The Answer

You people are good!!  Charlsie wanted me to try to find her in the picture... which I wasn't able to do.  Now that I know which one she is, her face is so evident to me.  But the first thing that really stuck out to me was how much this girl...

... looked like ME!  It was overwhelming.

When I pointed it out to Charlsie, she said, "Why, that's Ivon (Treadway) Sanders". 

Ivon is a sweet, sweet woman I went to church with for years.  She's gone on to be with the Lord now, but she left a lasting impression on me.

One time when I was about 25 years old, David and I went to an in-home prayer meeting and the Preacher asked us to gather in a circle, hold hands, and we'd go around the circle saying something nice about another person in the circle.  When it was my turn, I had chosen Ms. Ivon, and I said, "Ms. Ivon, when I grow up, I want to be just like you!" and I SO meant it.

She was a special lady.  She used to say "Isn't God good?" all the time. As a matter of fact, that was one of the last things she said to the Preacher before she died. 

Although she is not related to me in any way (and I did not use Photoshop to superimpose my face on hers), I am thrilled that the girl that looked kind of like me in 1933, was that godly woman I was privileged to come to know in her latter years.

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Charlsie's basketball photo is precious to me.  A priceless treasure.  And, someday, these old basketball pictures will be priceless treasures for my children to hold near and dear to their hearts...

Bruno-Pyatt Patriots 1981-1982

Don't these make you boys proud?

1933

I believe I've mentioned before how much I LOVE antiques.  Old furniture.  Old homes.  Old books.  Old cars.  Old pictures... especially old pictures.

An old picture tells a story and transports you to a time long past.  It speaks of the lives of people who have lived, loved, worked and survived long before you. For me it's nostalgic and sweet and I long to know more about the story of their lives ... especially when it's the story of someone I know and love.

So, I was thrilled, to say the least, when Ms. Charlsie shared this photo of her high school basketball team, the "Flippin Cardinals", taken back in 1933. She would have been about 14 years old in the picture.

This team was undefeated for three years in a row from 1933 through 1935. My soon-to-be 90 year old neighbor, Charlsie, is in the back row on the far right.  Her sister, Madge, is in the middle row on the far left.

Charlsie's father moved their family from their hometown of Bruno, Arkansas, to Flippin (about 30 miles or so) back in 1927 for the sole purpose of enabling Charlsie's older sisters (and later herself) to play basketball for Mr. G.B. Keeter who had come to the Flippin School district the year before.  Charlsie was in the 2nd grade in 1927, but when she moved to Flippin, they placed her in the 3rd grade. She explains that she was "right smart" as a child.  She went on to graduate high school in 1935 at the age of 16 and was married before she turned 17!!

Now, for a little contest...

See if you can find someone in the picture that may remind you of someone else. My kids are not allowed to play... they've already guessed it (correctly, I might add!).  Leave a comment and tell me which one you think it might be... I'll post the answer tomorrow.

Amazing Grace

I was so excited to go to church this morning.  Our Nicaragua Mission team was coming back from a week on the mission field and I knew God had a blessing for us as a church.

Several of the men on the team were allowed to participate in a drama to a huge crowd in a soccer stadium and the men re-enacted the drama for us this morning.  It was set to the song "Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)".  You'll be blessed just by the song...

... but having this group of men re-enact the drama was moving for me.

We heard testimonies of how God revealed Himself over and over throughout the week.  I've never felt called to the mission field, but I do know that when you are called... if you are obedient... God will bless you and your commitment to Him. That was most evident this morning.

I am praying that what God has done in this team, will affect me and my heart and our church.  These are difficult times and the only thing we really need is Him.  Everything else is meaningless.

The Preacher said it well this morning when he said, "Some people have nothing, but Jesus, and some people have everything, except Jesus."

_____________________________________

Posting about this reminded me of the movie "Amazing Grace".  If you haven't seen it yet, that's one you don't want to miss!

Fireproof

As today was my Mom's birthday, my sisters (Valerie #3 and Sharon #9) and I took her out to eat at (I may have mentioned) one of my favorite restaurants, Neighbor's Mill Bakery and Cafe.  Of course, I couldn't leave there without another one of those awesome apple pies for David - certainly not for myself.

After supper, we went to the movies.  I had secured tickets online for "Fireproof".  The third movie by Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia.  Honestly, I didn't really look into what this film was about... I just wanted to go because I loved "Facing the Giants" and "Flywheel".  Just last night, I finally looked up what the movie actually was about and realized it was a movie about marriage.  So, of course, I went with my Mom and two sisters (and Sharon's husband).

