Saul (trying for depth)

I'm currently reading in I Samuel. What an awesome section, and what lessons are there for me! I get so sad reading about Saul, seeing as I know his end.

Do you know any verses that cause you to be poor and of a contrite spirit, and tremble at God's word? (This is from Isaiah 66:2--the man to which God will look.) One of these verses for me is I Samuel 15:22,23, emphasis on 23: 22"And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 23For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry...."

I don't know about you, but the word that would perfectly describe me in my youth is "rebellious." I tremble to think how I used to be, and bless the Lord for mercifully sparing me having such daughters! I'm amazed my mom didn't kill me, or, at least, disown me. She would've been justified in doing so, believe me.

Now, the Lord Jesus Christ has made me a new woman; He stopped me in "my wild career" (a line from a hymn). He drew me to Himself, the One who is altogether lovely. He caused me to love holiness, to want to be like Him--to hate sin. Why would I want to embrace that which killed my Beloved? I still sin--thank God for the Spirit of God that doesn't leave me alone--but I don't want to! He convicts. I have an Advocate with the Father--Jesus Christ the righteous. Glory to God.

In my lost estate, I dabbled in things pertaining to witchcraft. As a lost girl, I sinned and committed idolatry--worshipping and serving the creature more than the Creator. And my dear Father tells me that REBELLION is as WITCHCRAFT, and STUBBORNNESS!!! (yikes!) is as iniquity and idolatry! Wow. Please, God, don't ever let me be found there.

And so, these verses cause me to tremble. I tremble when I think of how "prone to wander" I am, not so much physically, as in my mind, where, I believe, the battle is won or lost. I tremble to think how stubborn I can be. How easy it is NOT to be stubborn when things go your way! And rebellion. How God used this verse to teach me (and continues to teach me!) submission to my dear husband. How desperately I needed this lesson if I was to have a Christian marriage, something I had never seen before I married (there were lots of young singles in our church, and our pastor was single). What mercy and grace I've been shown!

More on such verses later. Thank you for reading.

Yippee!

Why? A new SOFA! Actually, used. Got it at Goodwill (good spotting, Mi!) for only TWENTY BUCKS! AND it's a sofa bed, in good shape! AND it doesn't stink! (You'd think my lover would look a little happier about it, eh?)

The sofas are now in a "U" shape around the fireplace, and it is cozy, cozy, cozy. Three sofas. We're loving it.

Come visit; we'll light up the fireplace and make some hot cocoa and open our bibles. Just say when.

Depth

Please don't give up on me! SOON there will be more entries, hopefully with some DEPTH! Thanks for hanging in there. (And yes, it IS Christy.) Yours and His, Vivian, who had the best time in McKinney--between Ikea and Genghis Grill....

Identify!

What is it, ladies and gentlemen? Place your guesses here.

The girls are off to McKinney! Ian's broken heart will immediately heal, when "the boy of my dreams" sees his Emmie.

I gave little Sarah the great news--Grandpa got a HOLIDAY HAM (pronounce HAM with about 4 syllables! Southern style)! I LOVE to hear her say this. She's a hoot!

IKEA's inventory will be diminished shortly. You've GOTTA go there.

Life's unfair. Misty's posting late at night. How DOES Grace beat me to it? Blame it on the early-morning Abby.

Bunch of stuff and nonsense, eh? Thank you, Helwigs. Love comes in many forms; one of our favorite manifestations is commenting! Good visiting with you. I'm ready for the Helwig blog to kick in.

Have a great week! Greg has my cell phone this week. Sarah's is mine minus 1. You do the math!

Happy Birthday, Misty!

Our dear dotter-in-love has a birthday today! Have the best one ever! You are such a blessing to me! I thank God for a godly wife to my son, and mother to my baby grands! I love you!

Here she is with her beautiful babies and my sweet mom. Happy Birthday!

