Don't Mess With Buddy or Texas

Just when I have come to terms with Sprint dropping my email address, I begin to receive emails to my Sprint email account this morning. No matter, I am keeping the gmail as my main email address because one never knows when the digital rug will be pulled out from underneath me again.


I decided to take the rest of this week off from workouts and begin anew on Monday. It has been nice. Roy decided while I was in San Antonio to become a full time bus rider to and from work. He exchanged his parking pass for a bus pass. The time on the bus, which seems to run on time so far, gives Roy some margin to the start and end of the work day. He has never enjoyed driving and most who have ridden with him don't enjoy his driving either.


Several years ago when we were in Colorado, I bought a t shirt that had been dyed in chocolate. When I wore that t-shirt, the fragrance of chocolate enveloped me. Each time it was washed, it lost a little of it's chocolate charm. In the gift shop at HHC, they had t-shirts that had been dyed in red dirt. There were several designs to choose from and my favorite was the Don't Mess With Texas one. I wore it yesterday and as per instructions, I washed it in cold water by itself. No, I didn't smell like dirt when I wore it. At least I don't think I did. They didn't throw me out of the play grocery store yesterday.


When Ali was here from Belfast, I happened to be the one to tell her that Don't Mess With Texas is our slogan for dealing with litter. She was a little disappointed.

I'm never that crazy about burnt orange but to buy this I told myself it was red dirt.

Today Buddy sat still long enough, awake, to let me take her picture. Yep, don't mess with Buddy. She has been my constant shadow since returning home. She didn't even do the natural cat thing and act all mad when I first arrived home. She ran to me and flopped on her side right in front of my feet. It didn't help that I still was pulling in luggage and bags.

I still have some more stories to tell from my trip and those will be coming in the next week or so.

Hyatt Hill Country Trip Part One...A Good Time Was Had by All

I am off to a much better start this morning as compared to yesterday morning. What a difference a day makes. Even if that day means a major breakdown with Sprint, loosing an email address without warning, and blocking the wrong phone's access to the Internet. The day included a very fun lunch with friends at Ouises's. Then there was just the plain old stuff that has to be done upon returning to the norm. I fought off the lingering effects of Tuesday night's phone conversation through out the day and the end result was supreme tiredness by the ending of the afternoon. But this morning, even though I am easing into the day, the cloud has lifted.


What an incredibly fun trip. I thought I would wear on the first day a pair of new flax colored shorts. Loved them, loved the long length. Didn't love that the least amount of perspiration was magnified to the 10th power in them. I looked at these round wet spots on my knees and tried to figure out where they came from. I hadn't used spray oil or any kind of lotion... dang...it was perspiration or on me sweat. Good thing I am a big picture type, because I could only imagine what could happen look wise in these shorts if I should have an anxiety attack sweat jag. Changed into my faithful jean capris. Whew, major embarrassment avoided. Our journey began when Dena picked me up Saturday morning. We are notorious for our "oft stop" along the way. I think we made it all the way to Sealy where we made our first stop at McDonald's. We made another stop in Schulenburg. Then the best stop of all, Buc-cees. Dena had never been to the mother ship Buc-cees and I am happy to report she loved it! Come to think of it, I don't think she has ever been to any Buc-cees. I think we were there about an hour looking through the gift shop area and then we made our snack choices to get us in the rest of the way into San Antonio.


We took the 410 loop around San Antonio to head over to the La Cantera Mall. Last year, Peggy and I took 1604 and got so lost trying to find I-10. Seeing it this time, I am surprised that we got lost...bad Google directions but still... I also have to remember that the weekend Peggy and I were in San Antonio for the Living Proof Live event, is the weekend I had a heart attack and didn't even know it. Nothing that dramatic even happened this weekend. I think I must have some built in instinct, because I got us to the Nord and parked in no time at all even obeying all posted and non posted speed laws.


I drove from Buc-cees to San Antonio. Dena and I often on trips take turns driving and two more different styles of driving doesn't exist. Polar opposites. Let's just say one of us had to slow down and not drive with a lead foot. Hmmm...who would that be?

We both had successful shopping days at the Nord. We also ate our late lunch/early dinner at the Bistro.

When we finished up at La Cantera, we headed over to the Hyatt Hill Country Resort. We drove up to the initial stop to get your name card for the car that allows in and out access. The guard asked the last name and Dena gave it. The guard bends over looks in the car and says, Dena? He said it like "Dena, is that you? It's me your high school sweetheart." I am looking at her like, this is going to be a good story... But alas, there wasn't a story. It was just how he asked the question. We had a good laugh over that. We checked in and since we weren't roughing it, we had a prompt bellman who delivered our assorted luggage and Nord bags. Then we were off to explore our most likely places that would see the majority of our time, the gift shop, general store, restaurant, pool and lazy river. In fact, we were there in time to pick up a s'more that we made over the open fire pit. I loved sitting under this tree on the back porch of the Hyatt. There were rocking chairs to take a spell and a load off to just sit and relax. You hardly saw one kid up there. Anyway, I loved looking through the branches of the huge oaks.

We took several turns around the ramblin' river. Each time around I think we both changed how we sat or floated in our tubes. Lots of kids swimming around and under you. Great way to cool off before retreating to a pool side chair located under a big oak tree. Uh, you can tell our or at least my tan time days are over. I would rather be cool and have an odd speckled leaf like tan on my legs that burn up in the hot sun.

Since this is a G rated blog, at least most of the time, I didn't take any pictures at the adult only pool. Somehow I think the definition of adult only got mixed up with adult activity. Oh my... Nuf said about that. We only used that pool to cool off without getting hit in the head with a volleyball or getting kicked by a beginning swimmer. So, I thought another picture of the river would take the place of the adult only pool. Cue Marvin Gay's, "Let's Get it On."

Bridge over troubled water....a bridge too far...bridge over the river qua....no just the bridge over the lazy river to another lounging spot and closer to the baby pool.

This is Dena using the decorative pillow as a shake weight. Now you must be asking what is a shake weight? I will tell you, we saw a commercial about the shake weight in San Antonio. You shake this weight and dynamic inertia creates beautifully shaped and sculpted arms in just 6 minutes a day. We were penurious and used those pillows trying to get the same dramatic results. It worked and I would post pictures of us in our swimsuits with our sculpted, Michelle Obama like arms, but we took a vow, no swimsuit pictures are to be posted on the blog or published on Facebook. Heck, we took that vow to the nth degree and never once took a picture of us by the pool. If we had, I would have been wrapped up in the lovely mint green towels provided by HCC as not to cause anyone to be jealous or lustful over the new state and shape of my arms.

These pictures are the beautiful lobby that we only passed through and never spent any time in.

Here we are under the big oak tree on the porch. This was taken on our last morning. Don't we look rested and refreshed. Oh by the way, the other picture of Dena in this same outfit was taken on the last day. She didn't wear the same thing over and over and over. You can barely see what our 6 minutes of shake weight work did in this picture.