It was SO good!

We had a great audience... these people laughed hysterically at the previews (which were all animated).  This wasn't your typical audience. During the movie they laughed, cried, and at times you could hear a pin drop it was so quiet in there. It was pretty incredible to be able to sit in a theater and hear the gospel being shared on the BIG SCREEN!  I loved that.

I also love the great sense of humor the makers of these films have.  I'm not a laugh-out-loud-at-TV/movies-kind-of-person unless it's just downright funny.  You know, like in "Overboard" when Goldie Hawn has that chainsaw! But I found myself laughing out loud several times in this film.  It's just GOOD, clean fun.

And it's also very true to life.  There are several touchy subjects brought up in this movie that are very relevant to today's marriages.

If you are married.  If you are considering marriage. If you just want to see a great movie.  You need to see this film.  It would be a good one to get on DVD and watch with your sweetie in the privacy of your home, cuddled up with a bowl of popcorn (hopefully, a much healthier version than you'll give a day's wages for at the theater) and enjoy together.

I'll be adding this one to my DVD collection.

Happy Birthday, Mom

Back in 1999 I started a family website on MyFamily.com.  I wanted to be able to keep track of birthdays, anniversaries, addresses, etc. and find a central spot that uncles, aunts, and cousins could share the events of their lives.  In a way, I started a blog back then, because I posted this post for my Mom's 62nd birthday on September 25, 1999.  Her birthday is today, so I thought I'd share what I wrote about her then.

Grandpa and Mom (1939-ish)

Tomorrow is Mom's birthday, and I wanted to take a moment to let her know how much having her as a mother has meant to me . . .

I remember sneaking down to her bedroom at night after having a bad dream ... Mom always told me to pray.

I remember ear infections, coughs, and barfing... Mom always nurtured.

I remember all the dresses and outfits she made ... having to alter the patterns so much to work with my stick figure.   (I also remember going throughout the neighborhood to show off all those clothes, too! ... sorry about the grass stains and holes, Mom!)

My family and my Uncle Bruno's family posing in homemade clothing. (That's me, front left.  My sister, Valerie, has her arms around me.)

I remember seeing her with babies on her hips and dishtowels (or burp rags) on her shoulder.

Mom and Sharon (1970) - also homemade dresses  (I love the bell sleeves)

I remember going to the bread store and on the way home, she'd stop on the side of the road and split pieces of raisin bread for us kids to eat.

I remember her singing.   I remember her teaching.   I remember her loving.

I am truly blessed to be her daughter.

She has been with me (literally) through two births.   She has prayed for me when I've undergone surgeries.   She has encouraged me and taught me how to endure.  

She has modeled a sacrificial life.   She has persevered during many trials.   She has shown me her love for God.

Dad and Mom (Christmas Eve 1966)

She has loved my father and gladly is his help-mate.   She is my inspiration as a mother and wife.   She is one in a million and I am ever thankful that God chose her to be my mom.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!   I LOVE YOU!

Back at Home

Ms. Charlsie is happy to be home from the Nursing Home.  Her brother, Lloyd, had a doctors appointment this morning, so we had the honor of going to pick her up.  Dave and the therapist helped her in my car and she said, "I'm going home today!"   She was so excited.  Then she apologized for "being so much trouble".  I quickly corrected that notion.

When she walked in her front door she exclaimed, "I'm home!"  I got a photo of her and Dave as soon as she got to sit on her couch.

After about a minute, she asked David to take a walk around the yard with her.  She "needed to get some exercise" and she wanted to have a looksy at her yard.

She had to wait a little while before she could see Sweetie, because Lloyd still had her, but finally, she was reunited with her precious baby...

I didn't get back to work until after lunch-time, so I worked until 6:30 and took a couple of Subway sandwiches back to her house.  We left her to herself a little while ago, she said it was going to be awful quiet there ... but she'll have company.

She has a lot of people who love her to pieces.  We're among them!

35 Things

I started this post last night, then the power went out ALL OVER TOWN. I finished it in the dark, and posted it this morning.

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My friend, Jamie, posted this today and I thought it was fun, so I'm playing along. If you decide to play, too, leave me a comment, I'd love to read yours.

"35 odd things about me"

1. Do you like blue cheese salad dressing? No

2. Do you own a gun? Only a hot glue gun that hasn't been hot in years. Dave has several guns, of course.

3. What's a favorite drink at Starbucks or other specialty coffee house? No caffeine for me.

4. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Water or hot tea (I love Tulsi and Green Tea)

5. Do you do pushups? Yup!

6. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? Probably my anniversary ring that I got at the 10 year mark.

