PatPat & Mimi and Aunt Judy

Here's Pat Pat and Mimi on Tuesday. Patrick was off work and wanted to go and "TELL MIMI" about his decision to join the Navy. Well, we walked in and she said, "WHEN ARE YOU LEAVING?!" HAHAHAHA! We died laughing! somebody "let the cat out of the bag" (Judy says, "not me!"). I'm glad whoever did, it sure made it easier!!! HAHA! Anyway, she was great about it and wanted to know details, etc. How surprised was I that she remembered that  a couple of years ago he wanted to go into the Coast Guard?! WOW, she can sure remember details sometimes that I can't ! ....Pat's Aunt Judy dropped by and she got to visit with Patrick too! She asked him lots of questions , sure was glad to find out MORE info! HAHAHA! Had a great visit with both grandmother and aunt and then we went by Zoe's for lunch and then Pat went to Maplesville to pick up some (ugh!) deer meat from a deer he killed last week. (I'm sure Natalie is sooooooo excited to get DEER MEAT in her freezer! HA!).....I'm doing much better now!!! I did not cry ONCE when we were at Mimi's!!! Hurrah!.....Here's a note from Bobbie that she sent me via REGULAR mail. It was the sweetest thing and I loved it! It's  a "keeper". It will go in Pat's scrapbook I'll be making for him while he's away!

I had to add one last, and very important LETTER (yes, SNAIL MAIL, not an E-mail!) that my bestest friend in the  whole world sent me about my news of Patrick joining the Navy. Actually, she was the first person I actually TOLD, by phone, of course. I did pretty good, but as you might guess, I did end up bawling. We've been together through so much over our lives! I won't bore you with all we've been thro, but suffice it to say, she knows me better than ANYONE ON THE PLANET. I can't imagine my life without her in it. We can almost finish each other's sentences! But, one thing she doesn't like to do is WRITE! HAHA! She might get mad that I included hers , but sorry, Bobbie, I had to include it. It's so sweet and it meant so much that I'm sharing it!

 First of all, when I opened the letter TWO pins fell out! An American Flag intertwined with a Navy Flag and it said NAVY. She said she had NO IDEA where they came from. But she had 2 brand new  ones! A GOD THING!

Here's what she wrote (and, like I mentioned, anyone who knows BOBBIE knows she doesn't like to write much! In FACT< I even wrote her final ENGLISH THEME our senior year in class for her and SHE made a better grade than I did! And the worst part about it, I wrote it about her dear MOTHER and her mother ALWAYS THOUGHT BOBBIE had written those beautiful words!!!! NOPE! I DID!!! HAHAHAHA ! THat's another reason this letter meant so much b/c, while we TALK  all the TIME, we don't e-mail that much and we never write , except b'day cards. Imagine my surprise when I got this GREAT and LONG letter from Bobbie and it was so so touching, too! Anyway I was sooooo excited to get my FIRST and probably LAST ever letter from THE RED HEAD):

 

Janice,

I found these pins the day after you told me about Patrick joining the Navy so I thought I would send them to you. I have thought about yall so much since I talked to you that day. And Janice every time I do, my mind goes back to that precious family Christmas card of your family that you sent out when Patrick was about 2 or 3. All of your family together with their dark,dark hair and off to the side is that precious blonde haired little boy. You should have known then there was something special about that child. He stood out then and now he is going to be standing up now for something that he believes in. We have been so blessed to have always had our kids so close to us, at least not more than a couple hours away. Now this is a growing time for all of you. There are so many of us that go most of our lives not knowing what God's will is for our life. Patrick is very blessed in that he truly feels this is God's will for his life. What would you want? Having Patrcik home close to family but out of God's will or having him miles away IN God's will? We both know the answer to that question as hard as it is. One day I may be faced with a similar situation and you'll be there to give ME support........

I love all of you

<FONTFACE="COURIER color="#400080" TUR? New>

And on the Card she wrote:

Janice, Terry, Patrick and the rest of the Fry Clan,

 Please know that you are in my prayers. Patrick, if you really think about it, YOU:

Survived a fall down a flight of stairs in the arms of your mother; you caught yourself on fire (almost); you survived a bad car wreck and Lord only knows what else He brought you through!!!!!

You're probably SAFER in the NAVY!!!!

 Love you all!