Guess this is a good stopping point for now. Thanks for reading through this very long, but fun, at least for me, post.

But First, This Message.....

Back home from a wonderful and much needed mini vacay. Dena and I had a blast at the Hyatt Hill Country in San Antonio. I still need to download pictures and get some pictures from Dena to use as I post about our very fun time.


I was abruptly reminded that I was home by a loved one yesterday. I wasn't even home yet when I had a phone message with the dooming last sentence of, call and we will visit and discuss some issues. Welcome Home Nancy! Man, I hate that I let that message put a damper on the official remaining time of my trip. That black cloud, diminished as it has been, is never too far off in the distance. I returned the call once Roy was home in case of a needed phone pass off to him. Sure enough the conversation went south quickly and the conversation was finished up by my hero Roy. This morning I am fighting this thing off because it is a joy stealer, this person is a joy stealer. They live a most miserable existence and the goal is to bring everyone down to their level. It is so full of the enemy's tactics, rob and steal any good seed planted so it will not take root and grow.


That is why I am writing about this first, to get this stinking, dang, stupid black cloud kicked back to it's hellish home. The enemy is seeking whom he can devour and I am not letting this person devour the peace and joy of God in my life. Like Ephesians say, having done all to stand, stand.


This little mini vacay to San Antonio was so much fun. We shopped, ate, ate, and ate. We sat by the pool two days and were entertained by the little kids and we had a great two day dramatic story unfold in the row of chairs in front of us. I am so thankful for dark sunglasses. No one knows if you are really looking that way or not. Have I mentioned the food? Dena and I had some great laughs. One of the best was opening the world of Bon Qui Qui to Dena, who was oft to call her Bon Oui Oui. She introduced me to the TV show The Bachelorette and she filled me in on the details as we watched the finale on Monday night. Great coffee and conversations. God did some showing off with His birds and animals. We are so thankful to Him.


To be so opposite of one another, we travel together beautifully. In fact, she and Roy share very similar personalities and quirks, so it is no wonder why she is my favorite person to travel with after Roy.


Today I am meeting some of my favorite friends for lunch. Then I need to get to the grocery store. To be gone only 3 and a half days and Roy has polished off just about everything in the refrigerator and snack shelf. He must have really missed me. Buddy was thrilled to see me come through the door last night. She has been my constant shadow. She never left my side last night.


It is always good to return home with a heart filled with good times and great memories.

As Stated in the Report

I am so very happy to report that everything fit in the carry-on sized piece of luggage. Thanks for the encouragement that I could actually be successful. Now I have decided to carry my little Vera Bradley book pack to keep in an organized fashion all my reading and listening junk. I am leaving Roy and Buddy at home. Maybe it will be a good bonding time for them. They don't quite know what to do with one another.


It is an interesting year at the condomanium. The old ladies group that usually hogs the pool all day have been displaced by young moms and children in the morning and the unemployed young people in the afternoon. This just leaves a little window of time around lunch for them to get in their tan time and sassy trashy romance novel reading. Like I have said before you can tell when they are reading the "hot" sections of their books because their feet are jiggling 90 to nothing. After being absent for nearly a year the people who I think own sex chat lines are back, but there hasn't been all that phone action like they had going last summer. Maybe they are in a new line of business or maybe they were never in that business at all. It was just the rather bits of odd conversation one would hear going by their place and everyone sitting outside on a phone. Maybe it was the world's biggest conference call. Who knows?


I thought I might have to take a dip in the pool this week but my spray tan wore off on its own. Chlorine takes it right off. So I didn't have to go down there and be observed just like I observe the others that take their leisure by the pool.


We got a flier on our door that the fire this weekend was due to a stove hood vent, not the vent in the dryer as had been reported. What report? There was a fire? We had no clue. The good news is I don't cook enough to use a stove hood vent so I will not be at risk to start anything. The note added it is a good thing to keep the dryer vent clean. Totally agree on that, because for two people we seem to have a lot of dirty clothes so we keep up with that pesky dryer vent. We have new neighbors below us. At times they can be a little loud but nothing too disturbing. We also have a new neighbor to the left of us. Her den and small patio are next to our bedroom. She's an older lady and she plays her funky music and TV really, really loud. She must be an early to bed person because I only hear her in the afternoons. The heat is keeping the group of little old ladies that congregate at a table under our windows in both morning and evening. The weird guy down the hall must be moving because there is one of those realtor boxes on his door knob. He is an odd little man strangely dressed.


Not too much else to write about so I will stop. See you when I get back!

Only a Day Away

I read a quote the other day that went something like, you can't pack your life into one suitcase. In the big picture that seems to be an interesting and thought provoking quote, but in reality it is a sad truth . And the cost of the one suitcase is about to go higher. Fortunatley, for my little mini vacay away, there are not plane rides involved. I am trying so hard to pack everything in a smaller suitcase but I don't know... I am such a mood clothes wearer. I am trying really hard to be in an earthy tone mood for my trip thus keeping the shoe requirement to a minimum. Being deep and wide, tall and still a little overweight, I think we taller folks should get a more generous suitcase allowance. Same thought on buying gas saving cars. What happens when we are 6'4" and 6', we cannot fit into one of those tiny, tiny economical cars. Well, once again I have digressed, but I am trying to calculate the unknowns for the mini vacay. Will I be in a swimsuit for most of the day? That will mean I could just bring one pair of shorts and a shirt for two days to wear other times, but I know me, I hate rewearing stuff. I am bringing two outfits for evenings and by outfits I mean jeans, capris and tops. I have talked myself into just bringing one pair of pj's. Most probably I will never go to the fitness center like I think I will, so instead of two days of workout clothes, I am only bringing one. Heck, if I do go both days and the second day and my clothes stink, I will never run into these people again. Really, who am I trying to impress? I am not taking all my make up and skin care products. That is a huge change for me. And I think I have my book selection down to 2 and my Bible...oh and my journal. In the past I have brought more books than I could ever possibly read but there is that mood thing. Goodness knows I have already sorted out all my millions of pills I have to take into the little pill traveler thing. According to Roy I will be dead meat if the new health reform goes through. Well, I will think about all that later, right now I need to concentrate on me being me just in a smaller suitcase.


Last night Lisa P and I closed down Collina's. We had the best time catching up with the happenings. Foccacia bread is like chips, you have to have some to end the meal. We left just as the heavens began declaring the glory of God with the lightning and rain. Didn't mind it a bit.


I have so appreciated the comments on the lovely carpeting at Carpet Giant, I mean First Baptist, oh....Houston's First Baptist. I haven't even documented other areas of the building but believe me, if there is a change a coming, it will be in carpeting I'm sure. Maybe once the recession is over, and money is freed up just a bit, a new position will be created, Creative Carpeting Coordinator. It makes me giggle just a bit because a lot of being relevant is appearance and presentation based. But somebody forgot to look down instead of just out into the future. But now that I think about it, maybe the vast amount of different floor treatments is so that we don't look up at the ceilings to see dingy 30 plus year old ceiling tiles.


