Happy Birthday, Alison!

Twenty-nine years ago Alison came into our lives! Wow! I can't believe how time has flown by. As I think back to the time she was born I always seem to gravitate to her baby book and look back over the milestones of her early years. Here is what I wrote on her first birthday:

"July 7, 1980

My Dear Little Alison,

I'm finally getting around to writing in your baby book. You are a year old today and in thinking back to the day you were born I still remember it as if it were yesterday. You were kind of stubborn about coming into this world, but once here, you let everyone know about your arrival. I remember how fat you were and how red your hair looked. You looked at me with those bright little alert eyes and I thought then and still do everytime I look at you, that you were a miracle from the Lord. When I first got to hold you and nurse you this warm feeling went through me and it still happens everytime you wrap those sweet little arms around my neck and squeeze. I never realized motherhood would be so precious or so fulfilling. I just thank the Lord everyday for allowing you to come into my life.

This page is entitled "Mother's Message to the Child" and my message to you would be that you would grow up knowing how much your Daddy and I love you and that Jesus loves you too. I pray that in time you will come to know Him as your Saviour and that you will always live with Jesus as the center of your life. I also pray that when the time comes for you to take a husband that you will find a man as good as your Daddy. And when the moment comes for you to give birth to your first child, I hope the experience will be as wonderful and exciting for you as your birth was for me. I hope also that your baby will bring as much joy into your life as you have brought into mine. Your Daddy and I consider you a gift from God and we have given you back to Him to use as He pleases. I just pray that you will be conscious of His guiding in your life and that you will adhere to His call your whole life through.

I love you,

Momma"

Well, not much has changed in my message to you. You are still precious to me and my hopes are still the same. Although you have not had the privilege of having your own child yet, you have enjoyed being very involved in your nieces and nephew's lives. I feel sure God will bless you with children when the time is right.

Alison, you have grown up to be such a remarkable young woman. You have talents and skills that you willingly use for the Lord. You are a very capable and responsible person which has helped you gain promotions at work. Life has thrown you a few curve balls and you have endured much over the last years but have done so with dignity and grace. You have displayed a strength and courage that can only come from one who has a close walk with God. I am so proud of you and continue to feel very blessed to be you mother. I love you!

Family, Friends, and Fireworks!!!

The "Sherwood/Jacksonville Home Improvement" crew (Russell, Christine, Norman and me) started our 4th out at Andrea's repairing her deck. It had caved in back on my birthday due to poor construction. We assessed the situation and determined after taking off a couple of boards that we could place cinderblocks at stragetic locations under the deck and make it better than it was before. So, Christine and I head to Lowe's to make the purchase while Norman and Russell removed a few more boards and used the jack to raise the deck. After securing the 2 x 8's in the braces (a task that the original builder had failed to do) they waited for us to return with the blocks. Norman and Russell placed the blocks where they were needed and then replaced the boards. A job that we had expected to take most of the day was finished by noon. So, we all went back to our respective homes and prepared for the afternoon cookout.

I had gotten a new grill the day before so we decided to have all the crew over to try it out. We had burgers and hot dogs and all the fixin's. We didn't want to have anything that would take too much time since our final destination was the Riverfront to watch the fireworks display. I did not take any pictures of the fireworks because as luck would have it...my batteries were low. I did get a few earlier in the day..none of the deck repair :-( but a few of the gathering at our house and a few more of us waiting on the fireworks. It was great to spend the day with friends and family enjoying the music of the AR Symphony while watching the beautiful fireworks as we celebrated the freedom we as Americans have.

Sitting on the patio waiting on the burgers and dogs to get done.

Camryn trying to master the art of lighting the fire starter









Waiting on the fireworks to start










Camryn plays with her gameboy....







Norman catches a few zzz's.....


















Annette reads garden magazines while Russell and Christine watch people.....




I make a self-portrait ....










Camryn even entertained us with a few leaps and dance moves



The beautiful sky as the sun goes down.









As always the music was good and the fireworks were awesome. When the show ended and the smoke from all the fireworks began to drift away we headed for our car only to sit in traffic for 45 minutes trying to get back home. With pride in our hearts toward all that is dear to us, we all agreed, it was an enjoyable way to celebrate our country's 232nd Birthday!!With ...Family...Friends....and Fireworks!