7. Favorite hobby? Is shopping a hobby?

8. Do you have A.D.D? Not that I know of.

9. What's one trait that you hate about yourself? I'm late all the time!!!

10. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment: I can't believe they just did that on "House"; I need to get ready for bed; What AM I thinking about??

11. Name 4 drinks you regularly drink. Water, Water, Water, and hot tea

12. Current worry right now? In a word, Tyler

13. Current hate right now? The complete lack of morals and values in our current political system. (Don't get me started)

14. Favorite place to be? Anywhere with my family all together (that's you, too, Kayla!)

15. Do you like to travel? I haven't done much, but have enjoyed the places I've been able to go.

16. What color shirt are you wearing? Red

17. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? I never have. Can't see Dave going there.

18. Can you whistle? Mostly IN.

19. Favorite color? Green

20. If you could would you be a pirate? Is Johnny Depp in this equation?

21. What song do you sing in the shower? Can't remember the last time I sang in the shower. Lots of times I have the words of songs going on in my head while I'm in the shower and they're usually songs we sang in church the Sunday before.

22. Favorite girl's name? Chloe, Zoe, and Madison (never got the chance to name one)

23. Favorite boy's name? McLean (Dave's Mom's maiden name.) I wanted to use it, but never did. If I had it to do over, I would've named Tyler differently... he agrees!

24. What's in your pocket right now? The list I used at Walmart today for stuff for our church picnic on Sunday.

25. Favorite bedsheets as a child? I'm with Jamie, I can't even remember one set.

26. Worst injury? I've never been seriously hurt, but I had a rough bike wreck when I was little and screamed all the way home (several blocks) for my momma. I was a bloody mess when she got to me. Another memorable injury was when I played basketball with our church one time and my own son (Kale) went up for a rebound against me and threw a HUGE elbow in my eye. I had a horrible black eye for a week or so. I came down with the flu at the same time and had to go to the doctor. It was a doctor I hadn't seen before and she thought I was covering up a domestic situation by "claiming" it was a basketball injury.

27. Do you love where you live? Yes. We live near town, but not in town. We have good neighbors and it's beautiful here.

28. How many TVs do you have in your house? Five

29. Who is your loudest friend? Can't think of one that I would say is loud. But, Jodi sneezes the quietest!

30. How many pets do you have? one.

31. Does someone have a crush on you? I think Dave might.

32. What is your Favorite Book? "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers.

33. What's your favorite candy? Jelly Beans, Circus Peanuts, Dark Chocolate covered almonds. Oh, that list could get long.

34. Favorite Sports Team? I don't follow many "teams" any more.

35. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? Can't I just sleep for 30 more minutes?

She's a Hard Worker. That's All She Knows.

We got so tickled at Ms. Charlsie yesterday when we were visiting.  One of the therapy aides came in to let us know how well she was progressing during her physical therapy sessions.  He's not the one that actually works with her, but I guess he's watched her work with the therapist, or maybe they discuss patients, I don't know.  Anyway, he told us that "she works her buns off" and that she was wearing the therapist out!  She has the ability to walk backward with "spatial awareness" and most people they see can't do that.  He bragged on her for a few minutes and then left.

Her face absolutely LIT up!  She kept saying, "I can't believe he said that about me.  He's not even my therapist!"  She was so proud.  Her brother, Lloyd, asked her if she worked that hard when she used to play basketball (in the 30's) and she said, "Oh, yes!!"  She has the best attitude and sees the positive in every situation.

Dave said none of what the man said surprised him.  "She's a hard worker.  That's all she knows."

We are so blessed to know Ms. Charlsie!

Robert Goulet

It's hard to believe it, but my little brother, Robert (#8), turns 41 today!!  It doesn't seem possible.

(Robert sure reminds me of Dominic in this picture)

I remember when he was a brand new baby in the bassinet, I crawled on the edge of it and was looking in at him and the bassinet somewhat collapsed (at the front) and Mom had to catch it.  (I've always loved babies!)

Robert, like me, is one of the more emotional kids of the eleven.

Robert went through a phase when he was a boy of asking Mom at bedtime... "Mom, is it tonight? Is the house going to burn down tonight?"

Robert threw a rock in the dark once, and hit me smack in the forehead. (I don't think he intended to, but I got him in BIG trouble for it anyway!)