 

<MY FAVORITE QUOTE: "You're probably SAFER in the NAVY"! HAHAHAHA ! GOOD ONE, BOBBIE!!! BTW, I love you too. SO so so much 

 

Janice

 

 

Powell and Daisy Cakes

Is this picture precious , or what?! Yes, that's our littliest angel, SMILING like a BIG BOY! He IS a big boy now! He now weighs, TA DA!, 7 pounds 15 oz! He has DOUBLED his birth weight! How cool is that????!!! Now, having said that, he's still small, but he's CATCHING UP WITH DAISY!!!!....Terry and I babysat for a little while on Saturday night. It was sooooo fun passing him BACK AND FORTH ! Yes, Terry tries to "hog" him! HAHA! No, we SHARED him and he even let ME give him his bottle! That little fella can down a bottle!!! He doesn't really like it when you take that nipple out of his mouth for a burp either! HA! He was so sweet  and we just loved every minute with him. C/R told us (just the like rest of the kids have at different times) "Please move closer to us!" Well, that is a consideration! For now, however, Katie is still our "at home baby" but when she leaves the nest, we will most probably move a little closer to our chickens. Katie says "MOVE TO CHELSEA!" B/c that would be half way to Auburn! M/K/C/R say "MOVE To HOMEWOOD!" and N/B say "MOVE TO CAHABA HEIGHTS!" hahahaha!....Yesterday, we all went to church. Daisy was so good until Jack started to preach! HA! Then, Nat had to make a hasty exit! Everyone went nuts over Daisy's outfit complete with zebra shoes. and how funny when Jack started off his sermon (about walking with Jesus) to "Look around at everyone's feet and see what kind of shoes they're wearing"! HAHAHAHAHA! After church, we ate at FireBirds and Daisy was perfect! Slept the whole time. Then over here for Nat to see Katie's WEDDING GOWN!!!! (FYI, IT'S A SIZE TWO!). We asked Kemp if he wanted to spend the night and he said , of course! HAHA, "YES"! So, he did. We snuggled and chatted as we were going to sleep and he was soooooo sweet and said, "GranJan, TOMORROW can I see my mommy/daddy/Daisy?" ha! I hated for Natalie to have to get Daisy out on this cold morning to take Kemp to school. In fact, he might not even GO to school today. He's watching NOGGIN right now and being so sweet. Reminds me of C/M/P when they were little walking around with a plastic cup of Golden Grahams! They used to do the same thing!  Katie is off and we're going to go shopping and drop him off at home , shop awhile and then go back to RUMC and pick up MISS LILY!!!! I will be ready , by that time, to put away THOMAS The TRAIN and pick up "DRESS UP CLOTHES!" I can't WAIT  for Lily to see the suprises my friend, Becky, sent her ! Dress up COWGIRL boots; flower "high heels" ; a velvet skirt and boa! She will FLIP OUT!!!! ....Here also are some pix of Miss Daisy yesterday! She LOVES GranJan's bouncy seat that plays music and honestly, she was trying to reach for the toys hanging on the seat! She is so alert and growing before my eyes! Not a newborn anymore! WAAA!

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Part 2 , more amazing e-mails

