Just a quick update!

I kept thinking for several weeks now, that I would catch everyone up...but no time! Anyway, no time like the present. (I wanted to add pictures, too, but will have to do that later.) Of course, we have been very busy, just like everyone else we know. Back in October, our very precious friend (and Aleisha's namesake) Leisha Norwood came to Sudan to visit with her son, Andrew, who is in the mission field in Mexico. Andrew was back in Lubbock for a visit and came out to Sudan to visit the church there. He was part of the AIM group we had in Sudan last fall. We had a lovely visit! One of those friends you can be apart from, but when you are back together, it is like you have never been apart.

Halloween was a fun time. Aleisha was the cutest half-angel, half-devil you have ever seen! (Thanks, Sandra, for making her costume!) We went to the community fall festival the Saturday before Halloween. Aleisha had a great time roping calf dummies, throwing footballs, playing redneck golf, and doing the cake walk. Too bad we didn't come home with a cake! (Really not! Don't need any ADDITIONAL calories around this house!)

Then on Halloween, Richard and Aleisha went to Amarillo to set up some of our inflatable games for Comanche Trail church of Christ. They have a wonderfal fall festival every year. Aleisha got to see her pre-school teacher, Ms. Sally Lynch, who she still loves to pieces. She also got to see cousins, Ella and Emma, who were very cutie-patootie cowgirls.

You may, or may NOT, be wondering why I did not go with them to Amarillo for Halloween. Well, on Oct. 22, I started a new job. Fundraising is great, but there is just not enough of it this year to make ends meet. So...I am the new bookkeeper for Blackwater Agricultural Association in Muleshoe, TX. It is a private co-op that sells chemicals, fertilizers, fuel, and several other things. The bad news is I came into the HUGEST (don't even care if I just made up that word!) mess you have ever seen. The good news is the fiscal year ended Oct. 31, the accountant has the books to do an audit, and I am REALLY enjoying what I am doing! Being a very detail oriented person comes in handy when dealing with numbers, money, bills, and accounts. Since Oct. 31 was the last day of the fiscal year, I needed to work late and get several things finished, which I did.

As many of you know, working OUTSIDE the home is quite different than working AT home. I actually like both. When you are gone all day, no laundry gets done, no dishes get washed, mail piles up, and nothing that was out that morning has magically put itself away! Drat! Those things could be done around phone calls and other work, sometimes, when I worked at home. If not, though, I ran past it muttering that I SHOULD do something about it. The good part of working OUTSIDE the home is, I don't have to look at that stuff all day long!

Lots of fun stuff going on...and only 44 days until Christmas! YIKES!!!

A Funny Thing Happened...

Last Sunday morning, a very sweet little boy at church wanted to sit with us. Colby just turned 3 and is quite the heartbreaker! He runs up to you with his arms outstreched for a great big hug. Well, he was behaving beautifully while we were singing. All of a sudden, he stuck his fingers in his ears. Now, you must understand, Richard and I believe we are pretty OK singers. It was quite shocking to have our small charge put his fingers in his ears and begin "singing" very loudly. We got so tickled. And you know, it is way worse when you are not supposed to be laughing! This was hilarious! We could not sing because every time we opened our mouths...just more laughter. Pretty soon, the man behind us was not able to sing for laughing. Not long after, the chuckling had rippled its way through the auditorium, however most of the people did not really know why they were laughing. They were laughing because we were laughing. There were a couple of people who could actually see Colby, and really thought this was funny. They know us and know we think we are pretty OK singers, which made it even funnier!

After the service ended, we explained what had happened and apologized to the song leader. He could not see Colby, but knew SOMETHING was going on. We assured him the laughter had NOTHING to do with him!

Have a wonderful day!

First Day of School (a little late)

Here is a picture of Aleisha's first day of school! (It only happened about 4 weeks ago!) This was the 1st day of 4th grade. I can't believe how big she is. So smart. She is holding the VERY EXCITING "zipper binder." They get to carry it in 4th grade for paper, pencils, pens, etc. Aleisha was thrilled with this particular school supply. She is like me in that way, as she loves all kinds of school supplies. We both love pens, paper, folders, scissors, etc.

We are staying busy. I know you are surprised by that. Fall is a busy time for the fundraising business. I have also been substitute teaching at the school here to make some extra money. We are also busy with church activities (as AIM coordinators, Bible class teachers, and Richard leads singing sometimes) and singing activities (chorus and quartet rehearsals). However, we love it or we wouldn't do it!

Our annual chorus show went well overall. Just before taking the stage to begin the show, we were informed that one of our members had been killed in a car accident on her way to the show. We were able to delay the start of the show for about 15 minutes for the chorus members to try and get themselves together. The show turned out great and was very fun! We missed, and still miss, Cindy Blessen. She was a very precious person and a beautiful Christian lady!

I have been sick this week with bronchitis, but am starting to feel better. Man, that will really take it out of you!

Hope you are all well and happy!

Pea Pickin' Time Again!

