of highway (about 1 1/2 miles) watching for elk to come into the fields. We began doing this around 4:00. We saw the first couple of female elk way off the road around 4:30-4:45. We continued to drive the route. Around 5:00 we saw a bull elk and female elk closer to the road and I was able to get a picture of the bull which is posted here. Many people were sitting along the side of the road in front of one particular field. So we decided to park here to thinking these people must know that the elk come here. Randall had his window down and an old man who lived in the area said that as many as 20 to 30 elk would come into this field right around dark. He was absolutely right. Right about 6:30 all of a sudden about 15 to 20 deer came down off the mountain and entered the field together. It was so late, I was not able to get a picture of the herd. It had the largest bull we saw with this herd. I was able to get great shots of it on video however.

Once back at the camp, we grilled some steaks and had steaks, baked potatoes, green salad and pumpkin pie with whipped cream. Yum!

We had a great day! We thoroughly enjoyed everything we did, except Randall was not fond (to say it mildly) of the hike at Lost Valley. He jokingly threatened to push me off one of the large rocks after we climbed it. I got to thinking later if he had done this, he would have told people that he lost Vallie at Lost Valley...Ha!

I'm tired and I am getting ready to get in my cozy little bed. It is supposed to go to around 40 tonight and I think I throw on an extra blanket.

Good Night!

.

Moving On To Harrison

We left the good ol'e Hot Springs KOA campground this morning at 8:45. Last night, we had rain and a little wind as a cold front camp through the area. As the wind blew, the hickory nuts in the trees above our camper fell on top of the trailer and it sounded like a bowling alley inside the trailer as the large nuts hit the top and then rolled off the back. This scared Camp to death and he hid under the table for a long time. When we woke this morning it was 47 degrees!

Our first stop on the way to Harrison was to get gas in Conway, AR where it was $2.43 per gallon. The scenery on this ride was beautiful. I video taped a lot on the drive. The pictures I have taken out of the truck window have not been very good. So I do not have any still pictures. But take my word for it...it was gorgeous!

The only other stop we made was to get some coffee and hot chocolate.

We are now at the Shady Oaks RV Park about 7 miles outside of Harrison. We were a little surprised to find it was out in the country. We thought we were right in the middle of town. But the longer we have been here this afternoon, the more I think we will really like it. It is really beautiful as you can see in the pictures I have posted here. All of these pictures are here at the park.

We are just a little tired today. The only thing we did after we got here was to go into town to the Wal-Mart and pick up a few things we needed. Randall has already eaten supper of grilled chicken, rice and green peas. I am not hungry quite yet, so I will eat in a little while.

Tomorrow we plan to go to areas where elk sightings are plentiful. Randall just turned on the Auburn football game. I guess that's all for today.

Love to all of you! Have a great night!

Gorgeous Talimena Scenic Drive

After a delightful breakfast of pancakes and sausage at the trailer we left the campground around 9:00 for our day on the Talimena Scenic Drive. Before we left Hot Springs, Randall was determined that we were going to find a bakery where we might find a cake or pie. Grocery stores are very scarce around Hot Springs for some reason. We went by Cracker Barrell and they said they don’t carry the pies and cakes until November. So we continued to look and found a San Francisco Bread Company. We thought we had hit the jack pot, but it ended up they did not have whole cakes and pies but did large muffins, carrot cake slices and cheese cake slices. So we bought them.

By the time we did all of this, we left Hot Springs to travel to Mena, AR where the Talimena Scenic Drive begins. The drive to Mena takes about 1 hr. 45 min. We left H.S. around 9:45. We stopped and got gas in Mt. Ida. We only needed ½ tank, but went ahead and filled up because there are no gas stations along the Talimena S.D.

After our disappointing drive yesterday on the Scenic 7, I truly hoped this one would be better. My hopes came true. This drive was absolutely beautiful! Our day started off mostly sunny and went between totally cloudy to partly sunny. Even in the clouds the overlooks were fantastic. The leaves in this area had more color than any we have seen so far. I think they are near peak in the highest altitudes we were in today. This drive was well worth the time. As I said before, the drive starts in Arkansas and goes all the way to Oklahoma. We didn’t complete the whole route, but did most of it.

We took food with us to picnic, but it was so cold and windy in the area we were in around 12:00 that we decided we would have to eat in the car. But wouldn’t you know that God provided a wonderful place for us to eat right at 12:00. At 12:10, we came upon the Queen Wilhelmina State Park where they had a beautiful restaurant. This is the only restaurant on the whole drive and we came to it right at lunch time and we didn’t even plan it. That’s just like God! We really enjoyed this buffet lunch with a wonderful dessert bar and fabulous coffee!

We arrived back at our camp around 4:30. We are expecting rain as the cold front comes through tonight and in the morning. Since we are leaving here in the morning and going to Harrison, AR, we decided to go ahead when we got back this afternoon to do as much of our breaking down camp and hooking up things as we could in case it is raining in the morning.

We are really enjoying our vacation! We enjoyed the Hot Springs area. Now we look forward to seeing what adventures Harrison holds for us.

Love to all of you back at home!