Robert has been a policeman for several years, but is currently changing careers and putting himself back through school. I admire him for that.

I hope you have a Happy Birthday, Rob!!

Here are some sweet photos of you that make me smile!

A Little Different Sunday

Today was a little different at church since both our pastors are gone on a mission trip to Nicaragua.  A gentleman in our church, who is also a preacher, preached in Steve's absence.  He did a great job talking about how we should rely on God, who knows us intimately, for our future and not trust in the things of this world (the stock market, Wall Street, our economy).

Randy picked out several good songs.  My favorite today is a song written by Tim Hughes, "Here I Am to Worship".  Tim was still in college at the time he wrote it back in 1999.  I love worship music and I love how the words, when sung to the Lord, are so meaningful.

It's looking as though Ms. Charlsie will be able to go home sometime this week, probably Wednesday.  She is a bit nervous about these "spells" happening again, but we assured her that we would come visit her and check on her often.  She's ready to be back home with Sweetie!

Today is my nephew Cory and his wife Lacey's anniversary.  They got married in 2001, right after September 11 and before Cory had to leave for the Middle East.  Since Cory is back serving in Iraq again, they are spending this anniversary apart.  Happy 7th Anniversary, Cory & Lacey.

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous lately ... fall is in the air.

With the preachers gone, I'm looking forward to a quiet week at the office this week.

I hope ya'll have a great week!

A Beautiful Experience

I took the day off work today and went with my sister Valerie (#3) and my Mom to visit my Aunt Rosemary.  I hope she doesn't mind me saying this, but the doctor's have not given her long to live and to be quite honest, while I truly wanted to go see her, my heart and my mind were struggling.  I don't think I'm all that different from most people in that "cancer", "sickness", "death" are all words that scare me.  I struggle with knowing what to say and how to act.  I also don't want to fall apart. (Because I'm pretty much a big ball of emotions anyway.)

Aunts Rosemary and Karen, and Mom

Aunt Rosemary and Mom (or is that Allison and me?)

A family friend, Mom, and Aunt Ro

This is my mom's sister.  Whom she dearly loves. They're only 13 months apart. They have been close all their lives.  It is a chapter I don't really want to walk through.  I don't want my cousins to have to walk through it.  I don't want my Mom and her siblings to have to walk through it.  No one wants to.

But, I'm so glad I went today.  Like the last time I went to see my Aunt, I came away blessed.  She was so at peace and so happy, even though she is SO sick.  I heard her and my mom talking about all the company she has been having lately and she said, "Yes, and I'm loving every minute of it!"  And you could tell she meant it.  She followed that by saying, "It's as if God has given me a great gift to be able to feel well enough to enjoy having my family home."  All her children were home at one time last week to spend time with her.

My mother always told me that when she was with her father as he was dying, she saw God at work through it all.  She describes it as "a beautiful experience".  My grandfather loved the Lord and was ready to go home to Him and to his beloved wife who had passed away 6 months before him.

I can see the hand of God in my Aunt's journey.  I see how real He is to her.  I am so grateful that He is sustaining her and giving her strength and courage to face her difficult and pain-filled road.

I truly admire you, Aunt Rosemary.  I am so blessed by your spirit and your beautiful testimony.

This verse keeps coming back to me this week.  I wrote about it in my last post.  And the Preacher posted on it today.  It reminds me of you, Aunt Rosemary.

"For I know that my Redeemer lives,
      And He shall stand at last on the earth;

And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,
      That in my flesh I shall see God,

Whom I shall see for myself,
      And my eyes shall behold.."

The Likes of Ike

Tropical Depression Ike brought us a stormy night.  The wind blew ferociously from about midnight on.  I heard branches and walnuts hitting the roof throughout the night.  Around 5:00 this morning the wind became quite scary!!  Our power went out shortly after.

We woke up and decided to try to make it to church without power, so I used as little water as possible to wash my face and hair and brush my teeth.  Dave shaved with a cup of water!  I took my blow dryer and flat iron to the church and finished my hair and makeup there.  It was a little frustrating, but it worked.  We sure take our modern conveniences for granted.

On our way to church we saw lots of downed trees.  A large tree had fallen on our power lines along our dirt road and was the cause of our outage.  The power of storms is simply amazing.

I told Dave that I couldn't even IMAGINE the ferocity of the storm that the residents of south-east Texas must've endured, if it was so scary for us after it traveled on land through two states!  Bless your hearts!

But, church this morning was good.  And God had it worked out that The Preacher had already prepared a sermon on enduring the storms of our life... and Job was the subject.  There is so much to learn from the life of Job.  My favorite verse in the text he read from today is Job 19:25 "I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth."