Well, it's pea pickin' time again! Some of our friends very graciously invited us to come out to their place again this year and pick black eyed peas. Yesterday was the day, so out we went. Ever watchful for snakes, we picked about 10 gallons of black eyed peas. We were just going to shell them by hand, which is fun but time consuming. Some friends from church called late last night and offered to help us shell them with their electric pea sheller. I had never heard of such a thing, but was very happy for their help. That is one neat contraption! It has small rollers at one end that kind of squish the peas out of the shell without smashing them. Peas go into a bucket under the unit, and shells go in the trash can at the end. Way cool!

Summer is quickly coming to an end. It is a bittersweet time, as I enjoy having Aleisha home, but am also ready for her to go back to school. I can't believe it starts Monday. However, there are many things going on between now and then (and have been all week).

Monday was chorus rehearsal and show run through. Tuesday, we were in Amarillo, helping Newton (my brother) and Laura (his wife) move into their new home. I got to set up her kitchen for her! Then on Wednesday we picked peas. Tonight my quartet, Star Struck, and Richard's quartet, Dynamite, are singing at King's Manor Retirement Home in Hereford, TX. Tomorrow is dress rehearsal for the Prairie Winds (my chorus) annual show, and the show is Saturday night. Sunday is our first Sunday with our new group of AIM (Adventures In Missions) students, and we are having a pot luck lunch. Then we are going with the AIM students back out to Keith and Julie's to pick more peas for the widows from church. The peas will be bagged and delivered by the AIM students. Richard and I are going to prepare all the dry ingredients for a recipe of corn bread to be delivered to each lady with her peas. All she will have to do is add the wet ingredients. Then school starts Monday! Whew!

THEN, next weekend, we get to go to Nashville, see lots of family, and celebrate the marriage of my cousin, Paige, to her fiance', Zack. We are super excited to see everyone and can't wait!

I pray all of you have a wonderful day and enjoy whatever it is that keeps you busy and out of trouble!

Bad Blogger...

Bad, bad blogger! I acknowledge it has been a REALLY long time since I have updated my blog. AND I promised pictures!

Now that we have that out of the way, I don't have to feel guilty about it anymore! Whew! What a relief.

We had an absolutely wonderful time in Alaska! If you ever have the opportunity to go, DO IT! I have never seen anything quite like it. Here are a few pictures of what we saw and did. If you would like to see more pictures, feel free to look at the album Alaskan Cruise .

First formal night at dinner

HUGE glacier in Glacier National Park

View from the top of the Mt. Robert's Tramway in Juneau. That is our cruise ship, MS Westerdam, at the bottom. The tram goes about 1000 feet up to the top of Mt. Roberts.

Kilisnook, an Alaskan brown bear, who lives in the Fortress of the Bear in Sitka. He was rescued as a cub when his mother was killed for breaking into the kitchen of an inn to forage for food. While he may look here like a cuddly teddy bear, he is 18 months old, about 6 1/2 feet tall, and weighs about 600 pounds. When full grown, he will be 9-10 feet tall and weigh over 1000 pounds.

The food was amazing, the scenery spectacular, and the ship was incredible.

Well, it has taken most of the afternoon to get a few pictures, captions and paragraphs aligned the way I would like, and I learned a little about HTML to boot. Hope you enjoy it!

Off we go!

Well, summer is here! Hallelujah! We have left home and driven to South Texas. Aleisha is staying here with some cousins while we go on an Alaskan cruise with Richard's parents, brother and sister, and their spouses. I am so excited! Everyone has said this is best vacation they have ever taken. I will post some pics when we get home!

Aleisha had a great wrap up to the school year! She received the Hornet Award, one of two given in her class, for using her manners, being nice to fellow students, staying out of trouble, etc. She also received Commended scores on both the Reading and Math TAKS tests. (She had to pass the Reading TAKS to go to 4th grade.) We are so proud of her!

Have a wonderful start to your summer!

Inspirational Website

If you need a boost about Monday every week, may I humbly suggest www.simpletruths.com? This website is founded by Mac Anderson, the founder of Successories. There is also a link in the list of blogs I read to the blog they post each Monday morning. There are movies and inspirational books there for many topics.

Have a wonderful, blessed day!

Contest Results

Well...we did well at contest. We did not win (at least not the gold medal.) Star Struck, my quartet, placed 5th out of 19 quartets. Our score was down this year from last year, so that stung a little. It is so difficult to compare from year to year. We sang different songs than we sang last year, and we have different judges every year! We were pleased to medal (make it into the top 5). We sang well and had a WONDERFUL time! The plan is now to learn some more music and go through the score sheets to see what we can work on going forward.

The Prairie Winds Chorus from Lubbock, which I also sing with, placed 3rd in the Division AA (mid-size chorus) contest and 4th in the overall contest. We sang well and scored 600 out of 800 possible points. (For the un-barbershopped, that is a GREAT score!)

When I get my pictures from contest, I will scan them in and add them to the blog.

Everything else around here is running and running. We are finishing up the year in fundraising, Aleisha has end of school stuff, we have church stuff, and just regular stuff. Makes for a lot of STUFF! But we love it!