Scenic 7 Byway and Mt. Magazine State Park (From Hot Springs) Tuesday, Oct. 21

We left the campground this morning around 8:50. The weather was overcast when we left, but turned mostly sunny for the rest of our day. Our first stop was the Federal Building in downtown Hot Springs where the Visitor Information Center is for the Ouachita National Park. Since all downtown parking costs to park, Randall dropped me off and I went inside the building. Since it is the Federal Building, I had to go through a metal detector to enter. Once again, I set off the alarm. The man made me raise my pants leg to make sure I didn’t have a gun tied to my ankle, he said. They let me go on up to the second floor where a very nice older gentlemen was very helpful with all the info I needed about the area of the park we planned to visit.
Our plan was to take the Scenic 7 Byway which was advertised to have spectacular views. We were not impressed at all with the byway. Very few vistas could be seen because of the grown up trees blocking views. And since the Fall foliage is only at about 10 percent in this area, there really wasn’t a lot to look at.
The first thing we did however was to take a nice little paved trail called the Friendship Trail. Randall, Camp and I were the only ones on the trail. It was very pretty with a couple of nice bridges. It was an easy walk. Once we left here, our next scheduled stop was the Buffalo Gap Auto Tour Trail. This was a huge disappointment. It was a 9 mile gravel road that made a loop. There was absolutely nothing to see on it accept thick woods. It was advertised to have beautiful views. Once again, all the views had grown up trees and you could not see through them anymore.
It was only about 11:00 at this point, so we decided to go a bit further to Mt. Magazine State Park in the Ozark National Park. I am so glad we did. The fall colors were much more vivid here I guess because it is further north as well as a higher elevation. Mt. Magazine is the highest point in the Ozarks. We had a picnic lunch here and went down a little ways on a trail that had spectacular views. It is the prettiest scenery we have seen since we got here. We drove through the campground here and it looked extremely nice with the exception that it had no cable for TV, which Randall insists upon. Maybe when we get Satellite TV for the trailer we can come back to this park.
We took a different route back to Hot Springs. We drove Highway 27 South to Highway 270 back to Hot Springs. This highway had much better views than the other one. It was a beautiful country side with mountains in the background.
We arrived back at the camp around 4:15. We out a roast in the crock pot before we left this morning and had bar-BQ sandwiches, corn on the cob and baked beans for supper. We are now sitting in the trailer watching Andy Griffith.
We had a great day! Tomorrow—Talamenia Scenic Drive

VACATION-DAY2-HOT SPRINGS, AR

We woke up to a temperature of 47 degrees….burrrr!!!! We had our little heater on so we were nice and warm. I got up first and Camp and I took a walk around the park. It was exhilarating to walk in the crisp morning air. After eating breakfast that Randall fixed of eggs, grits, toast and sausage, we were ready to head out to the Hot Spring National Park.

We rode to the National Park, looking for the Visitor Information Center first. We managed to find an entrance into the park, so we decided to take out on our own. We made one loop through the park stopping on one trail to walk a little. We found out that dogs are allowed in the park on a leash. So we decided to go back to the camp for lunch and get Camp and go back in the afternoon. When we came out of that side of the park, we decided to to look for the visitor information center again. We looked and looked but could not find it. We had a few maps that were not very good. We finally figured out it was on the main street downtown somewhere along Bathhouse Row. When we drove down the street we couldn’t spot it, so we decided to park and walk. Finally we found it and got much better maps of the park and the area.

We walked downtown for about an hour and it was getting close to lunch. So we went back to the camp and ate some sausage dogs that Randall grilled last night when he grilled the hamburgers. Afterwards we all three loaded up and went back to the other side of the park. We got out several times to walk on different trails. Camp was in heaven!! We decided that we would go back to the campgrounds and return to the park late this afternoon when we might stand a better chance of seeing some wildlife moving around.

This afternoon we took a nap. We went back one last time to Hot Springs National Park around 4:45. On the way, we stopped and got gas. At this station it was $2,59 per gallon for a total of $45.50. We walked a new trail which ended up being about a mile. No wildlife seen other than birds and a few squirrels. Oh well, it was beautiful anyway. I thought the leaves would have changed more in this area than they have. There is very little Fall color here. I'm hoping as we go further north to Harrison and Branson we will see more color. Tomorrow we plan to take the Scenic 7 tour and head north into the Ouachita National Forest. This forest is much larger than the Hot Springs Forest. We will only see a portion of it tomorrow. The weather here tomorrow is supposed to be a low of 53 and high of 75 sunny to partly cloudy.

We ended our day back at the camp with pork chops that have been cooking all day in the crock pot. We put them on top of yellow rice and we also had green beans. All delicious as usual!

We are now watching "Dancing with the Stars." I only have an hour of internet time at this park per day. I plan to do an update tomorrow night as long as we get back in time.

Hope you all have a wonderful night!!!

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19

IT'S TIME TO LEAVE!! Randall woke up this morning at 4:30 and couldn’t stand it any longer and woke me up at 5:15. He told me to get up and get ready to go. So up I went and jumped in the shower and washed my hair. Randall in the mean time tended to some last minute details. We were ready to leave by 6:00 and pulled out of the driveway at 6:15, a little ahead of our 7:00-7:30 timeline.

Odometer reading was: 101643

Gas on our fill up was : $2.84 gal.

By 8:30, I was starving and told Randall I had to eat. There is just something about riding and vacations that make you hungry!! We stopped in Magee, MS at 9:05 for Egg McMuffins and to walk Camp a little. Then we were back on the road until we got gas in Jackson, MS at the Wal-Mart where gas was $2.59 a gal. Our total gas this time was $50.05.


