One Week from Today!

I woke up this morning so excited when I realized that one week from today we will be leaving for the shores of North Carolina. For those of you that might not know, Big D gave me, for our 20th Anniversary, a trip down the Outerbanks of North Carolina to visit 5 lighthouses! In the middle of these 5 lighthouses is my favorite lighthouse of all, Cape Hatteras! We hope to leave about 2pm on Tuesday. Driving as far as we can. Wednesday we will be traveling the rest of the way. It is a 16 hour trip to the coast of North Carolina. Since Wednesday will be a lot of traveling there won't be much time to start the lighthouse tours, so we decided to take a little detour to Dale Jarrett's (my favorite Nascar driver) and Jimmie Johnson's (Big D's favorite Nascar driver)Motor Complexes.

Thursday, we will begin our journey down the Outerbanks. Our first lighthouse to visit will be

Currituck

Then we drive about 1 hour and half to the next lighthouse which is:

Bodie Island

Then we drive about 1 hour and half again to:

Cape Hatteras (My Favorite!)

Big D reserved us a hotel just a mile from Cape Hatteras. So when I wake up Friday morning, it will be the first thing I see. Isn't that wonderful??? Now the rest of our trip is rather tricky. We have to take ferries and boats. So timing is critical. There is a possibility we may not get the last 2 lighthouses in, but Big D assured me he would do the best he could! That I don't doubt. He always does everything he can to please me! One of the many reasons why I love him so!

Friday we hope to travel to the ferry on time and see:

Ocracoke

If time allows, we will go see:

Cape Lookout

After visiting Cape Lookout, we will travel home. We will drive as far as we can. So we don't have such a long drive home on Saturday. Now you have read my itinerary! I can't wait to go. I have dreamed of visiting Cape Hatteras for years! I am so excited about going that I will probably start my packing today!

Until next time.....

God Bless~

Senior Prom Pics

As I promised, here are the prom pictures. Matthew and Lacy had a good time. They were disappointed in the music choices not many songs to dance with. They said it was either bad rap music or booty grinding music. They both HATE that kind of music, but they still had a good time just hanging out with friends. And now the pictures!

Don't they look great?? He looks so handsome in his tux and she is goregous in that dress!

He took such care taking the corsage out of the box and putting it on her wrist! He kept saying, "I'm afraid I will mess it up."

Since she wore a pink dress, he refused to wear a pink tie or vest, but he gave in to the pink rose boutiner.

What a gentleman!

This picture really represents them. His little smirky smile and that attitude in her eyes.

Looks like they can't wait to go!

And there OFF!

(Matthew told me that the only way I was allowed to blog about Prom was if I posted this picture of his "baby". He loves his car and is VERY proud of it.)

Until next time.....

God Bless~

Happy Birthday Big D!!!

Today is Big D's birthday. He is 41 today! Last year since it was his 40th, we gave him a HUGE party! This year it was just a nice quiet birthday with his parents and a couple of friends. After church, we went to O'Charley's for his birthday dinner. Of course, we had them sing to him. Which he HATES! But he was a good sport! Big D is a wonderful husband and father. He has been working so hard the past 2 months. So much we don't see much of him. It was good to see him relax on his day off!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy Birthday Big D! We love and appreciate you! Thank you for all you do!

Love always,

Me, Computer Geek, Football Star, and Lacey

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(Because this being Big D's birthday, prom pictures will be posted tomorrow instead of today)

Until next time.....

God Bless~

Senior Prom Night

Ahhh...Tonight is Computer Geek's Senior Prom! We have been busy today! This morning we went and had his car washed, waxed, and detailed. Computer Geek didn't want a limo and I know his date felt the same way. Then we had to go pick up the corsage. He is going with a special girl. They are going just as friends. Which is nice! Not alot of drama to deal with for the moms! Prom is held at the Air Force Base's Officers Club. Which I am sure will be very nice! Will post pictures tomorrow!

Until next time.....

God Bless~

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how polite are you?

Since I am not perfect, I would have to say an 8 or 9. My mom taught me to be very polite. I try, but I am sure there are times I haven't been.

Soup
What was the last thing that made you laugh out loud?

Football Star and his dancing! He is our comedian! Always makes us laugh even when we don't feel like laughing. There are times I am not sure what I would do without him!

Salad
Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Garfield will forever be my favorite cartoon character!

Main Course
Tell about the funniest teacher you ever had.

Mr. Maple, he was not only the funniest teacher, but I had a HUGE crush on him. No teenage girl in her right mind would choose to take Entomology (the study of bugs) for any other reason except a cute teacher! LOL!

