Xerox Corporation has set us a way for us to thank the men and women who are fighting for our freedom. All you need to do is go to this website and select a card and message and it will be sent to a solider who is fighting for your freedom.
Thanks to my Aunt Kelli for the link.
Being the good mother I am, I decided to whip in a fine food establishment and grab my children some very healthy and filling dinner. While sitting in the serving line as I would like to refer to it, Hunter made the following observation from the back seat:
Hunter: Mom, why when a new movie comes out, does McDonald’s always have the toy from it?
Mom: Just smart thinking on the movie’s part I guess.
Hunter: Mom can we go see that movie - I don’t know what it is but I know I want to see it?
Pretty smart kid if I say so myself….
Another discussion we had on the way home…for those of you who know about Hunter’s obsession with the Titantic. For those who don’t, our son wants a Titantic ship with all the people for Christmas. He keeps asking to see the movie. I don’t know exactly which movie he is referring to - but I am not yet ready for him to see the Titantic that came out just recently. Here’s the discussion related to the movie:
Hunter: Mom when can I see the Titantic movie?
Mom: Hunter, mommy isn’t ready for you to watch that movie yet - I am looking for a movie about the Titantic for you to watch.
Hunter: Why can’t I see it - I know it has scary parts but I am big I can see it and I won’t get scared (this coming from the kid who sets traps in his bed each night).
Mom: Hunter there are bad words in the movie that we don’t say in our house and I don’t want you to hear those words.
Hunter: Can you just tell me what those words are?
Mom: No Hunter even Mommy doesn’t say them.
Hunter: Can you give me a hint about the words that are bad like what letter they start with?
Mom: No Hunter - we aren’t going to worry about it - because we don’t say those words.
Hunter: Does one of them start with a “S”?
Mom: (Now my mind immediately goes into overdrive - How in the world does he know that word??????) Hunter, we don’t need to worry about what letter they start with - those are words that don’t make Jesus happy so we aren’t going to talk about them - He doesn’t even want us to think about them.
Hunter: Does it end in “up”?
Mom: Do you mean “shut up”?
Hunter: yes
Mom: Yes, Hunter I am sure that word is in there somewhere and we don’t say that word either.
End of conversation….boy was I happy that he didn’t know the other word!!!!! Thank you God for guarding my child’s heart and ears!
Today I had to go to the doctor - I am fine just wanted to follow up on a procedure I had done several years ago. My primary doctor is located at a hospital that is in an older part of town. She has referred me to this particular doctor who is also located in this same hospital complex. It’s not the flashiest (is that a word) hospital…matter of fact it’s rather bland. Since it is in an older section of town, most of the patients are older. I am usually the youngest person in the waiting room, by let’s say at least 30 years. Anyway, I had the chance to sit in a waiting room FULL of patients waiting to see their doctor. This is a blog about all the fun things I saw and heard.
To my right, an older couple AN OLDER COUPLE! I arrived at 1:50 apparently they had arrived much earlier, they were very settled in their seats. He was filling out his paperwork and had been filling it out for some time. She was reading the blanks to him, in a very outside voice:
Her: it says address
Him: What?
Her: Address
Him: Oh, Address
Her: yes, address
You get the idea of the conversation. (Side note: I was in the waiting room for at least 20 minutes, they were still working on the paperwork when I got called back.)
Meanwhile, while he is filling out the paperwork, she gets a piece of peppermint out of her purse. It takes her at least 5 minutes to get it opened. The rest of the waiting room listened and watched as she fought with the wrapper.
Move two chairs to the right of them. A younger couple, at least 10 years younger than the previous. The lady couldn’t help but stay tickled at couple number 1. She was trying to be discrete in her laughter, but it was difficult for her and then her husband caught the bug.
Move one chair right. Drug Rep - we all know what they look like. I kinda feel sorry for them. They sit in waiting rooms ALL DAY long. That is their job. No wonder they get paid so much money. You would have to pay me a lot to sit in this environment all day also. She has her computer out. I would like to think that she was reading some serious research about the drug she is trying to sell - but I really think she was playing Solitaire. The way her eyes were moving and her hand was clicking. Must have been a serious game - she was very into it.