Speaking of relevant, I just got my last issue of Relevant, the magazine. I have enjoyed taking it, love the edgy layouts and the in depth interviews. I've read a lot of good books and listened to great music because of the reviews. Now most of my relevant reading is online. If you have the chance these blogs are worth the time Anne Jackson, Mark Batterson and Tony Morgan. Oh I forgot one.


Well, I am going to give it another try to pack lightly. I did learn this week in my attempt of not acting old that underwear is pretty much a non element in clothing if you are in your younger 20's. Believe me, you want us oldies acting old in that department.

Nothing Worthwhile Can Be Hurried

"Nothing worthwhile can be hurried-not the seasons, not birth or death, the coming of day, the moving into night; not a composition, a thought, a work of art, or the form of a story. Patience is what makes each experience meaningful. Finding the time to be patient is what makes a life well lived." The Second Journey, Joan Anderson



Today didn't turn out quite how I anticipated. Roy was up early and decided to let me have a slow morning before going to my massage. So he took the bus downtown. Yesterday was a full day and I seem to forget that even fun things take so much energy and by the end of the day I am drained. So, it was incredible to have a slow morning. My appreciation of them is growing. I went for my massage and poor Stacey was having a difficult morning and felt very ill. Would I reschedule? Sure, not a problem. So I will see her after my short trip away. On my way home I ran by the Barnes and Noble, of course with the thought of just looking, not buying. Pat Conroy's book doesn't come out until August 7, so I figured there wouldn't be too much that would get my attention. Oh, I was so very wrong. Robert Whitlow has a new book. There is another book I have heard very good reviews on, Between Wyoming and there it was. So I came home with two books after Roy took two boxes of books to Half Price Books on Saturday. And I gave him the stern warning, don't buy any more books. Ha ha...don't seem to follow my own instructions, but then that is not surprising.





On the return home I also stopped by the bank to use the ATM machine. Yep, pride comes before a fall. I laughed to myself as I pulled in, gone are those days when the whole bank staff have gathered around the video of me to see me trying to use a ATM. I don't think I have had so much trouble getting the card in correctly since those not too long days of old when I feared the machine. Probably all the fumbling and bumbling came from not using a ATM for over a month. So once again I'm making faces, moving the car forwards and backwards to get to the proper positioning without scaring my neck from the edge of the seat belt and on the 4th try I was successful in getting the card inserted correctly. Gee...just for a couple of bucks. Nothing worthwhile can be hurried.

Take Your Wife to the Office Day

We are on week 2 of drive your husband to work and I am still enthusiastic about it, well not as much as last week when I was so full of new beginnings and starting early. Don't get me wrong I still want new and early, but getting up a little before 6:00 am to ease into the day... let's just say I didn't start out with a shout of joy, more like a moan of it's so dark out. The ride into downtown had a whole different feel to it. The sky was overcast and cloudy. It looked like a winter morning and the whole grayness has me so looking forward to winter and cooler temps. That is still some time away, but it brings hope.

I was at the gym by 7:30 and I was done by 9:00. Came on home and got ready to meet the Back row Divas for lunch at Ashland House. We had a great time catching up with each other. Then Peggy and I went over to church to measure and discuss our choir "project." Thanks Rae for helping us out and giving us some great ideas. We got to hang out a bit with John Bolin today. That's always fun. Much to our chagrin, Peggy and I almost wore matching outfits. She had on a blue top, white capris and blue Reef flip flops. The only change in my outfit was, I wore jeans. I had given a lot of consideration to wearing, you guessed it, white capris. We didn't even notice this at Ashland, but at church everyone noticed. We were trying to think of the twin ladies who are probably in their 80's that still dress like one another that go to First. We are NOT them!

I ditched my Sunday nap and went downtown with Roy yesterday afternoon. I hadn't seen his new office and he wanted me to help hang pictures and junk. I got too carried away with having such fast Internet speed, that I downloaded a bunch of pictures and did a lot of stuff on the computer that usually takes much longer at home. When it was time to leave we decided on coming back on another day to hang pictures etc. Since my mind was full of carpet samples, I was very observant of their carpeting. Beige and boring but at certain important areas or rooms there were inserts of red carpeting. So this must be all the rage. The red inserts were about the size of ladder rungs, so I guess they are not as gung ho over the insert different color carpet here kind of thing.

This lovely view is Roy's bookcase and wall. He used to just pile up junk on the shelves and not arrange them in an orderly way. He has come a long way.

He has three large windows that look directly into the Hyatt Regency. He and his staff have all types of stories of what they have seen when people "in love", "in lust" or just don't have a lot of discretionary time on their hands do with curtains wide open. Needless to say, they try not to look and they aren't actively trying to see anything. But sometimes one will go look out the window to get some perspective on a problem and instead... Roy says he shuts his blinds if they won't.

I worked at his small table which he had finally cleaned off and put into those boxes on the left.

I disturbed Roy and asked him to pose for a picture. I am surprised he got as much done as he did. I didn't mean to pull him away from his work, but I didn't know where the Diet Coke machine was and then he'd have to walk me to the restrooms in the hall because he is the only one with a badge and the only one to know exactly where we were on his floor. So many cubicles surrounded by beige carpeting becomes un-navigable to the untrained eye, because they all start looking alike.

The first picture of Heritage Plaza is a building that has always intrigued me. Was it a traditional building breaking out of the new or was it the new covering up the old? I asked Roy about that on the way into downtown and I was quite surprised about how much he knew about that building. Who knew? Well, apparently Roy.

We Are All that and a Carpet Showroom Too!

In an earlier post I wrote about my problem in acting well behaved in Sunday School, I mean Sunday Bible Study, when the substitute teaching is difficult for me to listen to. It is just a style issue. I am the type that has to have a story to go with the lesson for me to remember the verse and the application. Pastor Gregg is so good in using that style. Well, I had planned to miss Sunday School on a sabbatical of my own at least for the month of July, but Roy wouldn't miss Sunday School 3 weeks in a row, so I kind of was forced to go to class. So happy that Marcia was there to make the hour fun. I also have to give a little shout out to Becky and Belinda for making class fun and bearable for me.


For the most part, the teacher just read her lesson to us. Don't get me wrong, I love to be read to. It is one of my all time favorite things even as an adult for someone to read out loud a story. You can listen and imagine the scenes and characters as a story is read, but a lesson...with most of the verses in the hard part of Romans??? Not a good thing. The sad part actually in her reading the lesson is that, we don't hear her voice. No, we are not deaf, but her personal voice, a voice that engages us. The main time she got my attention is when she talked about her job and some of the things she had learned from it. She was off the paper and talking to us, it was interesting and a connection was made for that all too brief moment. For goodness sake, it was a story...her only one and I was so totally with her in those few minutes. If she would teach like that for the majority of her lesson, she wouldn't have so many looking off in the distance and their eyes would be glued upon her. I would be her biggest supporter and fan.