Dessert
Complete this sentence: I strongly believe that Jesus is the Son of God!

Until next time.....

God Bless~

Teen Talent Photo Entry

"The Barn"

I wanted to share a picture that Football Star took for the Church of God of Prophecy's Tennessee Teen Talent. We won't know for 2-4 weeks if his entry will go on to the next level. If it does, it will be entered into the Church of God of Prophecy's General Assembly Teen Talent. For those of you that might not understand, this is like any kind of competition. You have a District Level, State Level, and National Level. I am very proud of his entry! I think it is a great picture! I noticed a couple of times when Football Star took pictures of Computer Geek when they were Geocaching (without me!), that he might have a photographic eye. Here are some of the other pictures he took:


"The Railroad"



"The River"


So you think he might have a photographic eye??

Until next time.....

God Bless~

Back Home from TTU!

We just got back home a few hours ago. We are exhausted. Let me tell you that was an experience! In 2 days, they give you so much information your head spins! We went in thinking we had most all the paperwork filled out. Computer Geek went in thinking he had everything worked out for his schedule. But we found out we were wrong! So Day 1 was kind of stressful, when they were giving us the qualifications for the Honors Program, Class requirements, and Work program. It looked like Computer Geek wouldn't be able to get in everything that was needed. But after a lot of prayer, hours of discussing what would be best for his future, we finally got it all worked out at 12am. Computer Geek decided to go for the Honor's Computer Engineering Degree instead of a Dual Degree in Computer's and Electrical. Better to give more attention to one degree and graduate with an Honor's degree, than to just take the basics in 2 categories and get a Double Major. Today was a great day. We got up this morning satisfied with the decisions Computer Geek made about his future at TTU. He signed up for all his classes. He got all the classes he wanted and even the Honor's classes. Computer Geek was thrilled that none of his classes start earlier than 9:20am. He also decided to join the Computer Committee. After standing in the long lines, Computer Geek preordered his text books, got his Eagle Card (his lifeline for EVERYTHING at TTU), ordered his meal ticket, got his parking permit, etc. We also found out that he qualifies for another $1,000 scholarship! PTL!
Now we wait for August 24th to roll around! Move in day!

Until next time.....

God Bless~

Honors S.O.A.R Program

We are leaving this morning for Honors S.O.A.R. Program at Tennessee Tech. Computer Geek was invited to join the Honors Program. S.O.A.R. is Student's Orientation Advising and Registration. It is a 2 day event allows you to find answers to all of your questions while becoming familiar with the campus. We are so excited. I always have such a good time visiting TTU. There are some very caring people that work there that is makes me feel comfortable about Computer Geek living on campus. We won't be back until late Monday night. Have a great weekend!

Until next time.....

God Bless~

Zander Ryleigh

Where have I been the past few days??? I have been loving on the most wonderful, cutest, little baby boys I have ever seen!! (Well with the exception of my 2 wonderful boys!) His name is Zander Ryleigh. He came into this world at a little over 7 pounds and 21 inches long. One of my good friends became a Grandma on April 20th. She is a couple years younger than me, so I have enjoyed aggrivating her about being a Grandma. Her daughter is one of the many adopted daughters we love like our own. I have enjoyed helping them out for the past 2 days! Keshia is only 17 and having all the new mommy worries, but is going to make one awesome mom!

Congratulations Keshia and Ryan! May little Zander have a long and blessed life!

Until next time.....

God Bless~

My story on Lint!

Yes, I said Lint! No, I am not out of my "blogging" mind. If you are wondering why I am sharing a story on lint, check out the comment one of my great friends left me yesterday. So YellowRose, this story is dedicated to you!

Several Sundays ago (Scout Sunday to be exact), an older man at our church that is VERY involved in Boy Scouts did a small little program with the Boys Scouts that attend our church. It was a nice little program, but at the end of the program this older man got very choked up when he handed our Pastor a "prayer rock" that the Boy Scouts wanted to present to him. Of course behind me, I heard the teenage boys laughing. I figured they weren't impressed with the "prayer rock". Then one of them (can't remember which,) leaned up and whispered in my ear, "I want to represent you with this "prayer lint". Being the Assistant Youth Leader that I am, I should have not laughed, but it caught me sooooo off guard, that I got so tickled I couldn't stop laughing!

There you have it my story on lint! Thanks YellowRose for giving me something to blog about this morning. I love ya!!

Until next time.....