My mail box was flooded yesterday with more love and encouragement!! Again, I want to share some snippets of them ( a couple, a little longer snippets but I just couldn't condense some)! I got long e-mails/short e-mails/profound e-mails/funny e-mails/deep e-mails. I won't use names, (to protect the innocent! HAHA), and will just put snippets in ( like I said, some longer than others). Again, I wish I could share them all in their entirety  but thought I'd just put some of the words to share (some are too long and some to personal. YES, I can keep SOME things to myself! haha). I wanted to share them b/c  maybe something that was written to me, applies to you as well. Who knows? God is so cool like that. He allows His members of His community of believers to share and uphold and lift each other up. While these were sent to me, some may touch a place that YOU needed some reassurance as well. That's what I think we all do best as the Body of Christ. We share and we lift each other up. Especially in times of worry and facing the unknown. As I wrote Jim Savage (my minister) this morning: To be honest, I'm getting a big slice of HUMBLE PIE here and realizing that God is even bigger than I thought He was. (And I knew He was big!). He needed ole GranJan to stop mouthing off and LISTENING for a change. To put my money where my mouth is. Or better yet, put my faith where my heart is. Your words of encouragement have helped me do just that..... So now read/savor/enjoy some more great snippets from YOUR e-mails.  (And , again, THANK YOU , dear friends in Christ)! jxxoo   Oh Janice, you are so sweet, I got your email about Pat, what a wonderful message and so inspiring, I am going to do my best to make it to the luncheonis that ok?  I have watched him grow up into this wonderful guy, I just love your family so much. I am so proud to be an American and I am so proud that Pat will be making that sacrifice to defend our freedom and my country, I respect him so much.  The Navy will for sure be getting a wonderful guy and God will be using Pat is so many ways!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />   GOD BLESS YOU PATRICK! ************************************************************************ I particularly love the one that refers to you “adopting a whole platoon”!  Obviously someone that knows you well!    You’re in my prayers and thoughts! *******************************************************************************************************************   Thank you for sharing your heart with all of us.  God is always  calling us to trust Him, and many times that is hard work!  I wish  He'd make it easier and smoother and less painful sometimes!  But how  lucky we are to know that He is trustworthy and following Him is the  best path to be on! Pat looked so mature and grown up and at peace in the picture you sent  of him holding Daisy.  He is growing into a fine man and God has a  good plan for him!  We will be praying for him, and all our service  people, that God will surround them with His hedge of protection and  love, and while they are accomplishing earthly duties down here, God  is accomplishing His plan in their lives and growing them up to be the  people He knows they can be. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own  understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct  your paths." .... and Pat's! We love you guys! ******************************************************************************************   Thank you for a laugh after a cry over the last e-mail that you sent.  What an encouragement to all who received that last e-mail!!!  You and Terry are setting a great example to all of us on your e-mail list.  You are both COVERING your family with prayer and TRUSTING the Lord with them.  I know it isn't easy when we want something for our children, but the Lord leads them into something else.  Patrick will be under HIS CARE which, of course, is the BEST!!!!  I wonder if Patrick will ever be in my home town - NORFOLK????   It sounds great that he will be in Fl. after Maine - so close to all of you.   I'm thinking of you and praying for all of you!!!! **********************************************************************************************************   I don't know what to say to you and your family.  There's no way I can identify with what you are going through.  My two kids went off to college and basically, they never came home, at least not to stay.  I do miss having them close enough to visit for an hour or two, and love on my three grans a lot more than I get to, but they have the knowledge that we love them and will support their decisions, even if we don't really like their decisions.  Since neither of them joined the services, that leaves me with no knowledge of having a child who is in something for six years and no way to get out of it.  I feel sure that you can't watch the evening news without thinking of Patrick.  What I'm saying is probably not helping, but I did want all of you to know that we care and we feel your pain.  Don't plan on us for a meal, but we may make a short appearance to let all of you know that we are here to help and support you in any way we can.  I love you, Jan.  ***************************************************************************   Jan, I just got caught up on my email & found this one with a bit of surprise after reading it. This situation has understandably been weighing on your mind since Pat gave you the news. As a parent, I can certainly understand your angst, pride, concern, shock, fear,  helplessness & strength. I can feel them all with your words. The two yrs lull sounds as if this was never off the table in his mind. It may very well be a calling that he has finally answered. And as has been the case for many a young man/woman, it may be the best decision of their lives. There are many, MANY positives about the US military. It is extremely structured. It builds confidence. It allows a person to push aside all the past & forces them to concentrate on the present. And to ease a Momma's fears, it really is under close supervision. This may well be Pat's move into total independence & true manhood.  He will do fine. You will turn over to the Drill Instructor a boy & he will give you back a man. Happens all the time. It will be a very marked difference in him when he returns home for leave. And most all of it will be for the better. Hang in there Jan. You guys have done a good job with all of your kids. Pat will be going to a very challenging & rewarding job & with the support of all of us, Democrats & Republicans. You may be a scared Mamma right now, but you are going to be one proud Mamma when you see what Patrick becomes.   Prayers to all of you guys. ************************************************************     I have not responded to your news yet as I am finally at a loss for the right words. You know me...never at a loss for words, but this time it is different. You know of my heartbreak of being away from my own son so long and even though the circumstances are very different, there is one common denominator and that is that we will have both had our sons gone and they are our babies no matter how old they are. I am very proud of his admirable choice and I prayer that he will return safe and that you can remain your special, positive self. The notes from your friends were very sweet   Janice -- Now that I have recovered from my "wild ride of a day" yesterday I am catching up on emails from others. I know that you know I went through a half a box of kleenex as I cried the whole time I was trying to read yours. As a mom I felt your pain and sadness and your dread of seeing him leave home for the service...but also as a mom I feel your love, support and pride in Patrick's courage and decision to serve our country. As a mom we are never ready to "let them go", are we?? We need all the great men we can get in our armed services to protect our country and the preserve the freedoms that we take for granted every day -- now more than ever. Patrick will be an asset to the Navy and I will definitely keep him (and y'all) in my prayers. Your large family has something that so many families are missing these days....unconditional love and support....a happy home filled with God's love ...and it shows! God surely has some big plans for Patrick. When Patrick had his near miss with early demise last year I knew that God wasn't finished with him yet! Only God knows what that plan is but Patrick is following his heart in his decision.    Patrick and the rest of your kids (yes, I know they don't consider themselves kids anymore but you know and I know they will always be your kids...right?!) have the most valuable things anyone could have in their lives with you and Terry as parents. I think Brad is one lucky man to have you as his in-laws. I am sure he misses his family in Aussie but what a huge wonderful family he has in all of yall!    And as "that day" in April gets closer you may have fleeting moments where you may doubt his decision. Please know that it is completely human. Patrick will probably have a few of them too. Leaving home is hard for anyone. I know that he will miss his family in Birmingham too but he will make all of them and all of us who know him (or know of him through emails from you) proud to say that our country is a safer place because Patrick and many other dedicated young people with conviction and courage like Patrick who each followed their heart and soul. He will come out a stronger, more organized, more mature, and well educated version of the Patrick who left....but he will still be your kid forever and ever. May God give you all the love, peace and support you could ever know through friends and family sharing their love with you all in the weeks, months and years to come. You know I am here, only a mere 600 miles away by car but also seconds away by cell or email.  Hugs and kisses coming your way to all of you in this time of roller coaster emotions. Just hang on tight, trust God and remember ...."It is well with my soul!"  BTW:   My Dad was a Navy man too. He even lied about his age so he could join. I guess they didn't feel the need to check on ages   back then but he was almost a year too young to sign up.  He stills says it was the best thing he ever did...made him a man. He had never been outside of Birmingham. He was based in Brazil during the war and learned a little bit about the world.  Here is a pic of my dad getting ready to leave Brazil and head back to the states. (put your finger on the right on the flag he is the one with the tiny arrow above his head --I put a   *      under him too under the pic)   He ended up in San Francisco, wired my mom money to fly there and get married.  That was in 1945...the rest is history!       *********************************** Jan I have been praying.  Pats move seems right in my heart for him. I may be wrong but my gut says its good. Peace and safety to you and him     Janice,   Thanks for the beautiful e-mail. As a Mother I can certainly understand your feelings but I have heard many times "God has no grand children" so Pat is one of God's children too! It can be a beautiful thing to let go and watch God work. Your faith is a blessing to all you share it with. I would love to get together one of these days for lunch. I will let you know about Palm Sunday. Janice,   I read your email about Pat – actually, not quite through it.  But I am back at work today and just now reading your emails about Pat, Natalie etc.    I would be as upset as you were, Janice.  You are his Mama.  You don’t want your kids out of your sight.  But God is going to look after him and has the plan.    I love you Janice.