Another thought I had this morning at church, how do I overcome or respond to someone who absolutely dislikes and has it out for me? They have it out for me in an underhanded, not out there in the open kind of way. The answer for me is, to walk in God's love toward that person of course, but I have to tell you it is so dang hard. Walking in God's love toward those who have no use for you is spiritual warfare. Forget about it, walking in God's love is just plain hard even when you totally love and like the person. That is why we have to ask Him to do that loving in us. We humanly don't have it in us to do. I look so much to King David for wisdom because he had a Saul in his life before he became a king, he had opportunities to strike Saul when we was the weakest, but David didn't do it. I don't have a spear or a sword to use against my Saul, my Sauletta, but a quick wit and a tendency to walk too close to my fearless zone would be my weapons of choice. That is if I chose to use them instead of doing the I Corinthian 13 thing. It has become easier not to resort to quick, funny but probably hurtful words. There are those times I am so tempted, but I hear my therapist Cheryl in the back of my mind saying, do you have energy to give to this? Of course I don't but sometimes it is worth it because it amuses me. Amusement aside, looks like I have a lot of reading and review to do. Time to hit I John and the I Corinthians 13 verses again to walk in God's provision of love.


One Lord, one faith, one baptism, but oh so many selections of carpet styles at church. I don't believe I have ever seen so many types and styles of carpeting! I don't usually get so overwhelmed by things like this...but I think First Baptist is really just the show room for Carpet Giant and Carpet World. We must have a deal and being a showroom for all the different styles of carpeting and being a showroom might just be one relevant way to help with the deficit in the budget. I don't even have all the different styles here, but there will be a part 2 post soon.

This is the remaining old style red carpeting of the 70's in the South entrance by the CLC. The red squares are the original and the squiggly carpet pattern is the 80's addition. Look at all those stains, I bet there is an interesting story to go with each and every one of them.


This is one place where the old meets the new. I think all the stairs in the church are this grayish pattern. The stairs located next to the Worship Center had the design as the carpet in the lobby. I think we stopped counting all the crash and burn incidents we had as the optical illusion created by the pattern made people mis-step all the time. Someone had the brilliant idea of putting these rubber and metal strips on the edge of the stairs. Those strips only provided extra lift and launch to those who still navigated the stairs with the optical illusion of carpet and stair when there really was nothing but air.



This is the carpeting on the first floor of the gym area in the CLC. It was added when we were having church in the gym last summer. If you open the side door to the CLC and straddle the old squiggly red carpet and this blue patchwork design, the rumor is you feel like you are riding the waves on a sailboat. The squiggly design just looks like what you might throw up if you are seasick.
This hall is on the second floor. It is blue with brown/tan inserts but to the side is the gray stairway carpeting. I know...anyway, I think this carpeting style would be great for team building sessions. Say you want to play flag football, the first down markers are already there to mark progress.

This is the up close view of the blue next to the grayish stairway carpeting. You notice these two colors and when you open the doors to the worship center, you have another different style. I believe all these different colors that seem to come in patterns of three are symbolic of the Trinity. OK, that's not true, but I thought I would spiritualize the carpeting choice.

I haven't even shown you the carpet in the room formerly known as the Green Room and is now known as the Reception Room. I personally call it Marriott Ballroom B. If you posses a vivid imagination, you can find all kinds of things in that carpet design. My favorite is the rabbits.

I have been blogging from Roy's office downtown. There surely is a post in the offerings about downtown on a Sunday afternoon. I took pictures...! :)

How Not to Act Old or Uncool. Be Rad! What? Rad is Old and Uncool?

My Thursday plans have had to be rescheduled. It is just as well, because I needed the extra rest this morning. Roy took the bus and I slept till 9:30. I knew last night would be a late one because Peggy and I had a meeting with John Bolin afterwards. We discussed business and then had an awesome time visiting and hearing each other's stories. Think we almost closed the church down. Such fun!


A couple of Sundays ago in the parking lot after church, I saw Linda and Robert Sproule. One thing she said has stuck with me, this summer is much better than last summer isn't it? Yes mam. It is great to feel good again, but the sacrifice in this life adjustment is my energy level. That is partly due to the medicine I take. It slows me down a whole lot and it causes me to be so easily fatigued. The sacrifice comes in having to say no to so many things I would love to do. I cannot tell you how many times Peggy has asked us out to the lake this summer and we have yet to go. I have to figure out energy expenditure levels and what I have to do and how much I will need. It runs the gamut having to figure out the mundane to the fun to the really exciting and how I am going to budget the energy. Hmmm, maybe this will make me better in math having to figure this all out. OK, I am laughing at the ridiculousness of that thought.


So with this thought of taking medicine that really OLD people take and the effects, I will have to comment on the article in More. For the youngsters out there, More is a magazine for those of us who are over the age of 40. The article is, How Not to Act Old, rule #1, never leave a voice mail. It begins with the thought that we oldsters at one time were cool and in our hearts we still think we are. Now most of us are acting older than we think and we need to learn how not to act to make us snicker worthy, laughs not candy, to a 26 year old. Here are some of the highlights

• Don't wear a watch. Sorry, I will have to be old on this one. It takes too much time for me to dig though my purse, find my cell phone so that I can know the time.
• Don't spout any history. Hey when I was 26 I hated this too. Oops, by telling you this, I just spouted history. Dang, this is hard.
• Don't fear the waxer. Uh, I am not going to make any comment on this.
• Don't arrive at the crack of dawn. Don't be early to everything.
• Don't block the aisle. Don't be the old, out of it person who can't see or hear or move or think well enough to even be aware they are blocking the aisle.
• Use your thumbs to text. Older generation usually over uses index finger.
• Don't yell into your cell
• If you work, don't be the office mommy. Just because we've been through things, don't assume that every young person wants our advice. If someone has a wardrobe misfunction at work, whether intentional or not, don't scold them and talk like a buttinsky "all wise" mom to them.

One of the ways not to act old according to this article, don't cook a roast. Really? One of the best roast recipes I ever received is from a person under 40. OK, I am going to break the rule of no history, but I remember when Roy and I were first married, I had my parents and grandparents over for dinner. I made a great meal which centered around fish. After the meal, my grandmother pulled me aside and said, making and serving a roast says I love you, not fish.

The book, How Not to Act Old : 185 ways to Pass for Phat, Sick, Hot, Dope, Awesome or at Least Not Totally Lame will be released August 4. Think I am going to buy a copy for myself as a birthday gift.