God Bless~

Blogging Woes

Lately it seems I have not been in the blogging mood. I am not sure if I lost my love of blogging or if it is because I have not felt good the last 2 weeks. It's like I have a writers block. Everything I think about posting just seems superficial so I end up deleting it and posting nothing. I am not really into all the blogging days like Monday's Memories, Wordless Wednesdays, etc. The only one I do enjoy doing is Friday's feast and last Friday I wasn't in the mood to do it. I don't want to end my blog, but I need some kind of SOMETHING to keep it going. Ugh! Such a dilemma.

Until next time.....

God Bless~

Happy Easter!

I hope you have a Happy and Blessed Easter! I know most of us will spend the day with family and friends, but take time out to remember what the day is actually about. Without the price Jesus paid on this holiday, we would not be forgiven of our sins. When I think what Jesus did for me, my heart full of love and joy. In my human mind, I can NOT imagine the pain God went thru to see His only son treated so inhumane. Jesus went to that cross because He loved us so much. He didn't do it because we were already perfect and deserved it. No, He did it giving us a way of escape from our sins. He loves you no matter how bad you might think you and your past is. He doesn't expect you to be perfect once you come to know Him either! He understands we have to grow in the knowledge of Him. If you already know Jesus as your savior and friend, I rejoice with you this holiday. But if you do not know Jesus as your savior, please take time to ask Him to forgive you of your sins and ask him to help you become the person He wants you to be. It's that easy!! We as humans make it harder than it has to be! What a gift to give Jesus on Easter by accepting Him as your Savior!!!

Until next time.....

God Bless~

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
Name a trait you share with your parents or your children.

stubbornness from my dad
strong bond of love from my mom

Soup
List 3 qualities of a good leader, in your opinion.

A lot of Wisdom
Great decision making
Charm


Salad
Who is your favorite television chef?

I don't watch tv chefs much, but years ago I got hooked watching "Yan can cook". He was a little chinese chef with alot of energy and very entertaining.

Main Course
Share a story about a gift you received from someone you love.

hmm? Well the last huge gift I received was from my husband for our 20th wedding aniversary. He knows my love of lighthouses so He gave me a trip down the North Carolina Outerbacks to visit 5 lighthouses. We haven't went yet because our anniversary is in March and the lighthouses do not open to the public until after Easter. So we are going the 2nd weekend in May. I can't wait!!!

Dessert
How do you react under pressure?

Just let me say not very well. So I do my best to keep from getting in those situtaions. One example is I hate to be late so I am always 30 mins early for appointments, church, etc.


Until next time.....

God Bless~

Goodbye Mandisa!

Tonight Mandisa Hundley was voted off of American Idol. I am really sad about this. She was my favorite! Her voice was so awesome! She has such a wonderful personality and spirit about her. It's about time that the world look at the inside instead of the outside. When you watch Mandisa sing you don't notice her size at all, I think that is why I liked her so much. I can understand what she went thru being a "big girl", myself. We are easily judged for the outside before anyone takes time to see the inside. No matter if America thought she was good enough, I know God has a plan for Mandisa's life. She was a blessing to me and I can NOT wait to stand in line to buy her CD one day!

*God Bless you Mandisa! We are praying for you!

Until next time.....

God Bless~

Technical Difficulties

That image says it all! I am not sure what happened to my sidebar on my blog, but I got up this morning and it was just GONE! Could it be Hackers?? I didn't even go into the template section yesterday! So it couldn't have been something I did!?!? Please bare with me as I try to get my blog back in order. It's funny after you set your blog up just like you want it, you kind of forget what you had on it. So, if you see something that is missing that I had on before, please leave me a comment.

I know I need to add these things:

Archives
Last Posts

Until next time.....

God Bless~

Weekend Stuff

What a weekend! Here is a little of what went on this weekend:

I received a special surprise in the mail from a wonderful friend of mine. She knows how much I LOVE lighthouses and recently she went to the Bahamas. While she was there she took a picture of the Port Lucaya Lighthouse for me.

Also on her way back home she stopped by Tybee Island and took a picture of that lighthouse also for me!

*Thanks YellowRose! Love ya!