Nursing, and other musings

My poor Sarah is facing a nursing strike from Miggy. I never heard of such a thing, but there she is. I'm so sad for them! I nursed 5 little cling-ons, and loved every minute of it. Convenience! My girls (and Misty is included in that number!) all are so much more together than I was! I nursed my kids in bed; they sit in a chair, always, and never put the baby in bed with them. I was too wiped out to even think of starting that way. I have lots of fun nursing stories, but I think of Chad reading them and blushing, and I decide not to post them. (Explanation of this pic at the end. Read on.)

The Papa has a day off today, as he has a meeting in Abilene Saturday and they don't want him to get too many hours. He's gonna take me for a brisket sandwich in Comanche for lunch today, at Taco Jim's (or Joe's?); where ELSE would you go for brisket? (Maybe his mom named him Taco, and his middle name is James....)

Getting caught up on the house after 2 weeks of company, followed immediately by a week away at Grace's, where I got iced in for an extra day. How nice was that! Treat! My sweet Ian, 4, said, My heart BREAKS when you go away, Emmie! I told him that's the nicest thing anyone ever said to me. Precious boy! I got a time of bondage (thank you, Algore!) with my little Abby. She is stiff as a board, and we always try to bend her in the middle. And she actually fell asleep on me not once, but three times! Grace was amazed. Amazed Grace.... And my little Sarah (it's so much less confusing with one Sarah around; not as fun, but less confusing) did her girly thing all week. She actually didn't cry too much while I was there.

Grace and I made some curtains for Sarah's room--they came out kinda neat. Maybe Grace can post a pic. Let's hear it for Stitch Witchery--no-sew! One can do a lot with that. My sewing machine isn't portable. Also, Grace's bedroom window has a high arch, and the people across the street have a two-story.... Easy, cheap fix--Elmer's glue! Had fun smearing on a layer, and, Voila, no more see-through! And it peels off when you're done. Grace thought the panel she did had a nicer design than mine.... We got a lot accomplished that trip, but I am most proud of one accomplishment. We (I say we, but mostly I [hate to take all the credit]) managed to give Aunt Sarah an almost-full container of baby pastel mints with the little white sprinkles! I could eat the whole package! Boy howdy, those are GOOD! Grace only ate a few, because we had a hard time figuring if they were "raw" or not.... And, except for one moment of extreme cruelty, Dean (my son-in-love) was very nice to me. (I asked him how long I could stay, and he said, we'd talk after three weeks.) (That wasn't the cruelty.) (Sorry, Dean; I HAVE to tell!) He went to lunch at Genghis Khan without us! Mongolian stir-fry! The BEST! My FAVORITE! (To Dean's credit, he DID take me there, AND did treat me, once.) I mourned the rest of the visit, but he chose to ignore my behavior. It was a wonderful visit nonetheless (great word!) (no-net-he-less). Did I mention the trip to IKEA? I could LITERALLY move in there! I HAVE to take Heather there sometime.... And Christy got a wokka-wok out of it.

My dear husba is currently a mess! We spent last Friday night in the ER in Comanche. He gets an upper respiratory infection, on top of his asthma, a couple of times a year, and he was about due. He was so miserable! Then on Monday, he severely pulled, strained, sprained, popped (?) his calf muscle reffing a girls' game in Lometa, and, in extreme pain, had to wait until the end of the guys' game so he could take the other ref home. How sad is THAT!? The coach and the superintendent were extremely kind to him, getting ice for his leg and trying to be a comfort to him. Thank you, Lometa! (I always did like driving through there.) Greg's really looking like an old man lately. Anyway, no more reffing for him this season. Whatamess!