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Thank you all!

 

I'm printing out the e-mail I sent out about Pat's leaving. Some of you read the journal that didn't get the e-mail I sent but you can read it on yesterday's entry. Here is my response to the OVERWHELMING amount of e-mails I received yesterday . THANK YOU ALL!....To lighten the mood, I'm posting some pix I made at Nat's b'day party, RIGHT BEFORE Pat dropped the Navy Bomb on us ! HAHAHA...Below is my e-mail thanking you all!...check out Natalie's TEETH. Poor thing, she needs a dentist so badly! How can she sing with those things?!

 

 

Dear Friends,

I have laughed, I have CRIED (who , me?!) and I have thanked God for all the e-mails I have received back from my NOVEL I sent on Friday in the wee hours of the morning. (I'm actually surprised anyone muddled through it after re-reading it the next day! HAHAHAH). Anyway, I have responded to everyone (I hope) but if I have missed anyone, please, let me say how MUCH your e-mails meant/mean to me. I have decided to print them out and send them, at different times, to Patrick when he is in Basic Training and when he needs to know AT THAT TIME, he has people praying for him and encouraging him. Some of you, Pat doesn't even know, or hasn't seen but a few times, but those will mean jus as much to him b/c he will see that how the BODY OF CHRIST operates! I'm going to put a few snippets at the bottom of this e-mail from a few of them. I wish I could forward every single one but I don't want to load anyone's mailboxes! I have lots more, wish I could share them all! In the meantime, I'll keep you updated on Pat's comings and GOINGS  (O.K., so I'm not quite at the point of not crying about THAT yet! ).  ....Thank you all. I love each one of you and each of you have touched me in a profound way over the past few days and you probably have no idea just how much! love and blessings....jan xxoo

 THANK YOU ALL!

 

 the year that my brother was in Iraq was hard for all of us and i had to remind myself many times that Bill was safer in Iraq with God than he would be at home without God. 

 

    try not to miss patrick before he's gone.

********************************************************************************************************************

 

Tell Terry how proud I am of him for the way he has handled this, I am so proud of our Grandfather, Father, Brother, Terry, Floyd and now Pat serving their country in the military.  Can you imagine how proud my Daddy is, looking down on Pat right now?!!!!!!......

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I wish I could give you a big hug and we could be together so we could cry together over our Patrick. Even though I never see him, I still love him and feel a connection from all those years ago when kept him all summer!! My heart aches with you and for you!!!!

 

**********************************************************************

My darlen Gran Jan-I can't reply to you right at this minute - I am crying all over the key board -

"all is well" -

I love you - and will get back to you -

Love Mozzaxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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I have to be honest.  My FIRST reaction when I read your news, was "Oh my gosh! Janice is not losing a son, she's adopting a platoon!!!" (Would love to see those care packages)!  My second reaction was "What a way to travel the world!"  And my third reaction was (and this is thanks to the Rick Burgess sermon) "What a wonderful opportunity to be a WARRIOR for God!!"  Pat will grow in SO many ways, and you will be incredibly proud of him.  I will add him (and you) to my prayer list.

