ROUNDIN' UP QUESTIONS; DRIVIN' HOME ANSWERS

Two-step... line-dancing... sign language and a lot more was done in a 24-hour preview of Saddle Ridge Ranch, Vacation Bible School 2010. Cheryl, Kendra and I headed for Lifeway in Nashville to see what this VBS preview was all about. Free t-shirts... decorating ideas... sharing Christ... application... enlistment... a lot was packed in... including a presentation of the VBS musical. You would have loved the little boy who had his VBS t-shirt on backwards and had moves like you wouldn't believe. We are hyped and excited... 4 months, 2 weeks and 1 day until we saddle up. Get out those cowboy hats, boots, plaid shirts, jeans and bandanas and join us June 13-17 at 6:15 p.m. And if you want to learn even more songs and more motions and have even more fun... come on out for music camp at 4 p.m. the week of VBS. Watch our website for how to register and other details.


While in Nashville, I had dinner with my sister and her husband and they brought my great-nephew with them... and he really is great... and cute, too. We went to Logan's because he wanted peanuts and he could put the shells on the floor. As we left, he filled his pants pocket with peanuts. :-)

AT HOME

This is probably going to get me in trouble but I'll use this means to "think out loud". I'm home today... church office is closed because it's Martin Luther King Day. I've always wondered why we get today off. Don't get me wrong... I'm not prejudiced and he did a lot of good things for equality but why MLK and not President's Day. George Washington and Abraham Lincoln certainly had HUGE impacts on our country. And what about Veteran's Day... shouldn't we pause to thank our veterans and maybe get that day off? There may be others... and I know we can't take them all off but it just doesn't add up in my mind. Why this one over others?

OK, I've said it... now I'll try to do something productive on my day off. BTW, this is MY opninion. It has nothing to do with PBC or those who make the decision of when we get off and when we don't. I am grateful to PBC for their generosity regarding our holiday time... conference time... and vacation time.

And so you'll smile when you finish reading this, here's a Sammy quote: Jenny (his mom) was hugging him good night and he said, "Well, that's all the love I have until tomorrow, Mommy." :-)

CHRISTMAS AND COLD...

Charlie, Sara, Chris and I loaded up on Wednesday afternoon before Christmas and headed for Mississippi. It was nice to have some time with just my mom and dad for awhile. We opened our gifts on Christmas morning and then headed to my sister's to meet up with other family members. It was a full house - sisters, brothers-in-laws, niece, nephews, great nephew, nephews' girlfriends... Unfortunately Jason and his family and Masha and her husband couldn't join us. One of these days we'll all be together again. I'm so looking forward to that day. We enjoyed a delicious meal... presented mom and dad with a gift that totally surprised them (a love seat that they had inquired about from my sister and were planning to purchase after the holidays... because my sister told them it would not be available until then... ha! we fooled them!!) Unfortunately, we had to leave earlier than planned due to roads with ice and snow. We made it home without incident on Friday evening.





My sisters... Bev, Belinda, Brenda and me


On Saturday evening, we enjoyed celebrating Christmas with Jason, Jenny and the grandkids. We had a delicious meal prepared by Jenny. Sammy and Lizzie enjoyed opening gifts... reading books... playing with new toys... and so did everyone else. Kids and Christmas... it's all so much fun!







We're being promised warmer weather for this week. It's been in the single digits for much of last week... with just enough snow to be an annoyance on the roads. Charlie and I took a drive along the Great River Road in Alton and Grafton, Illinois. We saw deer, geese, and bald eagles. It was my last free Saturday for the next 8 weeks and it was a fun day... seeing the bald eagle in the wild and an evening with Sammy and Lizzie.

Upward Basketball began Saturday, January 9... 8 weeks of basketball, devotions, stars, winners and fun! The first day went well with only a few minor glitches. It's busy... it's tiring... it's even frustrating at times... but worth every minute of it!! More updates as we go through the season.