On a happy note, at our last LNO, the girls decided to practice dancing, to a song that will remain unnamed. (Write and ask them.) (Hint: They were getting their moves from Donny Osmond!) (Another hint: The word "nerdy.") Sarah was not brought up dancing, and the dear child has NO, maybe NEGATIVE rhythm. (I was NOT brought up that way.) The result is above (I thought it would be here!). Christy is obviously telling us she's "da man," and Sarah, poor dear, looks like she's fixin' to pick up Mingy (not to be confused with Miggy, the dotter), the cat! (They're working on their choreography.) Sad, eh? I was not wearing my Depends, therefore I was just the photographer. I spared them my busting out in "The Funky Chicken," which I perform at choice Bunny Foo-Foo moments. "A good time was had by all."

Enough nonsense for now. It's 19 degrees in beautiful Blanket, and my hands are feeling crispy. Off to find some chai latte and read my Bible. To quote Christy, "To comment is to love." Selah.

Unnamed-son's Rebuttal

I was soundly beaten. My mother just had a birthday and I figured what better time to give a present. My undefeated streak was broken but revenge is sweet. --by the disgruntled Scrabble player. (We don't allow sore losers in our family.)

VERY Thankful!

Happy Thanksgiving! The big change this year is the new group of the three cousins! Aren't they PRECIOUS? We had such a good time! And, as usual, where there is more than one Risse, there is competition. One son (who will remain unnamed) was soundly beaten by his mother in Scrabble. All I can say is, He was asking for it. We stayed up WAAYY too late playing Balderdash with the family and our two new friends. They REALLY got to know us.

Howdy!

The great Risse migration begins! The Georgia Risses are headed to TX tomorrow, and we are SO excited about seeing them! The first time the new cousins (3 girls, all born this year!) will be together. Fire up those cameras! I found the cutest outfits for their pics....

How do you like the new look? Thought I'd try something different. With all our moves and rearranging furniture (which I LOVE to do), the only thing I haven't rearranged is my husband--I like him just as he is! God has given him a lot of wisdom, and I thank Him for that. What a blessing to have a spiritual leader.

Better go get ready for church! More later, and maybe some pictures!

Miggy! and the Election

THERE'S my girl! Isn't she the sweetest Gerber baby? I just got an Easy Share digital camera, and I'm having a blast working with it. Five megapixels doesn't look too shabby, eh? And what better subject than a baby grand? Such a willing one! I worked the election, and made about $100, and here's where it goes. I think I can put it to good use....

I love working the election. I am very thankful I am not the judge, as it's a HARD job, and sometimes people can get ugly. But most sure were good sports when she sent them back to the courthouse, or to another precinct to vote. I get to see many of the neighborhood folks, which I don't normally, because I don't get out much here in town. We had, counting absentees, about 50% voter turnout. It impressed me, anyway....

The McKinney family just left, and I'm having fun putting my house back in order. You could tell that little people were here for a bit! I LOVE IT.

Thanksgiving's coming up--my FAVORITE holiday! It's our family reunion time, and I can't get enough. The Georgians are coming in next week (birthweek for me!), and I can't wait! PHOTO SHOOTS! We had a friend visit our home, and he said, It seems like every day is Thanksgiving here! I take that as a high compliment. We have much for which to be thankful. God is so good.

This is one of my favorite times of the year--birthday and Thanksgiving, usually within a week and a half of each other! AND the weather is the BEST! We just had a day in the 90's, but I think that's it until probably February next year. (It's not THAT hot that early, but I HAVE put on the air conditioner in the car in February!) I just bask in the cooler weather--I feel like I bloom! Carrying around this furnace called almost-menopause (in the form of hot flashes) would make anyone long for cooler weather! I do strive not to murmur about the heat, as God is the source of all weather. To this I humbly submit!

Much love to all. Thanks for reading! I hope to post more faithfully; for example, like Linda does! Impressive!

Yours and His,
A most-blessed daughter of God!

Texas

Dare I say it's FINALLY growing on me? I seem to have gotten over pining for Pennsylvania (but not the dear brethren there!).