************************************************************************

WOW!  I am wiping away the tears as I still try to absorb all your news!  I would love to be there for the luncheon.  I’ll do my best and will let you know soon.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

ANCHORS AWAY!

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I can only imagine what you must be feeling and going through.  I 
can't begin to imagine my "little" boy going into the military.  (You 
know me, my "type A / control freak" personality--I'd probably try to 
find a way to bar the door!)  For me, Patrick is still a "little 
boy".  When I think of him, I still see that adorable blonde hair, 
giggles and running at Camp Sumatanga--all the while being prodded by 
Michael to call Chris a "nerd".  Just precious memories!

As you mentioned with Rick Burgess, that "little boy" isn't really 
ours, he's God's. 

********************************************************************************************

We thank the young men & women that are willing to go the distance and protect our freedom.  I don't know Pat but I know his parents.  Thanks to all of you and I'm emailing you all a big hug.

 

********************************************************************************************

Let me start by saying how very proud I am of Pat!  Apparently this was not a sudden decision, but arrived at after much thought..and, I am sure, prayer.  This is what he feels he needs to do with his life, and you do have to be so very proud of how you and Terry have raised him. An Honorable Man.
Save me a seat in church on March 16th...Palm Sunday.....and a place at the table! 

***************************************************************************************************

 

I have been blessed by your words/thoughts of Patrick and by Rick's testimony.  Truly God uses other people's situations to help others along the way.   I'll be praying for God to give you peace about this.  I pray that God will help you accept Patrick's decision and that He will shelter you under the shadow of his wing and take all your fears away for Patrick.  I have a friend whose son was in the Navy recently and never went to Iraq ~ he moved up in rank at an incredible speed, got an education in military and has a great future to look forward to.  My nephew is in the Navy (has been for yrs.), and loves it, being transferred back south next year.  I'll be praying that God will keep Patrick safe and that he'll reap all the benefits of military!

 

***********************************************************************************************

am excited and happy not only for Scott, but for you and <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Terry as well.  It is a special young person who is willing to serve his Country especially in these dangerous times.  I am as proud as punch at Pat's sense of duty and honor.  I am proud of you and Terry for raising such a fine young man.  You have instilled in him great Christian values and beliefs.  He will do well.  He will grow and learn.  And, he will carry with him always a pride of serving his Country that of all the millions of Americans throughout history only a select few have known.  I will keep him in my thoughts and prayers, and know that always he is in God’s hands. 

 

Thanks for the e-mail. I've  been thinking about all this a lot over the past days--I think it is going to be good for Pat and I'm so proud of him. when you get a chance, will you send me his new cell phone number?

 

For what it is worth I think he made a good decision;  It will enable him to gain insight into who he is and where he wants to go in the future.  Plus, it will expose him to ideas and opportunities that otherwise might not be apparent.  I think the time I spent in the USAF helped me a lot even though at the time I was not so sure.  He will be just fine, wait and see.