Road Signs Along the Path of Adjustment No This Isn't a Plug for a New Chiropracter

It seemed a little funny to me, sitting in La Madeleine's this morning , I'm reading about a travel adventure in England, eating the American breakfast and drinking French Roast coffee. So international while still in the midst of hot Houston. I decided after my early morning workout to have some breakfast. Thought about going to Buffalo Grille but La Mad is closer and I would stick to eggs and bacon there because BG is all about pancakes to me. Sometimes I forget how much I enjoy eating breakfast out with just me and a book. Seemed like there were a lot of book lovers at the tables this morning. Even a small book group was discussing some big ol' yellow book whose title escapes me. It escapes me because the book cover looked totally boring to me. And no it wasn't the outdated and unrelevent Yellow Pages.


I have finished reading 3 out of 4 Joan Anderson books. I totally read them out of order but it seemed better reading the first book last and knowing the outcome of so many of her questions. Joan escaped from her stale life and lived in a cottage she and her husband owned by herself for a year. A year of sorting out her life and searching for meaning. She contemplated what and how she lived by rules pressed upon her by others. During her year alone on the island, she made a friend of an older woman, in her 90's, who had been recently widowed. The widow's husband had been cutting edge brilliant in his early career in psychological analysis. He developed the standard of development that is still used today. Her 90 plus year old friend believes that life is to be lived joyously, with the eyes of wonder of childlike play, and dance. Believe me, I liked Joan's friend, whose name happens to be Joan too, and the whole play, joy and laughter thing. Original Joan learns so much from Other Joan about how to live an authentic life. She even takes on jobs when money grew tight because of needed repairs on the cottage, in a fish market and as a clam digger. Original Joan is a journalist and published author as she lives out her adventure and learning process.


I don't know if it is the romance of Cape Cod or just the learning process she experiences over the age of 50 that intrigues me so. Now Joan is also contemplating ending her marriage. That is NOT even one of my considerations. I really don't even want to go off for a year, but wonder if I can have the same kind of experience staying in Houston? I'm thinking I can and maybe have had it, I just didn't know it. This is a year of rebuilding inclusive of physical, spiritual and emotional issues. Seems I am finally paying more attention to who God says I am than what the crowd says. God is healing the painful misconceptions, emotional chaos, and outright dislike that I faced most days and directed at me when I worked for the church. A drama filled and hurtful childhood doesn't lay claim on me now and i have a peace filled life lived out in sustaining God filled joy. The list is endless, but you get what I am writing about.


While reading these books, which are not in the Christian self help genera, this verse has been pressed upon my mind, "Set up the road signs: put up guideposts. Take note of the highway, the road that you take." Jeremiah 31:21. This quote from A Year By the Sea says so well, what I have been thinking since retiring.

"I am no longer just passing through the world, but digging deeper and collecting moments. Time is a funny thing. Now that I am engrossed in life there is never enough time, but that was before I learned to stretch a moment to an hour and create multiple highs along the expanse of a day. I never saw the possibilities and promises that twenty-four hours actually
offer."


Adventuresome, rule breaker, a tad rebellious and a spoken opinion are certainly good descriptives of me but somewhere along the way adventuresome has wained a wee bit. For goodness sake, I passed two branches of my bank today because I feel more comfortable using my close to home branch drive through. I am not keeping my promise to myself that I would try out all the different work out machines at Lifetime. Seems like I have found a routine that I like and don't want to differ from it. I forget about all the wonderful places to eat in Houston and relish the tried and true over the choice of dining in the unknown. I know the calling on my life by the Lord, but I'm not knowing really what I am supposed to do because I don't depart from the mundane and refire the Spirit in me. Not fanning flames at all.


I love this thought from A Walk on the Beach, "it's one thing to hazard out in a safe place and another in unknown territory. Taking chances and risking routine are two important ingredients for keeping alive. Besides a new panorama always offers fresh insight."


So, I am asking God for new panoramas and fresh insight. Maybe I will have my quiet time in another area of our home. Maybe I will actually get out and have it someplace else. That's a small beginning. Remember, I'm not desirous to go away by myself for a year, but see God here, to pay attention to the moments and what they hold, and to learn the value of walking off the beaten path when in search of new direction and spiritual revivification.. Action always creates reaction as well as change, so wisely said by Joan Erikson. Annie's Eyes commented on my post about Adjustment by relating what Blackaby says in Experiencing God, adjustment always has sacrifice. It is a scary thought. I mean, what if there is more adjusting than just getting up early and getting the work out done. :) Well, I will just set up the road signs, put up guideposts and take note of the highway, the road I take.

Adjustments

We are going through a little period of adjustment around here. Roy's truck is nearing death and if we want to get the stimulus money of $4500 toward a new car, the truck has to still be living. We took his truck in to see if the carburetor needed to be cleaned and learned from the mechanic his truck's transmission is loosing its low gear. Since we are so opposed to having a car payment, we will wait till earnings are announced so that Roy can cash in some stock to make this purchase. He is looking at all kinds, styles of cars and SUV's. So, for the time being, I am getting up at 6:00 am to take him into work and he takes the bus home. This seems a round about way of an answer to prayer. Unless I have someplace I have to be at, I'll sleep and take the easing into the day route. In my heart of hearts, I've been wanting to get up and work out earlier and even asked the Lord for strength and the desire to get up early. Guess He saw that on my own, this was leading no where. So, we are into day 2 of this and it's ok. Yesterday I dropped Roy off and was at Lifetime by 7:30. Worked out and ran errands and found myself home before 10:30. Not bad. Today, dropped him off and was at church by 7:20 to walk. Funny, when I worked there I hardly ever was on time, more like 8:15 ish. Finished up my walk a little after 8:00 and came home to get cleaned up and dressed for my 10:00 am free facial at The Nord.


The facial was awesome! Since December or so, I've been using Perriconne MD for my skin care. Their products have reduced some fine lines and firmed up my skin. I prebought their special products that are offered during the Anniversary Sale @ Nord which I picked up today. I had my facial in this wonderful massage chair. If I had a chair like that at home, I don't think I would ever leave. Lovonne did my base makeup afterwards and then went to see Nicole at Laura Mercier for my eyes and lips. Dang, I looked so good at the Play Grocery store and now I'm just sitting at home looking good. Buddy hasn't even mentioned how good my makeup looks.


Sunday afternoon, right after Roy left to hand out flyers for the Houston Project, I heard a siren that came very close to our home. Didn't think too much of it until later in the afternoon when coming in, there was a Harris County Medical Examiner truck at our back entrance. Roy told me that he saw 2 medical examiners, ambulance and police car. Wildest thoughts are, oooo, I wonder if someone killed someone here to the more likely thought of, oh, one of the old people must have passed. Well, it was neither nor. Our neighbor down around the corner died. Her husband found her in the bathroom, dead. She was youngish...like around my age. It is really so sad. It is also ironic that her husband, the rule keeper and resident hall monitor, has newspapers in front of his door. If you don't pick up your paper like around noon, he would leave a note or report you.