And then there's the bedroom.... I've been working on it for WAAAAYYYY too long now, and I'm gonna be finished with it by the end of the month. I finished painting the walls -- finally! After many suggestions from many talented decorators (my friends), I decided on the color that I wanted--medium gray! I love it! Because some dear person many moons ago put up not one, but TWO wallpaper borders, one on top of the other, I have what appears to be the first dose of superglue on my upper walls that DOES NOT come off! I will sand off the paint before the glue comes off. Never seen anything like it! GAK! SO, I decided to put starched material up there. It's gray and white, and I sure hope it works. I've not tried it before, but friends have, and they say it's do-able. Maybe I'll post pics afterwards. Greg is being VERY patient about sleeping in the guest bedroom (on a full-sized bed, not a queen), and I appreciate that. He's very kind to me!

Raw foods. Hmmm....

I'm so enjoying hearing my dear Gregory preach. He's covering until we get a pastor, so please pray for him. He works such long hours, sleeps so poorly with his apnea, and studies every chance he gets. I admire him so much! He just started I John Sunday morning. It's so good so far! He is such a joy.

As far as receiving man's testimony, Greg HAD to see if Johnson's baby shampoo really WAS "as gentle as pure water." Guess what -- NO!, especially if you just open your eye and put a glob in it! (I think they meant if you have a headful of lather and some drips in your eye....) Poor Greg. He had everyone laughing when he told the story. Very gullible man....

So there, I blogged. This is getting pretty pitiful. I should scrap this and start over!

Here comes the man of my dreams, even after 31 years. How I love him! Good night, all!

Kisses

Kisses

(Thomas Brooks, "Heaven on Earth" 1667)
"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine." Song 1:2

Not with a kiss--but with the kisses of His mouth. A soul once kissed by Christ, can never have enough of the kisses of Christ; His lips drop myrrh and mercy. No kisses, compared to the kisses of Christ. The more any soul loves Christ, the more serious, studious, and industrious will that soul be, to have the love of Christ discovered, confirmed, witnessed, and sealed to it. A soul once kissed by Christ, would gladly have . . . her drop turned into an ocean; her spark into a flame; her penny into a pound; her mite into a million. A soul who truly loves Christ . . . can never see enough, nor ever taste enough, nor ever feel enough, nor ever enjoy enough of the love of Christ. When once they have found His love to be better than wine, then nothing will satisfy them but the kisses of His mouth.

The End.

Sweet, sweet thoughts. How I love my Lord! More amazing yet--how He loves me! "All this, and heaven, too." For almost 33 years (glory to God!), I have been His and He has been mine. His love continues to amaze me. I want to KNOW Him (Philippians 3:10, my life verse). With knowing Him, and the power of His resurrection, comes "the fellowship of His sufferings," which is some of what the Lord is bringing me through right now. And I rejoice.

All these years I've loved Him, and yet I've never seen Him. This is faith (which is the gift of God), and it is MORE SURE than sight! Peter, after speaking of seeing the Lord transfigured on the mount, says, "We have a more sure word of prophecy" (II Peter 1:19). And I can't wait for the day that I go to be WITH Him, to see Him as He is, to be with my Beloved, to grieve Him no more, to sin no more, to "ever be with the Lord." This is glory, this is bliss. He is my glory, and knowing Him is bliss.

May you grow closer to Him today.

Yippee!

Greetings! These are the results of the photo contest at Comanche (TX) Pow-Wow Days. Sarah talked me into entering in the "advanced" category instead of "amateur." My pics on the left (I ended up competing against myself, as they changed one of my categories!) got first and second place! And Sarah's pic of Miggy (in another category, advanced also) placed second. Way to go, Mimi! We were so excited! The pic of the girls says, "I DON'T listen to gossip!" The other one above it is of Joses and Sarah expecting Miggy, taken at the depot. Those were in the "Picture Story" category. Sarah's was in "Children," I believe. A good time was had by all as Christy joined us on our funnel cake-consuming adventure! Perfect weather. Happy first day of FALL! Bliss....

Card-Making Time! and other ramblings....