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Patrick's News

Hello, All! I guess THAT subject heading got your attention! haha! Well, let me just go ahead and tell you that I'm fixing to write a LONG e-mail so you can delete it NOW or SAVE it for later or go to my journal and read it b/c I'm also going to post it there (Journal address at bottom of this e-mail!)...It is 1:48 A.M. and I am wide awake! I wanted to tell everyone the latest FRY news. To some , when you read it in a minute, you're going to think one of two thoughts! "AWESOME NEWS"! Others, (like I was at first), will say: "OH NO!" So, now you're dying to know?! Well, here goes. Patrick told us on Tuesday night some rather shocking news! He said, and I quote, "Mom/Dad(Brothers and sisters), I have some wonderful and exciting news! I've joined the NAVY!" Well,if you know me well, you know it wasn't "great and exciting news" for ME! You might say I freaked out at the "great and exciting news"! It was on Natalie's birthday night (Tuesday) and for those of you to whom I sent the b'day pix, this announcement was made RIGHT AFTER I made the pix!!! (Poor Natalie, her birthday turned into a CRY-FEST!). Yes, we are surprised (I guess you could say !) over this turn of events! For the first 48 hours I spent sobbing my heart out! Yes, I "Wigged out" as Kemp says! I cried and cried and CRIED. More like SOBBED! I honestly think Terry would've started building an ark if I hadn't finally quit crying! But, having said that, the tears have finally ceased ,as has my acceptance of this news, but it was several days before I can say that I accepted it.....Let me back up a bit .(I told you this would be a long e-mail!) let me fill you in a bit about  Pat. Many of you know that he was engaged last summer. He moved to Destin and was working at the big Sports place there and Stefanie (his girlfriend), moved there too.Soon , after, they were engaged. To make a long story short, the engagement was called off almost immediately. They were both smart enough to realize it wasn't the right thing, that they could not enter a marriage together. It was a very difficult and hard time for Pat. He was miserable, wanted to move back and come home. He did and moved back downstairs at Nat/Brad's (where he had livedpreviously) in their downstairs apartment. He was kind of in limbo, started a new job, e tc. and we could  tell he wasn't that "gung ho" with his new job, but he was doing o.k. Right before he met Stefanie, he had wanted to go into the Navy, this was 2 years ago. Once again,we all freaked out about it. None of us wanted him to go, we talked him out of it. Then, he had that terrible wreck a year ago and hurt his back and it was just a miracle he wasn't killed. I knew that God still had lots planned for our "baby" boy.But what? then he moved to Destin, moved back.  Looking back on it, I just wonder if I got in the way of God's plan for Patrick? I was so upset about him leaving and going to the Navy then! I just wonder if it was my meddling with God's plans that sent Patrick on the road to meeting Stefanie and moving to Destin  and even having the wreck. I was so sure that God didn't want my son to leave! (Yes, you could say, I try to tell GOD what to do sometimes and I BEGGED God NOT to let Pat go to the Navy 2 years ago!) I'll never know, at least until I get to heaven, if my meddling and begging God messed up what God wanted originally? I don't know.I do know that  Patrick wasn't really happy after he changed his mind about the Navy then. Anyway, back to the present. A couple of weeks ago , I hear Patrick was running and getting into shape and he called one day after running at HHS track and he seemed so happy. So like the "old Patrick" that we love. Happy and laughing and "fit as a fiddle". He looked great and seemed much happier and full of life. Little did I know that he was working out hard so that he could "make weight" for the Navy. The little sneak even lied to Nat/Brad and told them he was going hunting when, instead, he was going to Montgomery to sign up! (and the part I hadn't written till now---FOR SIX YEARS!!!!) .....First let me say how proud I am that my son will be part of the United States Military. Now when I watch the news on T.V. of boys/men  overseas I will understand much more how their families are feeling and their pride in their men. I can only imagine how happy we will be to go to his graduation from Basic Training and watch him develop his skills that he already has, towards helping others through "search and rescue".  I  also will be more involved over who I vote for , for President, because I don't want my son  to ever  be in Harm's Way! But, I am proud of him. Proud because he has made this decision all on his own. Yes, I am still devastated that he is leaving. I will cry more and lots of days! Patrick is our baby boy, only  a year and a half older than Katie and he and Katie are extremely close. Also, Natalie and Brad (and KEMP and now Daisy!) are even closer to him than anyone b/c he lives with them. It will be very traumatic for Kemp when his "Pat Pat" leaves. It will be traumatic for all of us.....When I was having a true melt down yesterday (or is it now DAY before yesterday?!), Terry was there for me like a rock. He was so calm, so loving and so wise. He told me that this is what God has planned for Patrick. I have to tell you that Terry prays every single morning for all of our kids around 5 A.M.! He gets up, goes and prays for them. This is not something that he does pridefully, he does it because he is compelled to do it. I can't tell you how many times I have walked in before the sun rises and he is sitting right on this couch beside me, reading and praying. He prays for over an hour, for each one of our kids/grandkids. He said he has REALLY been praying for Patrick lately b/c he knew that Patrick wasn't happy and that he felt that Patrick needed what  ONLY the Navy can provide him. A good education/ discipline and a great future. It won't be an easy road to those things, however! He has to go to Basic Training and he'll be in "Search and Rescue", an intense training in Maine .But, he will be stationed in Pensacola! So, that's great news! (at least for awhile, he'll be close by!). the main thing I have to remember is: this is what he wants to do. ...This has been a strange week. On Saturday night, Rick Burgess' son drowned. Because everyone knows him from the radio and everyone feels they know him personally, it has affected  soooooooo many people in town (for those who are out of town, go to RickandBubba.com and read about what happened and be SURE and listen to his testimony!). I cried when I heard it on Sunday. Little did I know that I would be crying myself for a totally different reason on Tuesday night. Not to in ANY way compare Patrick's leaving with the death of little Bronner, I still felt connected even more to Rick's testimony  when he talked about losing his son. It was almost freaky to me b/c I was crying for a totally different reason, but yet, it was my blonde baby boy leaving,too. In his testimony, at his own son's funeral, he said that Bronner wasn't only HIS child, he was also GOD'S child. THat hit me like a ton of bricks. Patrick isn't mine. He's GOD'S child. He was given to me and Terry, to raise and we have done that. He is 24 years old and it's time for us, mostly ME, to let him go. REALLY let him go. I remember when he left for Destin, how sad I was. Sad, because I never felt like that was what he was supposed to do. I cried then too, but for a different reason. I felt Pat was lost and looking for something that he didn't even know what he was looking FOR. I have 5 kids, that  certainly doesn't make me an expert on child raising, but we have done a pretty good job letting our children grow and decide what they want to do with their lives. Trying to encourage them but not stifle them. I have failed them in the past and I will in the future, I'm sure! But the ONE thing I have tried to do is teach them to lean on Jesus no matter what. To go to church, YES (and I must brag here and say ALL of our children go to church, faithfully), but not just go on Sundays, to have a RELATIONSHIP with Him. That's the difference. My kids have seen me on my knees in tears many times. yes, they've seen me in tears, but they've also seen me on my knees. They know that I can't do anything on my own. I don't try to. I wouldn't have made it the past few days without the support of Terry and my leaning on the "everlasting arms". Our family is not perfect, we don't claim to be. But we love each other. We might not always agree on everything but despite differences in ages and personalities the bottom line is our love and faith in God (and each other). Last year was rough. Pat had his wreck; Rachel lost her dad; Pat was engaged and just as quickly it was broken off;  Powell came too early. Then there was the GOOD news. Katie and Jon got engaged; Daisy and Powell were born healthy and IsaiahSixEight began. I'm sure each one reading this has had ups/downs in their families as well. The reason I'm writing all this is b/c I want everyone to know b/c I still want YOUR prayers for Patrick and for our whole family! Right now, it's hard for me, as a mom to even think about telling Patrick good-bye on April 9th. It will be a dark day for all of us who love Pat b/c we will MISS him! ...The MAIN reason Iam writing this (thank GOD for e-mails!) is that 1. it's easier than me calling and telling everyone (Plus, I still cry when I tell it, right BOBBIE?!) and 2. to give you some chance to tell Pat good-bye!! Terry and I talked about what we wanted to do for Patrick. Poor Patrick, he is the number 4 child of 5 whose birthday is just horrible (Dec.30th!!!), never had  big party b/c everyone is burned out after Christmas, plus we had enough kids in the family to always have our own parties! HAHA! Anyway, we wanted to do something special for Patrick. So, on Palm  Sunday, after church, I have reserved "The WEll" room at RiverchaseUMC for a luncheon after church and also a "good bye" to him, most importantly . We want to celebrate PATRICK for a change! We also feel strongly that we want to PRAY for him and are asking Jim and Jack to please come and pray for him with us after lunch.  To let Patrick know we SUPPORT him; LOVE him and will continue to PRAY for him and not forget him as he goes to serve our country. On another note, Daisy is going to be baptized that Sunday, too, so it will definitely be a day of joy and celebration (and a few tears!). And if there are any "NATALIE GROUPIES" out there, YES, she is going to SING a special baptism song for Daisy (and most probably it will be sung to Pat, too!). It should be a wonderful day and I know that I can let him go if he is PRAYED FOR and SENT OFF with blessings and hugs from those who love him. If you got this e-mail and you don't even KNOW Pat (but know ME and Terry), then just please, PRAY for him and us . ALL of us. We'll all be dealing with letting him go. Also, if you can't come  to Pat's lunch,(I know it's Palm Sunday and most folks want to go to their own worship services that day), then please, send me a card to give him that day! He'll love that! He can read them before he leaves. WE WOULD LOVE FOR ANYONE/EVERYONE TO COME (but if you do, just let me know so I can order food accordingly!) 