This morning it was kind of tough walking around the track when one side of the gym has become home for the week to teenagers from other churches working the Houston Project by day. I walked the track looking at the line. I didn't want anyone to think that I was walking around the track to look at all the sleeping beauties and prince charmings sacked out. Those are the kind of things you have to do when you are young, sleep in a gym and love doing so. Sleeping on the gym floor even with thick blow up mattresses doesn't interest me anymore. My senior year of high school, we did something like Houston Project only it was called Camp Houston. We slept at the church and worked on projects around the city during the day. We went through the waters of baptism several times one day just to cool off. That's when the church emptied the baptistery because there were teenagers in the church not trying to be sacrilegious, just trying to cool down. I remember saying, in the name of the water, to cool off from the sun and we need a holy float. Amen...world without end.


Guess I should end this post and go see if my make up still looks good.

What a Fun Week This Has Been

This has been such an absolutely incredible week. Nothing extraordinary happened other than enjoying the ordinary of everyday life. The pictures of Peggy and Jaime are from about a month ago, but I am behind in updating pictures etc... so I included them in this particular post. This has been a very social week for me, probably the most social since I retired in January. Of course being very. very sanguine, this isn't any surprise to anyone who knows me, but I noticed I could get in routines and go a whole week without any type of substantial conversation or interaction. I came to the decision I needed to have lunch at least once a week with a friend.

Monday evening was Bunko and Amanda was the hostess for this month. We had a blast! We had a great dinner, fun, lots of laughs, and oh yea, we played Bunko. The trip to and from Amanda's was enjoyable because of Kay.

Tuesday is the one day I actually went to the gym and did a full workout. Sadly, I have only walked a couple of the other days. Wednesday, Melinda Scurlock and I went to lunch at the Nord. It was her first time eating in the Bistro. We had the most wonderful time catching up with each other and she gifted me with a beautiful plant that I will promptly kill unintentionally. The plant was for volunteering in Vacation Bible School. I don't think I did enough to be plant worthy. Melinda loved the Nord and our waiter Jimmy made sure her first experience was memorable. Being the unthoughtful friend, I did not take pictures of this "first" for Melinda.

Wednesday night is choir. Fun on a multitude of levels. Get to see friends. Peggy, Marcia, and I sat together and had fun in between songs. Peggy and I were disappointed that Dana D didn't pick us. She sang some high soprano part solo and John asked her to pick two people to sing along with her. Of course our hands went up from the back row of the alto section. The only High C that Peggy and I will ever hit is the back in the day drink which would be like today's Capri Sun only High C came in can form. If you had High C in your lunch, you were sooooo cool. Afterwards a bunch of us sat around and visited. John was given an award by the orchestra for asking for more trumpet in a song. Guess that is a rarity in the orchestra world.

John speechless after receiving his award.

Thursday, I met CourtneyS for a quick lunch at the Nord. She is about to have a baby and getting to have lunch with her will be a long time coming. We asked Peggy to join us, but she had a dentist appointment. If she got out in time she was going to come but she texted that she had been numbed up so much for the crown, it would be wasting money to try and eat anything and taste nothing. Lunch went really well, well until we paid the bill. One of the pens had exploded and CourtneyS was the one who picked it up and got it all over her hands. We could not stop laughing. We finally got Jimmy's attention, yep he was the waiter second day in a row, and they brought CourtneyS these tiny, tiny, little, itty bitty wipes. They would be paper towels in Barbie's Dream House. So CourtneyS began the laborious clean up with about 15 of these little wipes.

Thursday afternoon a friend emailed me to see if I could go eat dinner. The only caveat, we needed to go someplace different than our run of the mill choices and she said be creative. So I got on the Internet and began looking at different choices and sent back an email relating what I had found. Silly me creative really meant she was in the mood for seafood. I would love to tell you about our dinner, how good it was, how much fun we had and the conversation sterling. I would love to share how she picked me up on her way home from work and we stopped by her place for her to change into jeans and I got to see her new yellow patio chairs she bought several weeks ago and how good they look on her balcony. It would be so fun to tell you that we first perused Willie G's and by the parking lot full of cars, we deduced it would be a noisy and crowded place. In the parking lot we saw a young woman leaving and she had a sash draped over her shoulder. We didn't want to gawk and try to read the sash, so we decided she was Miss Crawdad and her next big pageant dream is to be Miss Lobster. Paying her dues and working her way up the crustacean scale. She was escorted by another young woman and a young man who in gentlemanly fashion opened the door on his over sized Dooley truck for her majesty. It would be so much fun to tell you we decided upon Joyce's Seafood. How I long to tell you we were not disappointed in our choice of entree, that the key lime pie was fabulous and the decaf fresh. Everyone could be helped if I was able to tell about another safety moment we had on the drive back to my home and that we laughed till neither one of us had any eye make up left. I would love to tell you about this but my friend is shy and doesn't like the spotlight of my 5 faithful readers upon her.

Today I went to the land of Sugar to get my haircut. Got a Diet Coke run in at Target before the appointment and a quick trip through Whole Foods afterwards. Even had a chance to hit the Sugarland Academy to see if they had any cute work out capris. They did. I began the trip back into the big city, mindful of the safety lessons I have learned in the past few weeks. Mindful, I didn't practice them...anyway I was in a hurry to get home because Roy was actually leaving the office at 12:30. He helped me bring in the cargo and then helped take out the sacks of clothes for Goodwill. We dropped off the clothes and headed to Lupe's. We had the beef fajitas and they are slap ya mamma good. We went to the Academy next to Lupes and we both found shoes and some on sale t shirts. Roy has been on an Icee kick of late, so we ran by Target and I sat in the car while he ran in to get us two. Cherry Berry Lemonade Icee, it was so refreshing and good. We are hanging out with Buddy tonight and staying in to stay cool. He is going to make a Half Price Book run in the morning. We'll see how much we get for this third round of book recycling.

The following are pictures I took of Peggy and me on our play day last month. Jaime brought us lunch and they both set up blogs with my forgetful help. Peggy showed me how to make picture books from vacation prints. We had a blast. Now comes her busy season of Bain Bed and Breakfast and Beach. Our next opportunity is probably in the fall. I think I am going to go to Bible study with her on Thursday mornings in the Katy area.

Blog set up in the process.

Peggy setting up her blog and Jaime using my computer to set up hers. We are working out of Bill's office. He was in there looking for an important medical card and we would stop and help him look in between picture uploads.

Learning a new skill helps us oldies keep our brains young. Doesn't Gerti look so techy and young as she writes her first post.