At 11:00, we were only about an hour or so from Lake Village which is where we planned to spend our first night. Randall decided that he would rather drive on to Hot Springs since we were so ahead of schedule. We figured we could be in Hot Springs by about 3 or 4:00. That would be so much easier than setting everything up just for one night and breaking down in the morning. So I called the KOA and they said they could take us tonight….so on we go!


It was getting lunch time a little after we went through Lake Village, so we found a very nice picnic/rest area right along the road to have our picnic lunch of some of Randall’s famous homemade chicken salad on sandwich bread, chips, rice kispy treats and a miniature Reese peanut butter cup. Beautiful weather just added to our delightful picnic experience.


We bought our second round of gas at the station next to the park and it was $2.69 gal. for a total of $44.75.
After a long day of driving, we were glad to arrive at the KOA at 4:30. We got a little lost once we got into town and ended up on the opposite side of town from where we needed to be. It seems that two highways have the same name 70B but are not connected somehow. When I called the girl at the KOA to find out how to get there, she said that people end up over where we were all the time because of the Highway name. She said it should be called Highway 666 because of all the trouble it causes people.


From all the reviews I read about this KOA Campground, I knew that it would be very nice, and it is!! It has a beautiful pond with lots of duck and gorgeous oak trees on every campsite, which makes it very shady. Each row of campsites is on a different level because of the hilly terrain. It is very well maintained and I am really glad we are here.


Randall grilled hamburgers and we ate and then watched T.V for a while and we were both asleep by 9:00. I think I fell asleep around 8:00. That riding wears you out.

WE LEAVE IN THE MORNING!!!!!!!!!!!

Our vacation is finally here!!!! We will leave early in the morning hopefully around 7:00 or 7:30 AM. Randall and I went yesterday (Friday) and got the trailer out of storage and brought it to the house. Randall stocked the kitchen stuff and his clothes yesterday afternoon. I however had to go to Willowcreek simulcast Small Group conference that took place at the Church on the Eastern Shore. It was Friday night and Saturday. So I was not able to do my packing in the trailer until just a few minutes ago. I keep thinking of things I am forgetting. I hope I think of everything I am forgetting before we leave:).

We will head towards Jackson, MS then head just over into Louisiana-MS border. Then we will end up just over the Arkansas line in Lake Village, AR for our first night. According to Mapquest, it takes about 6 hours by car. So we figure it will take about 7 hours pulling the trailer. Allowing time for a few stops and lunch, hopefully we'll be there by4:00 PM. We will only stay here tomorrow night and we will stay here again one night on our last night before coming home.

It looks like we will have perfect weather to begin our journey. The temperature is supposed to be around 50 in the morning. The RV park in Lake Village is supposed to have Wi-Fi, so I hope to update tomorrow night.
Every park we have booked says that they have Internet connections. My plans are to update each night.

I have not posted in a few days and I would just like to wish my oldest son, Brandon a "Happy 29th Birthday"! He turned 29 on Thursday.

We are so excited and seems like we have waited so long for this. The anticipation is half the excitement. I know I won't be able to sleep tonight because I will be so "geared up"--ready to go!

1 Day til the trailer pulls out

STIX

About a month ago, Tiffany Lamey, my Elizabeth and I got into a discussion somehow about Japenese food. I made the comment that I had never eaten at a Japenese restaurant. They could not believe it. Tiffany said that her favorite Japenese Restaurant was STIX in Malbis. Elizabeth said that she had heard a lot about it but had never eaten there. So we determined that the three of us would make a date and go sometime soon.

Well, that date happened last night! The only change in plans was that we were accompanied by Master Carter Stanford, which made it just that much better for Nana. After leaving work at 4:30, I went out to pick up Carter from school and then he and I went to Callis to meet his mom and Tiffany. We drove over to Malbis with Tiffany as our chauffeur.

I am now officially a lover of the Japanese Cuisine! We ate at the Hibachi Grill part of the restaurant and had an entertaining night of food preparation. Tiffany ordered an appetizer of coconut shrimp and I had a couple of them to begin my evening. After that, a delicious ginger soup and salad was served. I can't remember now what the dressing on the salad was called, but is was unlike any dressing I ever tasted and was delicious. Later, our chef fixed a fried rice and egg combination. It was served with sauces that were also outstanding. Next came the stir fried vegetables. I am not a vegetable person, but this is one time that I ate all my veggies. By the time my main dish of hibachi shrimp was ready, I was already full!!!!

It was a great evening with great company! I love Tiffany, Elizabeth and Carter! Thanks you guys for the introduction to the Japanese way of life:) This restaurant will be added to my list of favorites!

Went today at lunch to pick up a few items we will need for vacation like toothpaste, deodorant, shaving cream and such. We decided we would still need to use these items. We are getting more and more excited by the day.

3 days til vacation!!!!!!

Camera receives New Life!!!!

I have really been bummed all weekend about my great camera dying on me. We know that we have to have a camera for vacation so we determine that we will go tonight and talk with the guy at Walmart to see what his recommendation might be. Brandon and Brittany call and ask us to babysit Ryleigh. So as soon as we get her, we head to Walmart. The guy that we have always dealt with at Walmart looks at the camera and he determines that the automatic lens cover is stuck for some reason. He tells us that unfortunately, it will probably cost as much to send it in to have it fixed as it would to buy a new one. Besides that, we do not want to wait on it because we will need it for vacation. So we d0 the only thing we can (as much as I hated to spend the money at this point) and that was to buy a new camera. This was certainly money we needed to spend on vacation. Not on a camera!