This is a typical end to a card-making session at our Ladies' Night Out. When we finish, we decorate Mig! Sarah also conquered some ribbon for her ponytail. "A good time was had by all."

Greg's preaching tonight for prayer meeting. I love to hear him--it is such a blessing to have a godly husband. I reverence him! Aside from my Saviour, he's God's greatest gift to me. Thirty-one years together! We met and married in 3 months--not something I'd necessarily recommend, but God was gracious and helped us, and we needed help! Lots of adjustments when you barely know each other at the start. The Boss marries The Baby (I was NOT the baby!). Without the Lord, it could have been a recipe for disaster. I'd never seen marriage done right. It's CRAZY how happy we are so many years later. Empty nest is terribly underrated! (I think that's so the kids will be eager to go; reverse psychology!). He chases me until I catch him. Joy. Not to mention all the bonding we've done over Scrabble. Our first game was a hoot--I had something like "phoenix," and he had "cat." If I recall correctly, he dumped the board (before we got the fancy kind! Thanks, Ledbetters!).

Trying to hang a new ceiling fan. I'm pretty good with directions, and adventuresome, but I see NOWHERE to hang the fan while I do the wiring! GAK! And it's HEAVY! My living room looks like an explosion at Home Depot! Gotta wait for my lover to help me. I'm off to straighten up. Have a blessed day (I get kinda nervous when I say, Have a nice day, because I don't know what their idea of a nice day is, and it might not be good!).

PS Just finished, Eats, Shoots and Leaves, a marvelous book about punctuation. The author is a blast--my kind of humor! I'm trying to include a semicolon just for her; I did it!

Typical Evening at the Risses'

Here's what our typical evening looks like. Isn't that layout neat? Nice diagonal. Lots of points there! The cup we use for the letters (Greg doesn't like the bag) says, All work and no pay makes a housewife. Yes, those are an English AND a Spanish dictionary. We play for blood. That's our third Scrabble dictionary. Our regular dictionaries are in shreds, as is our Strong's Concordance--we're on our second one. The only thing missing is hot cocoa, which we save for cold nights. The kids tell us this is one of their favorite memories of us. (Please wake up--I'm finished posting!)

Dear Benny

As we remain in this world, our dear brother, Benny, is right now with the Lord! Amazing thought--absent from the body, present with the Lord!

What a dear man. He leaves behind a family that is crying and trusting. He was such a blessing--quietly working in the background. It was such a joy to be around him. He always made me laugh, too, but was always ready to talk about the goodness of the Lord. He was so hospitable, and I count as some of my best times of fellowship those spent at his home. And he could cook some serious brisket--not corned beef, but serious Texas barbeque brisket. And he loved doing it for us.

His favorite song was "The Love of God," which is one of my favorites. One verse in particular I think is just exquisite:
Could we with in the oceans fill
And were the skies of parchment made
Were every stalk on earth a quill
And every man a scribe by trade--
To write the love of God above
Would drain the oceans dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky.
I will always smile at the memory of dear Benny when I sing that, if I can make it through the song without crying.

Thank the Lord for His glorious salvation. He saved Benny, and He saved me. Trophies of grace. What a wonderful memory and legacy and heritage he leaves behind. I loved him.

Welcome Home!

Boy, howdy! I thought I was gonna have to start Blog #3 because I forgot my blogspot password in Georgia. It's good to be home, where I'm already logged in. Good thing.

Georgia! Land of New Baby Grands and Little People and Humidity. AND reasonable temperatures.

I was so sweetly introduced to Naomi Joy, age almost 2 months, shortly after arriving in Georgia. But first I must tell you about the flight! Hold on, little baby--be right back!