I'm sorry this is so long, but I just had to go ahead and write and tell it b/c it is really on my heart (I couldn't sleep!) and I want everyone to know that I am totally at peace with it now. One of the stories , again, about Rick Burgess was that when they went to tell Rick (He was at a big revival in Gatlinburg and was actually SPEAKING when he got the news), the first thing he said was, "It is well with my soul". Imagine that. He just heardhis baby son had died and he said, "it is well". If Rick can say those words  and his baby is now in heaven, I surely can say "It is well" and my son IS here, just leaving for a time. Another thing that hit me like a ton of bricks was Brad. Here my precious son-in-law is , family all in Australia, and he never complains about missing his mom or family, even on the happiest day of his life: when his babies were born. When Daisy was born, 6 weeks ago, as soon as she was delivered, he got the phone and called his mom. He broke down in tears as he held his baby girl and DESCRIBED her to his mother, knowing she couldn't be there with him physically. He sobbed as we all did. This precious, loving, faith filled man: Our precious son-in-law, only sees his own mother every year or two! I can't even imagine how Ashley must feel every single day. And to have her newest grand-daughter so very far away , wanting nothing more than to come and visit her and her son and grandson. When she's here (she was here this time last year), she cried almost immediately and said, "only 3 more weeks!"  almost the minute she arrived she was dreading leaving. It seem so unfair that people have to leave and say good-bye. And yet, that is part of life. Ashley faces it everyday!  Selfishly, I forget sometimes how hard it must be on a daily basis for Brad not being near his family. His brother/sister-in-law/new nephew/his sister and uncles and cousins that he loves and is so close to. It made me realize, AGAIN, how blessed we are to have Brad and his family and how he can help ME, too! What a witness that man is to me. Now more than ever. And I know he will understand my feelings probably more than anyone else I know....