Well, this post has gone on too long but I needed to share how much fun I've had and getting to spend time with friends named and un-named. It has also been a good week because there were no Daddy Drama visits to the ER or other "attention getting" antics. Good week cause there wasn't one day I had to be up at the break of dawn and could ease into the day. I got to eat dinner at favorite places and new places. Happy that Rebbecca Wells new book has been released and I had an extra 15% off coupon to use on it. So grateful for God's love, for His peace and joy. So thankful He watches over us and is so faithful when we're not.

Over Heard and Over Thought

Yesterday I unintentionally overheard a conversation in the locker room at the gym. Two young women, one going to UT this fall and one who has a year under her belt at the burnt orange school. They knew each other through other people so the Southern thing or 6 degrees of separation thing was happening as they went through a list of people that they both might know. They were very successful and had a lot of hits on mutual friends. The conversation went into dorm verses apartment living and from the UT sophomore came the good news that the dorm the other girl would be living in did not stink like some other dorm whose name I have now forgotten. This lead to floor plans and they both concluded that freshman girl had made a wise choice in roommates, floor plan and dorm. The conversation was drawing to a close but it made a brief return to "do you know____?" And sophomore longhorn says, "oh yes, I know her. She just became my BFF. I had another BFF but she has really fallen down on the job, so I replaced her." Wow, when did BFF become a stinkin' job?





Kay and I rode together to Bunko Monday night. I so enjoyed our conversation. We hit a lot of topics there on 290 and one thing we talked about was friendships. She said her mom had really brought the point home to her; to always take the time to make friends along the way, in each stage and experience of life. Her mom is good people. That topic was always high on my list to be taught or discussed when Jason was the MYA minister. Somehow, along the way my generation didn't really teach or maybe now that I think about it learn how to have friends. Friends of every age and from different backgrounds. The topic was never given too much consideration. I loved that at my 50th birthday party that there were friends of all ages, the youngest being 4 and the oldest was 90. Amy Maroney told me afterwards that she aspired to be like me at 50 and have friends of all ages. Our Bunko group is half oldies like me and half young like Kay. We have a blast and enjoy one another so much as we play, laugh and of course eat together once a month.





Two words that have lost original meaning to me, ministry and visionary. They have become ubiquitous in the Christian jargon and genera. Several weeks ago I received an email from someone asking if my ministry had a name? What? What ministry? Was she asking about Mildred and Gertrude? For years Peggy and I referred to it as a business but here recently we have become more attuned to the fact that M&G does provide ministry but in the unconventional way of laughter. We have been used at retreats where very serious topics were to be taught and discussed but before all that happened, they asked us there to make people laugh, to see that they are not alone in a lot of their thoughts and perceptions, and the laughs opened up women to receive and be helped by the serious topic of the retreat. Oops, I have digressed. Ministry, she wanted to know if my blog was an offshoot of a named ministry I had, did I have a book and what was my schedule for speaking engagements. Hahahahahahaha....hehehehehe...oh yeah. I'm not laughing because I don't believe I couldn't do these things, I have and I could. Having a named ministry now reminds me of those back in the day things like personality tests and having your colors done. Are you a winter spring or a summer fall combination? Are you a masking melancholy who really is sanguine? What to do with a phlegmatic? If you ever went to hear Florence Littauter and were phlegmatic, you should have asked for your money back. But since I am sanguine, I had a great time because that's what Florence was. Seems like so many in this season of "Christian must haves"are ministry names and self published books. Their blogs started out really fun, see the fam, see what we are doing, this is what I would love to teach, I blog therefore I teach, my blog has become my ministry, when will someone famous discover my blog and endorse my ministry and since 5 people follow me, my blog compels me to write a book and now my blog is really my book material. Now the blogs I am writing about are people I don't even know but early on enjoyed reading about their lives and here and there a lesson or truth that was learned. This trend too will pass and will find itself on the top of the heap of Christian trends discarded. Remember the embroidered collar that went over a shirt usually worn with a denim skirt...gone... Remember when speakers had like 4 inspirational subjects they prepared in advance and could speak on...gone... How about Paul and Silas salt and pepper shakers and the 12 disciple candelabra? I mean really, who still has their Prayer of Jabez shower curtain up and who is still wearing their purpose driven underwear?


Visionary, that is a whole nother thing. There are many people who are truly visionary and so creative, but there are others who hide behind the term because they don't want to do the "little" things that someone who loves to implement or has a "servant's heart" will do. Man, I am not nagging on this because the attitude is so easy to pick up. I found myself thinking that way from time to time when I worked at the church. It can be so burdensome to carry a load for such a long time that when you find an "out", baby you are so visionary. The Bible says where there's no vision, the people perish but if all the admins were out sick for a week, there would still be vision but the stuff needing to be done would perish.


I just got back from lunching at the Nord. Melinda has never been, so I whisked her out of the world of preschool and kindergarten and took her to the land of milk and honey. We both had crab bisque, the crab stack and split white chocolate bread pudding. Lucky me, I get to go home after a meal like that, she goes back to work. We picked up Nord catalogues for the upcoming Anniversary Sale and I told her she should use it in her meeting with Jason this afternoon. Now that is visionary thinking and out of the box.

Buddy has found my Bunko winnings. I won most Bunkos by default because Stephanie had the same number but she was first bunko. Anyway, all our prizes was jewelry and I won a beautiful necklace and it was out on the table still in the crinkly wrap it came in. Buddy is not after the necklace, but the crinkly wrap. We are both happy, I am matching the necklace to several of my outfits and she has the crinkly paper to chew on. She is also interested in the plant that Melinda gave me for helping in VBS. I feel guilty taking the plant cause I feel like I had more fun than doing work. I remember that is how I felt when I first went to work at the church, had fun and they paid me for working with friends. But then one day I became a visionary...

Oh, I'm Not Tired Yet

Happy Fourth of July!!! I know it is the fourth because Roy has gone into the office. The holiday hits in the critical time of quarter close. Hopefully, he won't be up there all day.

There are ways that you know you're getting older and mostly you keep that kind of stuff to yourself. I'm planning on getting one of those daily pill containers so while traveling I'll be able to keep up with my meds. I officially became an oldie last summer when I went on an Alaskan cruise and had a heart attack later in August. I am reminded monthly when I make the trip to the Walgreen's to pick up prescriptions that if I go through the drive through I have to go to the window. All my pills won't fit in the little capsule that runs between the store and your car. There is one thing that hasn't changed, I could sleep till 10:00 am most days. Most oldies are want to get up around 4:30 am. Not me, I make myself get up before 8:00 and oh sometimes 8:30 but it would be just as easy to turn over and continue on in dreamland.

Last night Roy and I were reminded that we're getting older because they gave us the senior discount at Fuddrucker's. We didn't know there was one and we didn't ask for it. Roy was so agitated by it but I told him he was the one who got us the discount with all that gray hair. He said it was me and my limp that got us the discount. Once I sat down at our booth and was able to ascertain the situation I realized all the counter help and cooks were young men under the age of 19. Probably every adult looks old to them. It has been some time since we've gone to Fudd's and come to think of it, it has been awhile since we have had a really good hamburger.