Contest is coming!

Contest is indeed coming! Region 25 Sweet Adeline International contest, that is! It is next weekend. I am so excited about it. My quartet, Star Struck, is competing. My chorus, Prairie Winds, is also competing. I love the whole contest weekend. Not only do I get to sing most of the weekend, I get to spend it with some of my best friends, see other friends, get reacquainted with people I see every year, and just have a ton of fun! We get to perform in the most amazing venue. It is the Eisemann Theater in the Center for Performing Arts in Richardson, TX, which was specifically designed for this kind of thing.

Another reason I love contest is the competition itself. Of course I want to win, as I am a very competitive person. But more than that, it gives every competitor the opportunity to show what she has worked so hard on. And the barbershop audience is one of my favorite to sing and perform for, as they understand and appreciate the product especially.

Wish us all the best!

Convoluted Life vs. Peace

Peace. Have you ever really thought about it? Do you have it? Do you want it? What is it?

Technically defined, peace is the absence of strife or turmoil, or the absence of war. I have been thinking a lot about peace. Not what it isn't, but what it is. Peace involves a calmness, sereneness, and quietness.

Many times, my life does not involve peace. It is more the convoluted life. It seems that rarely is anything ever easy. Everything to do with our business is so detailed and involved. Many times it is very stressful. There are things I have to rely on others for, and when they don't come through it is tough. I have a hard time with that, which leads to my control freakish tendencies. I don't HAVE to be in charge, but if I am, I know exactly how things are getting, or not getting as the case may be, done. This is one area in my life where peace seems elusive. And it is at these very times that I have to realize peace does not come from me or my surroundings. Peace even in SPITE of me, my surroundings, my circumstances, my convoluted life.

Peace comes from God. One of my very favorite Scriptures is Phillipians 4:4-7. It talks about not worrying about anything, but turning to God. Then, when we do that, "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." No wonder I sometimes have a hard time with peace. The peace of God is so perfect, it goes beyond what I can even understand. Who am I to think my problems and "challenges" are too big? Too big for who? Me? Of course! For God? Never!

So, on my journey, I am looking to add more peace. I don't believe it is a destination. It is more a way of life. It is actually a choice, which sometimes really stinks, because when I am not peaceful, I want to blame something or someone else. I don't want to look inside. And yet, if I am not peaceful, it is because I have chosen to be something besides peaceful. I have chosen to rely on something besides the peace of God.

Here are the lyrics to a song I love.
"My peace I give unto you.
It's a peace that the world can not give.
It's a peace that the world cannot understand.
Peace to know, peace to live.
My peace I give unto you."

May God bless your life with peace. And may you be smart enough to accept it!

Hello Again...

Hello. It has really been quite a while since I posted anything at all. Quick review (lucky for you, there will NOT be a test!).

Thanksgiving and Christmas were both good. Enjoyed seeing family, eating, sharing gifts, and some relaxing thrown in for good measure.

We spent the week after Thanksgiving in our favorite place...Disney World. There were no conferances to attend. Just a good old fashioned family vacation. Something magical happens when we go there. Have you seen the commercials on television for Orlando? The ones where the little girl and her mom are on Thunder Mountain Railroad, they go through a tunnel, and when they come out the other side, the mom is a little girl, too? (There is one with a little boy and the dad also.) Anyway, that is kind of like what happens when we go there. While taking care of all of the grown up details, like paying for things, driving, making and keeping reservations, etc. we transform into the fun-loving creatures we were created to be. We cram as much fun as we can into the days we are there. I love spending that kind of quality time with my daughter and husband!

Had another birthday...not a bad thing. The 30's have been and continue to be really cool.

Now Valentine's Day is almost upon us! Or as a friend of mine calls it, "Singles Awareness Day." I had never thought about it that way, but it is true. While I am blessed to have a wonderful Valentine, not all are so blessed. That thought saddens me, even though we are where we are by choices (sometimes ours, sometimes the choices of someone else).

Last weekend, Richard and I saw a great movie. I believe it is rated PG-13 for some language. Can't honestly tell you what it was, because that was not what I paid attention to. The movie is "The Bucket List." We actually saw it by accident. We went to the theater to see something else, but the times did not work out. I had heard Bucket List was great, but really had no idea what it was about. I won't give it away, and thus spoil it for anyone who has not yet seen it. I definitely recommend seeing it. You may consider writing your own Bucket List. (Mine is still in its infancy. If I get really brave, I may post it later.)

I will share this little piece of it. It is thought that ancient Egyptians believed when you die and go to heaven, you are asked two questions. Your answers to those questions determine whether you are admitted into heaven. The first question is, "Have you found joy in your life?" The second question is, "Has your life brought joy to others?" Very profound. I want to answer yes to both of those questions with all of my heart.

Then, on Sunday evening, we had a sermon about life and how short it is. Yet, it is a gift from God, not to be wasted. I realized I must really need to hear this.

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away." - Unknown

May you have a blessed day and be on the lookout for the moments that will take your breath away!