We left Walmart and got gas for $2.95 at Dodge! Who would have ever thought one would be excited about gas for $2.95. But several weeks ago, gas was close to $4.00. So $2,95 seems like a huge bargain. Afterwards, Ryleigh, Poppie and I went to Marble Slab for some wonderful ice cream. Ryleigh wanted chocolate. I got a birthday cake ice cream cone and poppie got a banana split. After Ryleigh tasted all of our ice cream, she decided birthday cake was her favorite. So I lost mine and I got the chocolate:)

The best part of the night happened when we got home. Randall told me to go get my old camera. He got it and after fooling with it for about two minutes, he had it fixed. It is working perfectly. Thank y0u God! What a blessing! I can now take back the other camera and we will have our $200 back! I am so excited!

Our Ryleigh was just precious tonight! We enjoyed her being with us so much! She keeps us laughing. Grandchildren ARE a wonderful gift from God!

VACATION------6 days away!!!! We are already packing our clothes. The guest bed is full already of all the things we are taking. I hope the trailer holds it all :)

Busy, Busy Sunday

I began my Sunday as usual around 8:15 at the church. I did my ususal duties of making sure that all is done for teacher's and director's meeting when I first arrived. Then I just walked around to see if anything needed to be done. Everything seemed to be fine, so I just walked around and talked waiting for the 9:30 meeting.

Our meeting was poorly attended. This is beginning to be a pattern. Quite discouraging! When the meeting was over, I went into the 9:45 service. After the service, I visited for a few minutes with Sandy Norsworthy. I felt so bad when I realized for the first time that she and John had been a part of our Community Group when Doug and Renee were in the group as well. I had completely forgotten that they were all in our group at the same time. I had not called Sandy about Renee passing away and she had only found out just before she came to church when she saw it in the newspaper. Sandy was very upset over finding out about Renee. I felt so bad about not letting her know. My memory is getting so bad!

I then went to the resource room after I went about collecting all the SMBS folders. I finally finished with all the records around 11:50. Randall and I grabbed a quick lunch before heading out to Serenity Funeral home for Renee's wake which was being held from 12:00-2:00. The funeral was held at 2:00. Doug seemed to be doing so much better than he was when I last saw him on Thursday. I know his heart is breaking and he will continue to hurt probably to some degree forever. David Johnson officiated at the funeral and as usual, he did a fantastic job. This funeral was especially difficult for him because he and Susan had been friends of Doug and Renee's for 25 years. They raised their children together and had been a huge part of each other's lives. Renee's life was another friend whose life was lived for the glory of God. "Well done thou good and faithful servant" was surely heard by her early Thursday morning when she went to be with our Father.

After the graveside service, I had just enough time to go home and change clothes in order to get back to church for a special called service by Pete Sanchez. It was finally decided after about 3 months of discussion that we would go from 3 morning services to 2 morning serives. This was definitely needed at this time for many different reasons. It looks like at this time we will have services at 9:00 and another at 10:30. I begin we will begin this schedule in several weeks.

WHAT A WEEKEND! My emotions have been all over the place. Great joy, great sadness and everything in between. I really am looking forward from one week from today!

Time to really get serious. Vacation begins one week from today!!!!!!!!

A Non-Stop Saturday!!

Our Saturday morning began early with getting up at 6:30 so that we could be at Magnolia Grove Golf Course by 7:30 for registration in the Fall Dayspring Par Three Golf Tourney. We met our good friends Wayne and Valerie Boatman about 7:45 and hit a few range balls to warm up. The weather was great! It was a little overcast with a slight breeze blowing most of the time we played. Randall and Wayne played as a team and Valerie and I were a team. We played the same hole at the same time however. We always have such a good time anytime we do anything with the Boatmans and this was no exception. It was just a fun time of playing golf. After we finished, we enjoyed lunch at the Grill at the Golf Course. Valerie and I split our hamburger and chicken monterrey sandwich so that we could taste both. They were both delicious! We were all pretty whooped and were looking forward to taking a nap. I knew that my nap would have to be very quick because I would have to begin getting ready for a wedding.

We began our journey home from the Golf course and it was taking forever to get down Schillinger Rd. The flea market always makes the traffic heavy on Sat., but this seemed unusually busy. After we passed the flea market, we discovered a wreck that was making the traffic even worse. It seemed like an eternity when we finally got to Airport Blvd. Just as we got to Airport Blvd. Randall realizes that he does not have his cell phone and remembers leaving it in the golf cart. Oh great! Forget my nap! We have got to turn around and go back through all the traffic to go back to the golf course. When we finally arrived home, I had exactly 25 minutes before I had to start getting ready for Sandy Parker's wedding. I laid down, but was not able to go to sleep in that short time frame.

I went out to pick up Ryan because Elizabeth was serving at the wedding and had to be there early. We drove to the wedding t ogether. I enjoyed spending time with my baby boy. It is very rare these days that I get to spend time with my boys and I love it when I am able to spend time with them.