Another reminder of being part of the older set, we bought a new clock radio since our other one was two seconds away from biting the dust. Roy picked out one with a huge digital readout screen. I think he is tired of me asking him in the middle of the night what time is it since the numbers were a little blurry without my glasses. Wow, I can see the numbers loud and clear on the new one. What next, a large print keyboard on my cell phone? Oh I hope that doesn't happen. Can SAS shoes be around the corner? Will I think that double knit polyester is a good look by next week? Will I want to go to the beauty parlor for my weekly wash and set? Oh my, may it never be. Will I start using the term young people for those under the age of 45? Please oh please no.

I am fortunate to have people, yes even young people, and activities to keep my insides young though my outer shell be on the decay. I am not cool because I don't have an iphone but learning all my Blackberry apps are keeping me fully engaged in the technical 21st century. Our Bunco group is half oldies and half young people. We have a blast together. I'm looking forward to the ride to and from Amanda's because Kay and I are riding together. She and Jerrell are some of my all time favs. Peggy and I have made a pack that if either one of us becomes gloom and doom, cranky, or start complaining a lot, the other one has the right to set the other one straight. Of course it will be hard for me to listen to her if she starts dressing like Gertrude 24/7. The other night while taking a friend home, she gave me a friendly lecture, no it was more of a reminder that I shouldn't blow through intersections so fast. Did it bother me that she felt the need to say anything? No way, means I'm still driving like a young person. My take is this, get away from a potential non safe moment, don't go so slow that you have to stick around and give your name as a witness to said accident.

A merry heart does good, like a medicine. Keep laughing, have fun and be forward leaning into the future. Got medicated really well on Wednesday night. Lisa P, Peggy and I met for dinner before rehearsal for choir. We had a great time and our conversation full of laughter. On Thursday night I had so much fun talking to the Perricone MD manager at the Nord. She was showing me all the cosmetic area's specials for the Anniversary Sale that starts on the 17th. You know she hooked me in when she as a young person told me she loved my hairstyle. Helmet hair and a sullen attitude isn't going to get you into near as much fun.

They must be getting the pool ready for the 4th crowd. It can be a happening place. Our first year we lived here, a group had a big 4th celebration, even setting up a volleyball net. I looked out the window and said, I can't believe that old fat man is in the pool with all those young people playing volleyball. Roy looked out and said, Nancy, that isn't an old man, it's a topless woman. He continued, too bad it's never the cute ones that take off their tops. I had to look again, oh yes, what I thought I saw was some pot bellied guy, it was just a woman who wasn't pert anymore. That's around the time I had to start wearing glasses full time.

Think I will head to the gym in a bit. I finally got a good mix play list on my iPod. It's a mixture of rock, funk, disco, gospel and MJ. I'm not bored on the bike with Barry White and Kirk Franklin in the mix. Threw is some Carpenter's to smooth out the mix. Really, you have to have some cool down songs. I added a choir number from the Mississippi Mass Choir. It's the last song of the mix. The song is, I'm Not Tired Yet. Contrast that to the song, He's Never Failed Me Yet. Yet is the operative word. I know I am going to get tired it's just a question of yet. He's never failed me yet seems to me that there is a chance of that yet happening. NO way! He will never fail or forsake us. Oh back to the choir song. Words go somewhat like this, I've been working for Jesus a long time, I'm not tired yet. I've been running for Jesus a long time, I'm not tired yet. OOOOHHHHH, I'm not tired yet. OOOOOOOOhhhhhh I'm not tired yet.

Darn That Cat

I think I have caught on, finally, to some of Buddy's tricks of the trade. Mornings are harder to manage because Buddy thinks everyone, including Roy whom she hardly ever gives the time of day, should stop whatever they are doing and rub her. She falls in front of your feet, she runs ahead and falls down for you to stop and rubs around your legs until you stop and give her a little bit of loving. Now that I'm not working, it is easier to begrudge her requests. At some point Buddy goes from this loving cat to a vicious attack cat. For awhile I thought, oh how cute, she puts her back paws on my feet to get them warm. But she is strategically positioning herself to latch onto my leg and then use her front paws and mouth to attack. Now that I am wise to this trick I move my feet around constantly when she makes the attempt. She's been getting bored with the whole thing and meanders off for her early morning nap. How can something so cute have this mean, vicious side to them?

A Kind of Silence

Strange, I haven't felt like writing. That is unusual for me. There are days when I could post about 3 times and write in my journal. But the past few days have been more of thoughts being processed that I'm not ready to write out. Writing usually invigorates me but sitting here right now and wondering what to write is tiring me out. This from the person who after riding and working out this morning thought about walking on the track at church since I felt boundless energy. Maybe what I want to write about is really kind of whinny. Could be that only a few would really understand the complicating and conflicting thoughts that have been churning about for a little while. Now for those of y'all who read my blog and the answer is always depression to any slight turn of events, no I am not depressed. I promise. In the midst of processing thoughts I have been having a really good time and enjoying life with the exception of a couple of hours here and there. Oh, I am not devastated by Michael Jackson's death and that doesn't have me silenced in grief. He lived a sad life, but dude could dance. I still have Thriller and Off the Wall in album form. I did go to itunes and download some of my favs of his. Vacuuming around the house hasn't been this danceful since the 90's.


Could the days be any hotter? It gets downright hot in my car even with the A/C blowing at full blast. All those fun days in the spring are now catching up with me. The hot, blazing sun and a convertible top are not compatible.


Looking forward and not forward to the month of July. Have some fun things on the calendar this month. I am looking forward to Bunco on Monday night. I had to miss last month, so it has been a couple of months since I have rolled some dice. Bad part of July is a month of substitute teachers in Sunday School, well just one teacher for the month. Don't think I can be well behaved in that situation. And although this sub is OK, her style isn't my favorite so I might totally act out instead of sitting still. So, I think I will visit around or play hooky from Sunday School for the month. By my behavior I don't want to cause others to sin. Good thing I have never been hung up with perfect attendance. I'm starting out the month on a good note by having dinner with friends before choir this evening.


It's official, Roy hated Las Vegas. Although, he did bring home some great gifts for me and he said he had fun buying them, he doesn't have much use for the Viva Las Vegas. What cracks me up is the conference was for the new international accounting standards that most companies are going to instead of GAP. Bunch of card counting accountants running around sin city. When Roy checked into his hotel, he was asked by the front desk clerk if anyone would be coming to his room later and need a key... What????? So glad he spent his time at the conference, eating dinner with his co workers and hitting the fitness room. And of course shopping time for the wifey pooh at home.

That's it for now. Need to concentrate on laudry. Our machine was out of commision and it took 2 weeks to schedule the appt, have Roy be here and wait for the part to come in. That's a lot of laundry piling up. Think we have just about have all clean clothes and towels.