God Bless the USA!! Happy 4th of July

To all of you who put your lives on the line for us everyday...our Military Troops
"Thank you" is simply not a big enough phrase nor is it a powerful enough statement to express what my heart wants to say to you for all you do for our country so it can remain free. I can't even imagine the frustrations and discouragement you must feel while you daily stand and fight for the freedoms we enjoy here at home. You willingly left your homes, families, friends and comforts to go halfway around the world to fight in a place where it is hot, uncomfortable and where most of the people do not want you there, just so we here in the USA could continue to enjoy our comforts and freedoms. I give you honor and my highest gratitude...for you are truly awesome in my heart, mind and eyes. Please know that contrary to what most of the liberal media is saying...you are loved and appreciated for what you are doing. And you can take comfort and pride in the fact that you are making a difference in those people's lives. I pray God's blessings and protection on all of you. I pray that you will feel the love of your fellow Americans as we salute you and celebrate all you have done, are doing and will do for each of us in this great country called, the USA. You are constantly in my thoughts and prayers!
God Bless You and God Bless the USA!!!

Send your Thanks to our Troops!

My daughter has a friend who is in Iraq who is becoming discouraged, and she had an idea to send some encouraging e-mails over to the group of soldiers where Kyle is located in honor of the Fourth of July. Here is the e-mail she sent to me:

"Kyle has been getting frustrated over in Iraq and discouraged. He's hot and tired and ready to come home. Last time I talked to him he had only had 7 hours of sleep out of the last 58. I know he's only over there for 4 months, but as you can imagine, it would start to get to you. So, in honor of Fourth of July, I thought it might be nice if we got some people to send an email, or write a note, or send a card just telling him thanks and letting him know you're praying for him and the other soldiers."

We decided e-mail would be the fastest way to get them these notes. If you would like to send a word of encouragement to some guys/girls that we know are fighting for our freedom, please send the note of encouragement via e-mail to Andrea by noon on Thursday, July 3rd. Make sure to have "For our Troops" in the subject line and include your name and e-mail address. Andrea will keep all of the e-mails in a list and when she hears back from them, she will forward on to all who sent a note.

Thanks so much for helping give a boost of encouragement to our Men & Women who are fighting to keep us free!

A Hair Cut for Chewy

This week while Camryn and the Ross' are in Vegas, Andrea is getting the chance to keep her dog, Chewy. She has been staying at the Ross' for the past 4 years because Andrea was living in an apartment and because Chewy is a big dog she needed more space. At the Ross' she stays outside and has not had much pampering..i.e. no grooming. Therefore, her hair was just full of mats and knots to the point that it was hampering her movement. We thought she was not moving very fast because she was getting old. After all, she is nine years old. Come to find out, her lack of vim and vigor had more to do with her matted hair condition.

Well, Andrea could not stand seeing her matted up like this so she decided to borrow clippers from my friend Christine to cut Chewy's hair. And of course she was going to need my help with this project. I had told Christine to be ready in case we needed her expertise. Before I even got to Andrea's I called Christine because I decided that since neither of us knew the first thing about clipping a dog's hair we better call in the pro. Christine, Russell and Ashley came to help with this chore. Since Chewy has never been too fond of men, we had Russell stay inside the house for his safety.

Christine was wonderful. She allowed Chewy to get to know her first and then the clipping began. Chewy did wonderfully. She seemed to enjoy all the attention. When she realized Christine was not going to hurt her she laid very still as the hair, knots and mats began to fall away. She allowed her to get up after one side was clipped because Chewy was getting antsy and the clippers were getting hot. Here is what she looked like after one side was complete.








After a brief rest Christine began on the second side. Again, Chewy was calm and cooperative while Christine was clipping until she got around to the underside of her tail. The following pictures show the process of her hair cut. It was amazing how her personality changed once the hair was gone. She ran around and jumped and was much more frisky. We determined that possibly the matted hair and knots were impeding her movement. She seemed to be genuinely grateful to have all that hair with all the knots gone. The next chore is to give her a bath because she is really dirty and stinky.

See how still she sat while Christine did her magic.

It was at this point that Chewy gave a little growl...she did not like having her hair cut there.










She looks like a wolf that has on furry boots.

Camryn is heading to Vegas

Well, this has been a difficult day for this Nanna and for Andrea. Camryn just left headed for Vegas for 8 days. She will be visiting her Dad and her brothers. We have known this day was someday coming but it is still hard to handle letting your child/granddaughter go so far away. This will be the longest period of time that Andrea has been away from her. Four states away and 1500 miles....it is going to be a long 8 days. We know God will protect her but it is still hard to let your 6 year old go. We are just trusting God to be there for her.