Saturday, Big D and I took one of our youth (and her mom) to the Teen Talent Competition our church has for the State. God had his hand on us while we were traveling. We were almost to our exit when about a quarter of a mile, I could see a yellow maintnenace truck parked on the side of the road and the man get out of his truck. Just as I get a few hundred feet from him, the car in front of me swerves a little and in an instant flips a entire blown semi tire at me. I had a semi to the right of me and this maintenance man and his truck to the right of me. All I could do is hold the steering wheel tight and drive over the tire. Thank the Lord that it didn't cause me to lose control of the van. It did bust the nose of the van and other damage. But I am thankful to my Heavenly Father that it wasn't any worse than it was. We were able to drive to the competition and drive home. The competition was great. Lacy (not to be confused with my Lacey) sang a solo and did a routine with her color guard flag. We won't know if she will perform at the General Assembly until they mail her scores to her. Even tho she sang wonderfully, I believe her drama with the flag will get her the superior rating she needs to go to the Assembly! She used the song Stained Glass Masquerade from Casting Crowns. She did an awesome job!

On Sunday, Computer Geek left for 3 days. He went on a TSA (Technology Students of America)Competition in Chattanooga Tennessee. He is participating in the Tech Bowl. He was so excited about this trip. I hope he has a good time.

So how was your weekend??

Until next time.....

God Bless~

100th Post!!

Woo hoo!! I am celebrating my 100th post!! I can't believe I actually posted 100 times already since joining in July 2005! I have enjoyed every moment! Thanks too all of you for your comments during my first 100 posts.

So when did you hit your 100th mark??

Until next time.....

God Bless~

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
Name 3 things that you think are strange.

My next-door neighbor
Gothic Teenagers
The Male species


Soup
What was the last ceremony you attended?

Awards Ceremony for Computer Geek at Tennessee Governor's School last summer.

Salad
What is one lesson you have learned in the past year?

Life with your children is more precious than we realize!

Main Course
Tell us about one of your childhood memories.

I couldn't not share a childhood memory without talking about my niece, Michelle. She is only 2 years younger than me, so we were raised like sisters instead of Aunt/niece. One of my most favorite childhood memories is her and I pretending to be Charlie's Angels in my front yard in Indiana. I was always Kelly Garrett. She was always Kris Monroe. Those were such wonderful carefree times!

Dessert
If you could extend any of the four seasons to be twice as long as normal, which season would you want to lengthen?

Fall!! Fall is my favorite season! The smell of bonfires and the cool evenings. The way the leaves crunch under your feet as you walk on them!!

Until next time.....

God Bless~

It's a Miracle!!

I'm Back!! Woo HOOOOOOOOOOO!! Did ya miss me??? Whew, what a fight I had with this computer! Computer Geek worked and worked and worked on it. I thought we were gonna have to just reprogram the whole thing. I really really REALLY didn't want to have to do that. Its just a hassle to have to download everything again. But my nephew came thru for me last night! Thanks Kevin!!! It took probably a total of 10 minutes to fix! So here is a little update of what has went on since my last post:

Computer Geek, Football Star, and I have had such good times going Geocaching on the weekends. So far the treasures haven't been worth posting about, but the thrill isn't in the treasures its in the hunt! This past weekend we took Big D's little 6 year old nephew from Germany to a few. He had a blast. He thought he was a modern day pirate. When we picked him up he had his little backpack full of snacks and things he thought he needed to go "treasure hunting". His smile was priceless when he would find the containers. Soooo cute!

We have been spending a lot of time at Big D's parents house because Big D's younger brother from Germany is in visiting. After 9 years serving as missionaries in Germany, God has lead them back home. Please keep them in your prayers. They are not sure where they will be living. It is a very difficult transition for them and the children. We are so glad to have them back home in the U.S.

We also have been very busy. A lot of college things to prepare. Computer Geek got a couple of great academic scholarships. Not enough for a full ride, but really close. We go next month to Tennessee Tech for S.O.A.R. (Students Orientation Admission Registration). It is a weekend conference for freshman students and parents. I can't wait to go. I love visiting the TTU campus!

Last week, Computer Geek and I ordered his tux and flowers for his date for his Senior Prom. Since she is wearing a pink and black dress, he went for a complete black tux with a vest and Windsor tie. He wouldn't go for a pink vest or tie! LOL!
He is going with a great girl! She is very special to Big D and I. They are only going as friends, but I am so glad they are going together.

Next week is Spring Break for the boys. We were going to go to Gatlinburg for a couple of days, but Computer Geek has a TSA (Technology Students of America) competition in Chattanooga that week. So I guess we will just hang around the house during Spring Break and Football Star will just catch up on some much needed sleep!

I think that about catching you up on the highlights of what has went on since I blogged last!

Until next time.....

God Bless~

Computer Problems

I know I haven't blogged in a long time. First week was a crazy week. Then I didn't feel well (and still don't)for several days. But my main reason is I am having some serious computer troubles lately. I hope to be back up and running soon. So if I haven't commented on your blog in a long time you will know why!

Until next time.....

God Bless~