The wedding was beautiful but the reception was fabulous. It was held at the Riverview and was a sit down dinner. Wonderful orderves were served as we waited to enter the dining room. We also enjoyed beautiful piano music as we waited. Once inside the dining room, it was a feast for the eyes. The tables were set absolutely gorgeously! The color teal was used in the wedding and all the chairs were draped in white with beautiful teal bows draped around each chair. At each seat were beautiful teal napkins folded very elegantly. All of the tables had beautiful live flower centerpieces that were unbelieveably gorgeous! The band was very good and we enjoyed their music as we dined. The wedding began at 5:00 and I left the reception a little past 9:00. Sandy Parker and George Nelson had a beautiful beginning to their life together. I pray that God will bless their marriage.

By the time I arrived home from downtown, it was around 10:00. I am sufficiently worn out. But I have to be at church in the morning by 8:00 for what will be a non-stop Sunday as well. I hope I sleep well tonight!

Married Life Live!! Friday Oct. 10

What a weekend!! Since my last blog, I don't think I have had more than an hour of down time. Randall and I began our Friday night going out to eat at O'Charley's. We had a great dinner and right afterwards, we headed to the church for Married Life Live. I was wanting some new pictures of Randall and me for Facebook as well as pictures for my blog, so I made sure I charged my batteries so that we could have pictures made at MLL while we were dressed nicely. Much to my dismay, my camera stopped working before I could take any pictures. I tried everything I could think of to make it work. I have only had this camera for a little over a year and I can't believe that it is broken. But I know the batteries are charged and it just goes off after a few blinks of the light. I am so disappointed that it is broken. We certainly don't need to have to put out money on a new camera just before going on vacation. Oh well!

Married Life Live was fabulous! All of the people who participated in it were hysterical! What a great night out! Somehow, I just feel a little wrong for enjoying myself tonight when Doug and his family is suffering so. I know that Renee would want us to continue enjoying our lives. She loved doing fun things with her Christian friends and she would want all of us to be there, no doubt. We sat with Tom and Linda Peak and Jerry and Monie Timothy. It was a great night out! I just wish I had pictures to post.

Another Unexpected Sad Day

One never knows what the next minute will hold. Yesterday morning, my cell phone rang at 7:00 A.M. As I was running to my phone I remember thinking how strange that someone would be calling so early. When I answered the phone, it was Linda and she said she had some really bad news for me. I could tell she was crying. It seems that a very good friend of our's, Renee Baggett died a few hours earlier. This is one of those calls that comes as a complete shock! I was just with Renee last Saturday morning as we set up for Fall Festival. She looked great and was having a wonderful time getting ready for the event. She and Doug were helping get the Men's ministry booth ready. Renee has dealt with health issues for years, but nothing was any different now than it has been all along. As a matter of fact, I thought she looked better last Saturday than I had seen her look in a while.

Doug and Renee were a part of our community group several years ago and we became very close with them during this year. We learn so much about one another during community groups. We learn about people's concerns and where their hearts are. There is no doubt that Renee loved God with all of her heart and her family was very dear to her.

From what I understand, Renee had a headache Wed. night when she went to sleep, which is something she dealt with all the time. When her husband, Doug, tried to awaken her early yesterday morning, he could not awaken her and when paramedics arrived they pronounced her dead.

Death is hard no matter how it comes. This is one of those deaths where the family is totally unprepared and totally shocked. Doug and Renee have been married since Renee was 15 yrs old. Renee is my age, 49. They have been through a lot together and they know that God has been their strength. It was obvious that Doug, after all these years, worships the ground that Renee walks on and he is in a pitiful state of shock and unbelief as you can imagine. Please pray especially for Doug and also for their 3 children, grandchildren as well as Renee's parents.

I woke up in the middle of the night last night not able to sleep for thinking about Doug and how devastated he is. I still can't believe it. I will miss Renee greatly.

Final Day of Jury Duty- Wed., Oct. 8

This morning I finally got the right amount of time right to get there. I arrived 15 minutes ahead of time which was just perfect in my opinion. This wasn't too early or too late. Just right!

Around 9:30, after roll call, a list of jurors was read and asked to form a line at the door. This was not done in panels for the first time this week. A few people were taken from each panel. I'm not sure if they were picked randomly or what. These people stand at the door for about 10 minutes. Then one of the girls that works there comes in and tells these people they can sit down. The case was settled.

We sit and wait and wait and wait.

They come in again and do the same thing again. Some of the people that were called earlier are called again and some are different. The boy was has been sitting next to me all week who is in the Navy is called this time. He is not happy. He did not want to be on a jury. It's funny. Some people really want to serve on the jury and some don't at all. They were to report to Judge Graddick's courtroom. Off they went!

Next Panel's 9 and 10 who have not been called at all this week are asked to line up at the door. This group goes out and only a few people are then left in the assembly room. The buzz is that the rest of us will be released soon. Sure enough, as this group leaves out to go to Judge Lockett's courtroom, we are told that today is our last day for jury duty. Cheers go up in the room. We are told we will need still need to stay for about 30 minutes while our checks are printed. We are allowed to go the jury breakroom and get coffee and snacks if we like.