THE FLIGHT! Good thing Sarah came along with us and The Papa, as we really needed her! What a sacrifice--riding to D/FW in the back of the Mitsubishi between two car seats! True love. Two rolling suitcases, 2 carseats (one which comes apart extremely inconveniently!), a carry-on bag that leaked water all through the terminal (should've put the water in bottles: hindsight!), and two children: Ian, 4, and little Sarah, 2. The airport was packed (what's new), and I had no clue how to do the etickets. Good thing The Papa had to go to The Potty! He parked, and he and Sarah came in with us. They waited with the chillins while I figured out the etickets (what a convenience! You should've seen the LINES!!), and I called them to bring everything and everybody over (how did we EVER live before cell phones?!). Lovely check-in, and we said goodbye. As in Goodbye, carseats! Joy! (What a pain.)

THEN we had a 3-hour wait. The kids, to their credit, were great. To my credit, I was great, filling the carry-on bag with TREATS and new toys and other cool things. The little darlings played with their wind-up cars in the corner for a good amount of time, ate an amazing number of Nutri-Grain bars, and tried to talk me out of many bags of those fruit-chewy thingies. I thought to myself, if they get airsick, I don't even want to be on the same PLANET! GAK! I myself (how redundant, but makes sense in context) was forearmed with chewable Dramamine (technically, Bonine--not to be confused with all things cow-ish).

I am very grateful that my grandchildren have cast-iron bladders. I pictured my worst nightmare for this trip: "I have to go potty" on the plane! Those bathrooms are SMALL, and I could picture one of them HOWLING while I took the other one and left one behind to torture the neighboring passengers. And they kept asking for drinks the whole time at the airport, AND on the plane--water, Sprite. I prayed a lot. I don't know that they've gone potty yet. Beautiful children. They were great about flying, and we decided the clouds looked like marshmallow fluff, which is the marshmallow stuff in a jar (perfect with peanut butter sandwiches, a concoction which I introduced them to this visit. Try it.).

More on the next blog. I wonder if they fine you for making your entries too long....

The Adventures of Emmie

Wowie! Part-time mommy for 2 weeks! I'm thoroughly enjoying Ian and Sarah here. I sure don't have the energy I used to.... It has been good for me, and hopefully for them and their mommy and daddy. Grandpa's having a good time, too. Our patience isn't what it used to be, either.... I guess it's because we don't usually have so MANY opportunities to exhibit it in the course of a day. So many things I would have like to have done differently, or in addition, in training my children while they were home. The Lord knows.... More later on the Adventures of Emmie.

The Blog Queen

I must say I'm so intimidated! Christy can blog like no other! RATS! (Inferiority complex developing....) Sarah's blog is bought-with-a-price.blogspot.com, and the link is there for Christy's. I'll set up links on mine soon, when I make time, probably when Ian and Sarah get here tomorrow night. Seventeen days of baby grands! Whee!

I'm thinking I need to start another blog in addition to this one. This one is rapidly becoming the "Wanna see pics of my baby grands?" blog! HELP ME. I can't stop myself!

Abuelo's was great, in spite of the disappearing papas (not the "pope," and not fathers!). Their usually-outstanding papas (potatoes, for cc) were more like papa crepes, the size of a small coaster and considerably thinner (I was gonna say pancakes, but that would've made the layer too thick). New cook, I guess. (Maybe "papa soup" spilled on the corner of the plate?) (Circles don't have corners, though maybe ovals kinda do....)

And I meant this to be a serious, heavy blog. How I've strayed! As far as Target and Lie Down, at least we weren't far from the pillow section, where I was eyeing one that Christy liked that I was gonna bring her to use in her distress. Besides the side effect of swollen everthing-from-the-shoulders-up, she got a blue tongue. Where's WebMD when you need it?

For "for you, onny 4 dollas" I got a lovely fan with a pic of me and Christy (don't tell Sarah) to use in church, where the ladies will fight being jealous of me. I just want to say, When Greg throws out the trash, he throws out the trash, and everything else in the trunk. Hence the fate of the poor fan, which Christy courageously rescued. Her only comfort was that it was early in the morning, so she could skip the noxious fumes emitting from a ripe 120+ degree dumpster. Brave soul.