It also happens that one of my favorite songs comes from this verse:

It just blesses my heart!  I sing along with this song in my car all the time (loudly), just like I can actually sing!  I like to think by the time it gets to God's ears it has been heavenly remastered for His listening enjoyment.

After lunch we took Ms. Charlsie some vanilla ice cream.  She had just finished a huge lunch.  She says they feed her so big there that two meals a day is just about all she needs.  We did slip her in some pumpkin bread on Friday night... which she loves.

We finished the day today with a special commissioning and Lord's Supper service.  We have a sweet family in our church that are missionaries.  They're leaving this week to embark on the next adventure God has in store for them.  And on Friday, thirteen of our church members will be leaving to go to Nicaragua on a mission trip.  Some of their activities will include working in medical clinics, prisons, and with children.  They will have many opportunities to share Jesus with a needy people.  Please pray for their safety and that God will bless all of them as they answer His call to serve.

I am home now.  Our power is restored.  (Thank you so much to all who work so hard to get us back to normal after a natural disaster, large or small.)  Ms. Charlsie is safe and sound.  I spent the afternoon with my best friend in the world. (Thanks for the tea, Jodi.)  It was a good day.

I love Sundays.  I hope yours was as good as mine!

Arkansas Fear Factor

I took this yesterday afternoon around 4 PM hours before "Ike" even hit land in Texas.  People were lined up on to the road to get into the gas station.  It was a mess!  I couldn't get somewhere to get a good picture for all the mayhem. Thank goodness I had gotten gas the day before or I would've been irate, I'm sure.

Our gas prices jumped from $3.51 on Thursday, to $3.79 Friday morning, $3.85 Friday afternoon ... and I heard that it's $3.89 this morning.  There's not much that gets me more riled up than gas prices these days! 

How has "Ike" affected your gas prices?

9 Years Old

Our nephew, Hunter, turns nine years old today.

I've introduced Hunter to you before.  Hunter's Dad married my sister Valerie (#3), and is also my husband's first cousin.  What I didn't mention to you about Hunter before is that he has an older brother, Jeremiah... who is almost 28 years old!! Jeremiah has two small children.  When Jeremiah's oldest was born, Hunter became an uncle ... and he was only 8 months old.  Valerie gave birth and became a grandma in the same year!   Hunter's family sure spices up our family tree!

Hunter is Jack's only child.  Jack was 42 when Hunter came along and Valerie was 38!!  Hunter was a complete surprise, so it has done our hearts good to be able to see Jack with a son of his own.  Especially since Hunter is a Wallace, through and through.  Dave says that picture above looks JUST like Jack when he was young.

He reminds me SO much of my second-born, Tyler.  Those two are so much alike it's just scary.  Val and I spend a lot of time comparing notes.  I tell her all the time that she's hoeing the same row I hoed for years!!  (There's more to come, Val!)

Ever since Hunter was born, he and I have had a special bond.  When he was a baby, I used to leave a message on their answering machine, "Hunter, I love you!"  He loved to push the play button and play it over and over.  

I love to hear him tell about when he shot his first deer with his Dad.  He says his Dad cried.  He asked him why he was crying... and his Dad said "I'm just so happy!"  (Hunter loves to tell that.)

The other day, he came in the gym with his Mom and was carrying a book called, "The Dangerous Book for Boys".  He and I leafed through it for awhile and talked about the contents.  I told him that he and his Dad needed to build a tree house like the one in the book.  He said, "Yeah, that's what I want so we can hunt from it."  Spoken like a true Wallace male.  I think his Dad may have started crying again if he'd been there to hear that!

Happy 9th Birthday, Hunter! 

We hope it's a great day.

Happy Birthday, Cory

I mentioned in my last post that my brother Jim's  son, Cory, was just sent back to serve in the Middle East again.  What I forgot to mention is that TODAY is Cory's 27th birthday.

Cory is a young father and husband.  Please pray for him and his family while he is serving our country!

Happy Birthday, Cory!  We love you!

Remembering 09.11.01

My friend Betsy wrote a great post on remembering the tragic events that unfolded 7 years ago today.  The world was forever changed that day and I will never forget.

I was sitting at my desk, when "the Preacher" came out from his office and told me that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center.  Like everyone else in America, we thought it was an awful "accident".  Then, not long after, he came back and said that a second plane had hit the other building and there were other planes missing.  He went home to watch TV and see what was going on.