Keep moving right. Next couple we come to - you can tell they visit alot of waiting rooms. He is just sitting there, all content, not a care in the world. She has her walkman on (I haven’t seen one of those actually being used in years.) She is knitting and at her feet is a bag full of magazines. She is listening to the news on her walkman apparently, she gives her husband an update.
Her: Bad weather is south of here
Him: uh-huh
Her: They think a tornado hit in Montgomery
Him: uh-huh
Her: It’s clearing so they say
Him: uh-huh
Her: wanna listen (removing headphones)
Him: Nope (you thought he was gonna say uh-huh - me too)
Next couple we come to is 3 chairs over. They just sit there, she has her purse in her lap securely holding on to it. He is sitting there, but is not as patient as she. He gets up twice in the 20 minutes to see how much longer. I don’t think he got the answer he wanted.
Next two we encounter, two older gentlemen. They are solving the world’s problems one by one. The problem with today’s youth, the newest minister at church, the fact that so and so was ordained and they can’t believe that, the upcoming game this weekend - the problem is the coach, and oh yeah - they forgot to get their parking ticket validated. Now they are going to have to pay the dollar to park.
In the middle of the room, an elderly gentleman who enters by himself. Quite the stately man. Overcoat on, hat neatly placed upon his head and his shoes that look like they were just shined. He sits down to complete his paperwork. To do so, he pulls out of his wallet a piece of paper neatly folded. I can see the paper has 10 lines on it, very neatly typed. He begins to copy the information over to his paperwork. I am assuming these are his current medications. He works slowly, but precisely to copy the information. He smiles as someone new comes through the office entrance and greets each one very pleasantly.
I just sit there - doing what I love to do - people watch. It was a very quick 20 minutes. There was so much to see and take in. I learned alot about each of the people I saw. Couple #1 - they love each other, they’ve been married a long time, they help each other through each and every task - my question is WHO DROVE??? Couple #2 - They have a good time, they laugh together and probably hold hands while walking to the car. Drug lady - she does what she has to do to earn a buck. Couple #3 - he tolerates everything, does as he is told and doesn’t have a lot to say about anything. Couple #4 - She is patient, he is anxious. She doesn’t mind sitting, he would have rather been home tinkering with his toys. Solve the world’s problems Gentlemen - I could see them sitting on a porch with a bottled coke playing a game of dominos. Life goes by them, they observe it and enjoy every minute God has given them. They were best friends, you could tell by the way they finished each other’s sentences. Elderly man, he is just content. He just is - that’s where he is in life. Pleasant to all - never meeting a stranger.
My afternoon in the waiting room chair - I learned alot today. I learned who I want to be when I am old and who I don’t want to be!
(Yes Tammi and Kristi - I know this is a long post)
I don’t know how to set up a picture gallery on the left side of this page so I am just going to overload you with pictures here!!!!!
Enjoy!!!
Playing with the Hermit Crabs at the Dauphin Island Estuarium
The Horseshoe Crabs
Getting up close and personal with the turtles. I thought for a minute it was going to get Hunter’s nose.
This has to be one of my favorite pictures of the kids ever!
No hurricane on the radar - but it sure looked and felt that way.
The shrimp boats at Bayou La Batre
Daddy was trying to take a nap - but Lucy and Brantley had other plans for him.
The Hover Round at the McWane Center. This was a garden leaf blower attached to a black disc. This was the coolest thing ever!
Brantley taking a spin on it.
Static Cling and A bag of Jelly Bellys….we didn’t even come close to winning!
Rush (aka Jonathan Rodgers) however took the prize and continued his winning streak!
Future Sound of the South members
Kristi and Tams (faithful blog readers)
Tams and Paige…I think Tammi turned sideways to show off her expanding belly!
Hunter receiving his Bible at church this morning. (Wendy - I hope your picture turned out better - my flash was not doing so hot!)
Family photo in the backyard
Brantley was a littled wired this afternoon - literally!
Today is a holiday. I could sleep in, my children could sleep in, even Maggie the dog could sleep in. So why in the world would my son who HATES waking up in the morning, the same child I have to DRAG out of bed every other day - woke up in a GOOD mood at 6:15 this morning. I was ill to say the least. I had thought long and hard about sleeping in today, because I knew my children who LOVE to sleep late would do so this morning. Moving along in my story…Ed had to be at work at 7:00 so with both of my children awake, I pulled up a saved program on Tivo - Tom and Jerry and asked them to watch while mommy slept. They did as asked. When the show was over, they quietly left the room. A few minutes later they reappeared with Breakfast for me. Here is my plate as it was delivered to me.