Just as we begin our break, one of the panels that was just called out comes back in with us as well. Their case was settled as well. A lot of us have been discussing how strange it is that so many people wait until they actually get to the courtroom to settle. If they can settle then, why can't they settle the day before. It just seems to take up a lot of people's time. The very opinionated, old Mobile woman that I spoke of yesterday said that she thinks there should be a 24 hour time limit before a court case that if you are not settled, you must go through with the case. I tend to agree with her. I'll have to ask Brittany or Jan Everett why they allow this. Inquiring minds want to know.

With my whopping check of $33.00 for my 3 days and gas in my hands, I now take my last leisurely walk from City Hall to the Civic Center. My civic duties are now complete. As I think about if, very few of the 300 people called to jury duty ever got to serve on an actual jury. I only know of 3 cases that actually went to jury. Most people didn't get as far as I did. At least I made it into an actual courtroom to see how a jury is picked. That was very interesting and I enjoyed my experience.

P.S. I saw on the news last night (Thurs. night) that the case that I knew the boy and had to excuse myself ended up in a hung jury after 4 days. They jury deliberated for two solid days. I'm sure that was very stressful. The case will be tried again next month in front of another jury. I know my friends whose grandson was shot are disappointed because they will now have to go through this all over again.

On the way home, my arms really began to itch. I decided to stop by a drug store on the way home and let the pharmacist look at my arms and see what he might suggest I use on them. He told me I needed to go to a doctor and that they would give me a steroid shot and prescribe some cream. He said I had had the rash too long to keep on trying to treat it myself. So I had to find a doc in a box. I went by an office close to the house and they told me to be back at 2:00. I saw Dr. Houston about an hour later. He told my I was allergic to something--no duh! He did just what the pharmacist said. He gave me a steriod shot and a Rx. They told me the shot would take effect quickly. It did. The itching subsided but I started feeling drowsy and very tired right afterwards. It was about 3:30 at this point, so I decided to go on home and rest. I would just use a half a day of sick leave at work.

Vacation begins in 10 days!!!

Jury Duty-Day Two

It is now 9:17 A.M. and I am sitting once again in the main large room for jury assimilation. Yesterday, I was very early because I was not sure exactly how much time it would take me to get downtown because of traffic. I allowed too much time. So today, I tried to make it where I would arrive only about 10 minutes early instead of 30 min. My calculations are still a little off because I was sweating it when I realized I was cutting it so close. The shuttle pulled up right after I got there and off we went. I think they tell you to be there at a certain time knowing that you might be a little late.

I spoke with a lady on the shuttle this morning who was on the last panel that was formed yesterday. She said they ended up making 11 panels. The rest of the people were allowed to go home.

I made it through the metal detector today without any alarms:) I then went up to the 8th floor and sat in my assigned Panel 2, Seat 15 Chair. We just sit and wait. After a while, roll call begins. After about 15 minutes, there are 3 people that still are not there. The girl at the courthouse says that she is now going to call these people and see where they are. A few minutes later she returns and tells Panels 9 & 10 that they are to report to a courtroom down the hall. They all line up and proceed out of the room. About 5 minutes later, here they all come back. The case was dismissed and they were not needed after all.

We all then continue to sit and wait. After a while, the court girl comes in and tells us that she is waiting to hear from another judge. She leaves out of the room and we continue to just sit.

Today, people are much more talkative than yesterday. I am able to easedrop on a most interesting conversation of the three people in front of me. The guy directly in front of me is a young black man who must weigh at least 350 lbs. He is also probably 6 ft. 7". He is one that can definitely be picked out of a crowd. He has a wonderful personality. In the seat next to him is a very proper, old Mobile, white woman. She has been dressed like a million dollars both days I have seen her, complete with a hat both days. It is obvious quickly after hearing this woman speak that she is highly educated. It is obvious from comments this woman makes and the way that she makes them that she is very opinionated. At first, you think she is snobbish, but after watching and listening her converse with both men on either side of her, she does not appear to be snobby at all with them. I guess this is another one of those times when the first impression I got is not truly correct. These two are quite a pair and were fun to watch and listen to. I'm glad they are near me because there is so much down time where we just sit and do nothing. They are my entertainment!

After what seems like an eternity, the court room woman comes in and tells us that the judge we have been waiting on sends word that their case has been dismissed as well. She tells us we are all free to go, but that there are 9 cases tomorrow and that we will all need to be there earlier in the morning at 9:00 because it should be a busy day. Getting downstairs is a feat in itself. Everyone is trying to get down at the same time and the elevators are very slow. I am at the back and it takes quite a while just to get out. I decided to take the leisurely walk instead of the shuttle back to the Civic Center. I really enjoy the walk. It is overcast and pleasant walking weather.

After I get in mu truck and pull out of the Civic Center parking lot, a police officer pulls in right behind me. When we get to the traffic light at Government St. I get in the left turn lane and he in the lane that is going straight . The light is red, so we both sit side by side. When the light turns green, I see a white SUV coming down Government not even beginning to slow down for the red light. It is obvious to me that she is going to run this red light, so I just sit. Because my truck is so much higher than the police car, he doesn't see to his left and see the car about to run the light. I hold my breath thinking I am getting ready to witness a wreck. He pulls out slowly into the intersection and sees the car just in time to slam on his brakes. He skid a little, just missing the SUV. After a second of recovery by the officer, he makes a hard right and the SUV has already pulled over knowing there is no hope, I guess. I am sure he was not a happy officer. Not only did they run a red light but they probably scared him to death as well. In the SUV's defense, the lights downtown are on horizontal oles rather than vertical and you really have to be looking for them. They are very easy to miss in my opinion. I really don't think this was a case of trying to speed up just to make it through the light. She just continued on at the rate of speed she had been going when going through the intersection. That's what you call really bad timing!