Thankfully, she is not alone in this adventure. She is flying with her other grandparents....and although we have all assured her that she will like the flight and that she is going to have a good time, she was still apprehensive about flying in the airplane. I have had her with me today because the Ross' were picking her up from here. We did a few errands and then met Andrea for lunch at Jason's Deli (Camryn's favorite place to eat.) When Andrea said she had to get back to work, Camryn grabbed her around the neck and hugged and hugged her. After lots of tight hugs and many kisses Andrea left. I was very proud of her...she did not cry. She told me she waited until she got in the car to fall apart. On the way back to my house Camryn was very quiet. Those of you who know her know this is not the normal Camryn. I asked her if she was alright and she said, "Yeah." I asked, "Are you worried about flying?" She said, " A little...what if I get sick up there? What will they do? You know I sometimes get sick when things go fast." I told her that Mamaw will probably have some medicine she can take to keep her from being sick. Then she said to me, "You know why I don't want to fly, Nanna? It is because I am afraid there will be a storm up there and the plane will break and fall." I told her. "They will not let the pilots fly in a storm. They will either wait or fly in another path to miss the storm, if there is one, so just put that worry right out of your mind." She said, "OK, I will try...but it usually takes me a long time to get my worries out of my head." She also said she was afraid that she would get separated from her grandparents and she would be left to fly by herself. I assured her that this would not happen. They would not leave her nor would she have to fly by herself. She said, "Yeah, cause I am to young to do that." Bless her little heart...she is such a worrier.

We came home and she decided she wanted to swing until her Mamaw and Papaw got here. So, I used that as an impromptu photo opportunity. Here are the results. You can tell from some of the shots that she had not been able to get "her worries out of her head." Even though she told me several times that she had. Ü

Here she is deep in thought as she swings
And then I get a bit of a smile. Being the little camera hog that she is, she decided to do some posing for me.

She suggested that I take some of her beside the tree...

....and in her swing acting like a monkey.

And then the wait was over.....she was off.....

God she is yours....please protect her and keep her safe until she returns to our waiting arms.

Proud to be an American

(WARNING: PATRIOTIC OPINION FOLLOWS)

I spent yesterday at the VA Hospital in Little Rock because a friend of mine, who happens to be a Vietnam Vet, was having a kidney stone removed. As I sat in the outpatient surgery area with his wife, watching vets of all ages come and go, I was overcome with gratitude for what these men and women have done for our country. It overwhelmed me to think of the sacrifices they have made so that our country can remain free. Some of them were very old...veterans from the WWII era. Others were from the Vietnam War and still others from Desert Storm right on up to the present war with Iraq. No matter which conflict they were in, they all seemed to have a pride about them for having served in our armed forces. They went willingly when called, fought bravely while there and returned never to be the same again. Some returned with limbs missing while others returned with emotional scars, such as post traumatic stress syndrome, that will never go away. Some of the vets I saw yesterday were suffering with tremors, heart disease or cancers possibly due to the conditions they were in while defending our freedoms. But I am confident if you asked them if they would serve again, they would say they would gladly do it all again in a heart beat, because they were proud to have had the opportunity to fight for this great country.

While sitting and watching those vets yesterday, I felt honored and at the same time humbled to be in their presence. I guess I am just a very patriotic person by nature or by training because military men and women have always held a special place in my heart. My Dad served in the army and was stationed in Japan in 1945. I have had many uncles, cousins and an aunt who have served this country in the various branches of the armed forces since WWII. I am very grateful for the contribution they have made so that we, as Americans, can live safely in this country. It really saddens and yes, even angers me to hear arrogant, impudent, knuckled-headed people put down our military and the jobs they do. Don't they know, without the actions and sacrifices of these brave men and women in uniform these "conscientious objectors," like the above mentioned, would not be allowed the right to speak so boldly and with such malice?

I know I am on my soap box and just rambling on, but I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to all our military forces for the great job they do to protect us and the freedoms we enjoy. I, for one, am very proud to be an American and to live in the greatest country in the world...the USA! We don't need to take that privilege for granted....because Freedom is not Free. It comes with a price.

I tend to agree with Maxine, the cartoon character, when she says....

"We need to show more sympathy for these people.

* They travel miles in the heat.

* They risk their lives crossing a border.

* They don't get paid enough wages.

* They do jobs that others won't do or are afraid to do.

* They live in crowded conditions among a people who speak a different language.

* They rarely see their families and they face adversity all day every day...

I'm not talking about illegal Mexicans,

I'm talking about our troops!

Doesn't it seem strange that many Democrats and Republicans are willing to lavish all kinds of social benefits on illegal's, but don't support our troops and are now threatening to cut funding for them?"

Remember our soldiers...God Bless them all!

AND GOD BLESS THE USA!