I'm ready for Mikayla to return (mistype--the DODSONS) . Christy and I are bonding waaaayyy too much, and, next thing you know, she'll be in our foster care! Getting paid to take care of Christy--now THAT'S an idea....

Enough nonsense for now. Our dear Shamburgers are back (yay!), along with our "oldest" friends, the Horners. Missed by all. Looking forward to slides and stories from India.

Love to all. Leave a comment sometime....

Lovely, lovely!

Here's our sweet flower girl. Better than a bench! And she's usually smiling!

Aren't they adorable? I can't wait to meet sweet little Naomi later this month!

And Abigail Rose is due the 25th of this month. How sweet can life get.... We are blessed! And I guessed three boys....

Isn't she lovely?

Cuteous girl, eh? Raise your hand if you can't believe that Sarah and Christy let her gum that nasty, dirty bench! GAK!

Today is one of my first days home in more than 2 weeks. I LOVE being home! My foot hurts today, so it's not a good day to be climbing the ladder to strip wallpaper border. NOTE: If you have any kind of liking for yourself, or for others, DO NOT put up wallpaper borders, except with staples, as Sarah and I did in her kitchen. Can't see them.

I'm in a reArranging mood, as a cute little friend used to call it. My most favorite photo (other than family) of the lighthouse in the storm has been relocated. The dear B family gave it to us when they saw my admiring it in the "Christian" book store. It is so beautiful. Must be the moving so often that "moves" me to reArrange furniture, since, joy!, it doesn't look like we're moving anytime soon.

This might get the prize for the most boring entry ever! Hang in there with me; I'll get inspired again soon, I hope (don't you?)!

Yours and His,
Vivian, aka Emmie and Pee Wee

The Girl of my Dreams

Introducing my mom! Isn't she cute (on the left!)?! She is such a joy. I "kidnapped" her from the nursing home today so she could spend the night. Greg's in Angelo at Paul's, as he has a school workshop tomorrow, so the timing is excellent.

She is so precious! She is the most giving person I know.

And a mean domino player. We didn't grow up playing sports (obviously) when I was a kid, so my mom doesn't know about good sportsmanship, which is why she LAUGHS when she beats me or I have to pick up a bunch of dominos right before she goes out! We had a serious talk about that, but she still laughs, or, worse yet, tries to hold it in. I love her so.

Back Home

Let's see what "Georgia" font looks like, as I was born there.

We're back home! I about got out and kissed the ground when we hit Texas. What a long, fun trip! It was our best ever, and our first sightseeing trip. Usually we go visit family or friends and come home.

Gregorio was a great sport, and drove most of the way. We had two days of 17+ hours in the car. Boy howdy. You really get to know each other with that much closeness! Not to mention the car is a Mitsubishi. Greg managed to crawl into the back seat while I was driving, which I tried to discourage, as I didn't care to have his foot whacking my head while I was trying to drive! He made it without mishap.

The first night we made it to McCook, Nebraska. Nice motel room--we managed to get "inexpensive" rooms when we didn't stay on base. We ate at more than one Perkins, which we really liked. Greg had to start with the comments to the waitress on who we are and this is Pee Wee and I didn't eat all this, though it was very good, because my tooth has been hurting. (They look at him so strangely.... At least he introduced me.) [A pet peeve: I HATE when waiters and waitresses introduce themselves! (We don't get enough time together to really bond.) And I HATE when they ask me how the food tastes! I think that is SO tacky and unprofessional. If I don't like it, they'll sure know it! And, as I seem to be unable to stop myself on pet peeves, I HATE when they ask, "What would WE like to eat today?" GAK! "Well, let's see what you're having, and I might just take a few bites off your plate, especially since you're buying...." ENUF!]

More later! Welcome home, Pee Wee!