It is about lunch time and just as I get to the edge of downtown, my cell phone rings and it is Morris (My brother who works downtown) wanting to know if I can join him downtown for lunch. I think that sounds great, so I turn around and go to meet him at his office. I go up and meet most of his co-workers. After he does a few things, we walk to "Heroes" a great place for lunch. The quaint restaurant is evidently a favorite amoung the downtown crew. I ordered a Philly Steak Sandwich, fries and baked beans. All were delicious! I enjoyed great conversation with my baby brother and then to top off a great lunch, he even picked up the tab! What a great brother!

On my way home, I begin to really itch from a rash that has been on my arms for almost a week now. I have been putting creams on it, but it has not seemed to help. Randall thinks I need to be taking Benadryl, so I began taking it last night. I didn't take any this morning because it makes me so drowsy. I know that you have to continue to get Benadryl in your system before it will help. So I decide to go home and take some Benadryl. As usual, it made me very drowsy. So I took a quick nap and then back to work I went. I had a few things that I knew I needed to get done at the office.

Jury Duty, Day Three is on the horizon. I really hope that I get on a case, as long as it doesn't last too long because you know that it is only.......

11 Days until Vacation!!!!!!

Jury Duty-Day One

Well, it is 7:30 A.M. and now I sit and wait. I woke up at 4:30 A.M. and couldn't go back to sleep. I think it is a combination of Randall being out of town and knowing that I have to get up really early in order to be downtown around 7:20. It seems that there is something wrong with my alarm clock and I was a little nervous that the one I set was not set correctly. Hence, the waking up at 4:30.

I left the house around 6:30. I had to run by the bank and get cash out for the parking fee as well as money for vending machines. I am not usually on the road that early in the morning and found that there are a lot of people on the road early. I arrived at the Civic Center parking lot around 7:05, just in time for the first shuttle to be taken to the Courthouse. The first official thing we did when we arrived at the courthouse was to go through a metal detector. Well wouldn't you know it!!!! Deafening alarms went off as I went through. The officer said, "Ma'm, I need for you to go over to that officer. There another officer held a wand and he wanded me up and down, front and back. This was a little embarrassing because it was in front of all the other jurors coming in with me. I know they must have thought I was a terrorist or something:) I have no idea what set me off. I had on minimal jewelry. Who knows! But the wand search came up negative and I was allowed to proceed.

Everyone I met this morning seems to be in a wonderful mood. I guess most of them are just happy they are not at work. Now I am waiting in a large room at a chair with a desk top with everyone else. There are about 100 people here at this point with many more filing in as I write. It feels a little awkward as everyone just seems to be looking at one another. Very few people are talking. I think I hear one whispering conversation going on way in the back, but that's about it for conversing. More people are filing in. I was given a juror handbook when I came in. I guess now is a good time to see what it says.

8:05--Still sitting and waiting. About 300 in room now. A woman is beginning to speak to us now with beginning instructions and overview. She is telling us to expect a lot of sitting and waiting over the course of our week. Now we are waiting for the judge to come in and give us more instruction. We will be divided into groups of 15 panel members.

8:20--Judge Charlie Graddick gave us an overview of what we can expect. At this point--8:45--He has asked for those to come forward who will have a hardship such as a big loss of wages, caring for children, caring for sick in family, etc. They will give him their excuse and he will decide if they may be dismissed or not. About 40 people stand in the line. I think he allowed all to be dismissed. This goes on until 9:07.

9:20--We are placed randomly into panels. I have been assigned to Panel 2, Seat 15.

9:45--Panels One and Two are assigned to a criminal case in Judge Johnston's Courtroom. We are to go there immediately. We go down to floors and walk down to the courtroom at the end of the hall. As we approach the courtroom, I notice a family I have known all my life sitting along the wall where I know people sit that are waiting to have their case heard. I speak to them from a distance because I am not sure whether I am supposed to speak to them since I am a potential juror. I know if it is their case, I will have to be excused because I have known this family all of my life and I would not be able to be unbiased. As I passed my friend as I was going into the courtroom, she said, "I think you will be going home." I knew then, it was a case involving them.

Sure enough, the judge begins telling about the case. He then asks if anyone remembers this case happening 2 years ago. I raised my hand and told him I remembered it happening and I was also friends of the family of the boy who was shot. The judge then ask me if I would be able to judge the case unbiasedly. I told him I did not think so. He told me thank you.

I still had to stay in the courtroom and listen to all the other questions both attorneys asked all the other potential jurors. Questions like: Have you ever served on a jury before? Do you know any of the attorneys on either side? Do you know any of the witnesses? Do you have any guns in your home? Are you a member of the NRA? Has anyone in your family ever been a victim of a violent crime?

After a lot of questions, we were then asked to leave the courtroom and to be back at 11:30 and the jury would be announced. Not surprising at all, my name was not called. They told those of us not selected we could leave and be back at 9:15 in the morning. After walking back to the Civic Center, I grabbed a bite to eat and headed into the office.