I remember sitting at my desk wondering what on earth could be happening.  I feared for my children at school, about a half mile down the road from me.  I honestly feared that something could happen where we live.

I remember driving down the road thinking what a beautiful, lovely day it was ... and how in New York, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania there were people in utter confusion and horror and disbelief.  They were experiencing the chaos I only imagine will take place after the rapture.  And I felt somewhat guilty that we were unscathed and that our lives were simply going about as usual.

I remember in the days that followed, the people of America became bonded in this tragedy.  People were flying flags, and putting them on their vehicles.

People who I had never seen before (and since) were coming in to the church to pray.

The church pews were filled that next Sunday.

But, it was short-lived, because ... how soon we forget.

I, myself, will NEVER forget. 

I will never forget the pictures.  I will never forget the sadness. I will never forget the cruelty of terrorists.  Human beings, planning and completing horrible untold violence against other human beings.  Innocent men, women and children.  Mothers, fathers, sons, daughters.  Policemen.  Firemen.

I will also NEVER forget the bravery.  The patriotism.

We saw the best there is in America in that event.  People helping others.  People praying.  People sacrificing.

I love this country and thank God for the blessing of living here.

My nephew, Cory, has just being deployed again to the middle east.  I want to take this moment to THANK him and all the men and women who sacrifice their lives every day fighting for the cause of freedom.  They are what makes this country great.

I salute you and I'm praying for you.

Here is a September 11 tribute video... lest we never forget!

Where were you 09.11.01?

Ups and Downs

Our sweet Charlsie is back!  We are so grateful she is doing MUCH better.  Today, they moved her to the nursing home here in town for 2 weeks of rehab before she can go home.  While she is happy to be out of the hospital, she is anxious to get home again.  She had lots of visitors today, which pleased her, but the highlight of her day was a visit from her dog, Sweetie!

While we are thrilled that Charlsie is mending, my sister Valerie called tonight and said that my Aunt Rosemary is not doing very well.  My Uncles were able to come from California and Texas to see her a couple weeks ago.  I'm so glad she was well enough to enjoy their time together.

My Uncle Don, Aunts Karen & Rosemary, Mom, and Uncle Jim

My Uncle Dick and Aunt Ro

Cancer is a painful journey and almost all families are affected by it at one time or another.  You learn a lot about what people are made of when they are faced with those kinds of trials.  My Aunt Rosemary has the best attitude and a positive spirit.  Her walk with the Lord brings her great comfort and peace.

I'm praying for you and your family, Aunt Rosemary.

Can't You Just SMELL That Apple Pie?

We went back to the hospital this evening to see Ms. Charlsie. She was doing MUCH better and was so much more like herself, only weaker. She even made several jokes. She's one tough woman!

Our weekend recap consists of a trip to Fayetteville on Friday to see Kale and Kayla. We always have such fun with the kids. Friday night we ate at the Olive Garden and Saturday Kayla and I went shopping while Kale and David went to the Museum of Native American Artifacts in Bentonville. That's RIGHT up Dave's alley. Then they hit a pawn shop or two.

I needed new running shoes. If you're very serious at all about running (or even hard walking) you really need to invest in some true fitness shoes. My shins and feet will start to ache when my shoes are getting old (and I buy new ones EVERY 6 months). Right around the 5 - 5 1/2 month mark, my legs will give me the tell-tale sign that new shoes are on the horizon. (These babies are all mine for the next 6 months!!)

I get all my shoes from a place at Fayetteville called Fleet Feet. They specialize in providing quality shoe fitting services. They know their stuff and it's well worth a trip there if you are an exercise enthusiast. An added bonus is I get to see my best friend, Jodi's daughter, Jessica, who works there.

Before we left we took a couple of pictures.
Kale wanted to do a silly one... a serious pose like our ancestors used to take. I'm pretty sure this will be on my great-grandchild's mantle someday!

On our way home, when we got to Harrison, there were hot air balloons dotting the sky. I love the colors and designs of hot air balloons. I think they had a championship race this evening there, so we were guessing they might have been giving rides or something.

Then, I stopped at my favorite stop in Harrison... Neighbor's Mill Bakery & Cafe. YUM! They make the best bread and their Honey Pecan Chicken Salad sandwich is to die for! My favorite bread is their Woodstock (their finest 9-grain bread). If you're ever in town, you'll want to stop and taste some Neighbor's Mill!

I couldn't wait to get home and sample my goods!

Just look at that apple pie!!

I'll be working off that pie in my new shoes at the gym all week!