Supper time

Good morning! I woke up to the smell of cooking brisket. One of my favorites! Now, for you "foreigners" (non-Texans, but not the Ledbetters), this does NOT mean corned beef! We're having our last fling before leaving for South Dakota and Minnesota tomorrow. You're all invited!

Who's been to Mt. Rushmore? (CC-watching it on TV doesn't count!) Tell me about it! We got a great history lesson on the area from our dear neighbors, N and S, at Cici's last night. I'd like to take them along! It's great knowing history teachers....

It'll be interesting visiting another church on Sunday, though I will miss ours TERRIBLY. Someone asked me about singing "specials" at our church, and I told them that our singing (congregational, NOT mine and Greg's!) is so excellent that we really don't NEED specials. Very true. We are blessed!

And today I get to go to Stephenville and meet a friend of a friend, or, to be more accurate, the sister-in-the-Lord of a sister-in-the-Lord. (Are you thoroughly confused?) I told her I'd have a rose in my teeth, so she could recognize me (more likely it will be spinach from lunch...). Looking forward to a blessed meeting! She sounds like a dear.

Greg is trying to get me out on the lake with him in Minnesota, as the boat comes with the room. He's always said being with me in a leaky canoe is better than a homemake apple pie from Dr. Michaela Quinn (from Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman) (he thinks she's the prettiest lady on TV; lovely, as all you can see of her is her face and hands! whee!). (Also, he prefers a sharp stick in the eye from me than that apple pie.) (He is a strange man.) Anyway, I think I'll pass on the boat, even with a life jacket. I WILL wave to him from the safety of the shore. I don't like things that move, like oceans and lakes and rivers. They're pretty from a distance, or even from the shore, but I don't care for up-close-and-personal! I guess it's because it reminds me of being in labor, and driving on ice (preferably not at the same time!), the two times I'm not in control. (Is ANYONE following this train of thought?!)

Sorry, folks, but the high in Minnesota lately is in the high seventies! Can you say "BLISS"? It was 101 yesterday here, I believe. In a strange "twist of fate" (what a ridiculous phrase!), the last time I went, a 4th of July, it was 100 ther and 80 here! It was flooding here. Do you know that Minnows (people in Minnesota) don't have AIR CONDITIONING? Greg's friend had a 3-story house on the lake, full basement, and NO air conditioning! We went to a motel! GAK! I was sad.... The current temperature there is more normal for them....

More later! My most-wonderful son-in-love is lending me his laptop (I TOLD you he loves me!), so I can visit with everyone while I'm gone. It's worth a trip to Early to meet him. Plus you get to see Sarah and baby Mikayla, who just may exceed the cuteness-scale before she's a year old! My smiley baby!

Off to smell the brisket....

Some thoughts on tribulations

"For if you should see a man shut up in a close room, idolizing a set of lamps and rejoicing in their light, and you wished to make him truly happy, you would begin by blowing out all of his lamps, and then throw open the shutters to let in the light of heaven." --Rutherford in prison

"O how I pray that when God in his mercy begins to blow out my lamps, I will not curse the wind." --Piper

(This is paraphrased.) A woman long ago was thrown into a dungeon, where she delivered a child. The child was allowed to live with her, and never went outside. His mother could draw, and she would draw the outside world for him, which he had never seen, and try to explain the glories of it to him. He could not believe it could be so wonderful compared to what he had experienced, and asked, How can it be so wonderful if the lines (from the pictures) are gone?
--from When God Weeps by Joni Tada and Steve (forgot his last name)

What limited creatures we are! When our pastor prayed last week, this sentence from that prayer stuck with me. He said, Teach us to refuse sight, and take faith.

How we need our great God to open our spiritual eyes to behold spiritual things, and to think spiritually. How we need understanding! And how great is our God!

More later....

Yours and His,
Vivian
aka Aunt Vivian, Pee Wee, Emmie

Trying again

Good morning! Trying a totally new blog. Let's see if I can figure out pics and such. Come visit often!