I have always wanted to serve on a jury just for the experience of it. What were the chances that I would have known someone in a criminal trial. I couldn't believe it!! But I prayed before I left the house this morning and told God to use me if He needed me. So I guess I was needed there. As I walked out of the courtroom, the last thing I mouthed to my friend's was "I'll be praying for you." Maybe that's why God had me there.

Dayspring Fall Festival 2008

Whew!!!! I have not physically worked as hard as I did yesterday in a long time. I began my day on Saturday morning around 8:30 at the church. Several people were already there working hard. I knew the first thing I needed to do was to get the Diet Cokes that we would be selling in a refrigerator and get them cold. So I went to get them in the Children's resource room. One of the cases of the 20 oz drinks was on top of the refrigerator and as I was getting it down, the first thing I did right off the bat was to pull a muscle in my back! I get so mad because it seems that I cannot do anything physical or that requires me to lift anything with any weight to it without injuring my back. So the rest of the day and night, I endured this pulled muscle.

After I moved all the drinks from the children's resource into the main kitchen refrigerator, I went to check on the popcorn machine that we would be using. Well come to find out, the night before, the college department had tried to use it and it burned all of the popcorn and we were not sure that it would be able to be used. We knew the first thing that had to be done was a thorough cleaning. This took about 30-45 minutes. We finally got it clean and put it through a test. The first batch didn't look so good, but it didn't burn. The second batch looked good and we were good to go. Randall came up and helped Tom Peak get the Men's Ministry booth together too. We left around lunch time and we were back up there at 3:00. During the three hour in between, Ryan and Elizabeth brought Carter over to stay with us for the night. We watched him until 3:00, then we dropped him off with Uncle and Aunt B. Brittany brought them to the festival later in the evening.

My grandchildren are adorable and precious! Carter was Spider Man and Ryleigh was a bunny rabbit. I am so sorry that I was too busy to get any pictures of them. I will get pictures later on Halloween and post them for you to see.

At the Women's ministry food booth we sold cotton candy (already made and in bags) $1, popcorn $1, sno cones (tiger's blood, bubble gum, banana, and chocolate fudge) $1, Diet Cokes $1, and bottle water .50. We sold out of cotton candy about half way through the night and not long afterwards we sold out of bottle water. I could not believe how busy we were. Linda Peak, Aimee Tapper, Deanne Riley and I worked non-stop from 4 until 7:30. Several others checked in with us through out the night to help. I really appreciate all the hard work that everyone put in. The booth was a great success!

Actually the whole festival was a tremendous success. This is such a great opportunity for Dayspring to give something to our community. Most of the people I waited on at the booth were people I did not recognize. I pray that the people who attended who do not attend church anywhere will possibly come to Dayspring as a result of this outreach.

Reporting for Jury Duty in the morning. Never know what that will mean for my day.

Two weeks from today, vacation begins!

Getting Ready for Fall Festival

Most of my day yesterday dealt with helping get things ready for one of Dayspring's biggest events of the year...Fall Festival! This year, we are having a concession booth for Women's Ministry where we will be selling popcorn, snow cones, cotton candy, bottle waters and diet cokes. I have quite a few people signed up to help me throughout the night. I know it will be a lot of fun and look forward to it. We will begin setting up around 8:00 tomorrow (Sat.) morning and will go all day until 4:00 when the festival starts.

Linda Peak and I were also asked to judge the highly anticipated pumpkin decorating contest for children's and adults. There were a lot of very interesting pumpkins to select from. The best of show was a beautiful Cinderella pumpkin made into a beautiful coach. Way to go pumpkin decorators!

Last night was the much anticipated vice-president presidential debates. Sarah Palin did an outstanding job as she debated Joe Biden. It really is amazing how well she is doing having only been tapped for this position 5 weeks ago. I truly believe it is because she is relying on God to be her strength. I so pray that this team wins the election. Right now, they are definitely down by quite a bit in most of the polls, but I don't always put a lot of confidence in the polls.

The big news today (Friday, Oct. 3) is that the massive financial bailout was passed in Washington by the House and the Senate. It seems that it is something that had to be done even though many think it wasn't such a great thing. I guess time will tell.

I spent the first three hours of my day off painting a picture for Tom and Linda Peak's grandbaby's nursery. I did it in acrylic and went back and did detail with fine line marker. I really enjoy doing this type of art and I hope that all of them like it, especially baby Will. It will be above his changing table and maybe it will give him something to look at while he lays there getting his bottom changed:)

I woke up in the middle of the night with a bad headache. However, I waited until morning to take any medicine. I took allergy medicine this morning and have been a little groggy all day. I took about an hour nap this afternoon which was wonderful!

Monday morning, I am to report for jury duty downtown at 7:45 A.M. I have been called to jury duty a couple of times, but have never been chosen to serve. I expect that will be the case once again. I'm not sure how many days I will have to go downtown, but I don't look to forward to the long commute every morning.

Randall and I are really getting excited about our vacation coming up. We will be leaving two weeks from Sunday. We have a lot planned and I think we will enjoy the beautiful area of Arkansas in the Ozarks and the sights and sounds of Branson. Randall has already begun collecting food to take in the camper. He read the menu items off to me yesterday and I think I gained weight just listening to him:) But, that is part of what vacation is all about....eating!

15 days until the truck and trailer leave Clarke Rd. and head towards Arkansas!