My breakfast consisted of two Hello Kitty pop tarts, one chocolate chip cookie and 2 Little Debbie cakes.
I slept until 7:30 which was very nice. While I was sleeping they had been busy building forts. It was a nice morning after all.
So where will you be Christmas shopping this year?
Will Ed be at Best Buy on Black Friday this year?
WOW what a year it is going to be……
I can’t wait til the word is on the street. It is going to be an awesome choir tour and an incredible DNow.
I will accept bribes in the form of “Bens” in large quantities. No pocket lent accepted.
November 19th - where will XA be going….the question finally gets answered.
Tonight Hunter’s class completed their class project. The class gathered at Build-A-Bear and made bears. Joining us for the evening was a Hoover Police Officer. Once the kids finished their bears, they gave them to Officer Standeffer. She is going to share them with the other officers. They will give the bears to children they meet on their job that might need a little extra love. Hunter’s classmates loved the task and had a great time. It was a great lesson to share in as a family.
Here’s the class picture!
Tomorrow - if you decide to sit and watch the election and not participate in the election, then your voice is silent. You lose your right to voice your opinion about anything related to an elected official.
Get out and vote!!! Get educated about where the candidates stand on the issues. Do your part as a citizen of the United States. Do you know how many men and women have died so your voice can be heard.
So much has been happening since I last “really” posted anything. We have been in a whirl-wind it feels like. I really thought at some point things would slow down for us - but they have not.
Brantley is loving being 5 and telling everyone how old she is. She has been my human alarm clock since the time change. She typically comes bouncing (and if you know Brantley she literally bounces) in our room around 5:50 every morning. Thank heavens for overcast skies this morning, I had to wake her up. She is loving school and as you can tell from the pictures posted recently, loving life!
Hunter is a sponge. Oh my how much they learn and how fast. I told him last night at supper as he informed me that the human bones do not control the body, nor do the nerves, it’s the brain that controls the body; that I think pretty soon he will be smarter than me. He loves school and loves learning. He loves his teacher, Mrs. Cronican. She is amazing. He is so into Space right now and is obsessed with the Titantic. We are now on our third library book dealing with the Titantic. I must say - I too am learning a lot alongside him.
I have began a new Bible Study - well I should say two of them. And let me tell you - they are so appropriate for my life and the season of life I am in right now. When I am still and let God speak to me through his word - He doesn’t just speak - He screams at me. My group is studying Beth Moore’s Daniel and we are at the same time doing Jennifer Rothschild’s Fingerprints of God. Where do I even begin to tell you about what I am learning. In Daniel, I am seeing how I/We live in a modern day Babylon. It is almost too scary to think about the foretelling that is done in the book of Daniel. I am challenged everyday - to live in this world but not of this world and how hard that is! I am starting week 2 tonight - so I am sure I will have more on this topic. In Fingerprints of God we are challenged to seek and not miss the times that God so gently touches my life. It is everyday - but I must realize that I am His child and I should seek to glorify Him in all I do. Both studies are very challenging, but I am learning so much. Beth Moore says our heads may explode because we are going to be so overwhelmed with what God’s word has to show us.
Now to a different topic - one that I get to experience every day that I come to work. The beauty of fall. I love this time of year!!! It’s my favorite season. The rich colors of the leaves brighten my drive in to work every day. For those in the Birmingham area - might I recommend a drive down Ross Bridge Parkway? It is breath taking. I have to remind myself I am in Alabama. The oranges, reds, golds, and burgandy leaves remind me of the Creator who made all of this for me to enjoy.
Enough rambling today - for all you T-Roy Tech individuals out there - we will see you this weekend. We are looking forward to Homecoming. Ed and I have decided not to march this year - but enjoy the day with the kids. We are taking them to their first parade ever. Living in the big city - you don’t get to see many parades (other than the ones where my children would have to wear blindfolds because of the gyrating or the world’s longestttttttttttttttttt Veteran’s Day parade that they would be bored at). I am sure we will have lots of pictures to post when we get back.
Hope you all are having a WONDERFUL week. We are off to the Upward Celebration at church tonight.