 Now that you're tired of reading this NOVEL, I will finally stop and GO TO BED (It's 3:09 A.M.). I know that when Laura gets here in 3 hours I will have to tell her  about HER PATRICK and WE'LL CRY TOGETHER! But, that's o.k., too! Another thing Rick said in his wonderful testimony was, "I can weep b/c our Savior wept with us". How true is that.......

 

It is well.

 

Blessings, Joy and love to all of you!

Jan xxoo

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E-mail from Terry about Jamaica

After completing our week in Jamaica I would like to report to you what was accomplished with the funds contributed to IAS68.  Let me add here that in the past we have been remiss in not letting you know what was accomplished after returning from our missions projects.

 

1.  In talking with the people who helped us to determine who would be helped and what would be bought for Christmas in the Port Morant area we found and documented that  over 400 people where served. The basics of rice, flour , sugar, cooking oil and household items where bought and distributed. In some instances where small children were in the family a small toys was purchased and given to them. At Murtions Boys home pants , shirts, socks and underwear where purchase for about 26 boys. For some of the older boys an inexpensive disk player was given to them.  I believe there where no more than 3 of these given.

 

2.  During the week ISA68 was able to make an impact on 4 families in the 5 days of work. For one family we completely built a 16' x 16' house in which 4 people live. During the August hurricane,Delroy Dyer's  house was completely blown off a hill into the road below leaving only a concrete pad in place. They were able to salvage some of their belonging but for the most part everything was lost. Since August they have been squatting in an old block building near to where their old house was. I have been in it and it is extremely tight for the number of people living in it. To make matters worse the heat during the day and night makes staying inside uncomfortable.  While we where building the new house we where able to stop work on occasion to share the Word with them. Delroy says he  is about 1/2 Rasta, what that means I don't quite comprehend, and his common law wife is a believer but doesn't go to church and her daughter never stated what she believes. We felt led to share the Word and we did.  On Friday, we went back and took them a Bible as a house warming gift and did a dedication of the house for them.  We wrote in the front of the Bible what it was for and we all signed our names for them to remember our names. This was quite a time. It is my belief that  Hormone, the common law wife was touched by the Holy Spirit.  As we where all standing in a circle during the dedication she walked into the center of our circle and sang a song about the hand of God reaching out and when she finished her song she broke out in a moving prayer thanking God for the miracle that He  brought to their family. It was more than moving, you had to be there.  After we left Delroy found us on another work sight and told us that he and Hormone had talked and decided it was time for them to get married and quit living the way they where.  I am glad we listened to God telling us to help this family.

 

The next family we helped had 3 women (2 were sisters) one man( a brother to the 2 sisters) and 14 children. They all are living in a house about 18" above sea level and the surge took a good portion of their house away.  The house is 3 rooms. The kitchens on the back of the house were what was destroyed. They have been cooking outside when it isn't raining. This past November and December it has done nothing but rain so it has been difficult for them. We where able to replace a lot of zinc on their roof so the rain would not come in . We also added 2 kitchens to the house that were lost in the hurricane.  We shared the Word with these folks also.  On Friday we gave a Bible and did a dedication for them. I know they were thankful but the situation is so desperate for them with so many in the house that the joy was hard for them to show. I pray for God's mercy and grace for these folks.

 

The next family we helped was an older woman and her 6 year old grandson. This is by far the most difficult situation I have ever experienced in trying to help some one. To make matters worse this woman spoke mostly Patwa and she could not understand anything we said to her. She has a terrible problem with a good portion of her roof leaking. Leaking BAD.  A big part of the house is dangerous and needs to be torn down before someone gets hurt.  We were going to put a new roof on the house but could not risk getting on top of it because we might fall through. Yes is was that bad. The only thing, I say only thing but a good thing, we could do was build a roof over the existing roof that was leaking. We had to dig three holes and cement 3 each 4" x 4" post into the ground and build off of this to get a roof over the existing roof without disturbing the existing roof.  We did get the house dry.  There is a flock of pigeons living in the house with this lady and we have instructed our contact that works with us and can communicate with her that she has got to get those pigeons out of the house for her and her grandson's health. When we return in July we are going to tear down a big part of this house and build it back for them. It is already on our list.

 

The next project we did was an elderly lady living by herself in 10' x 10' (one room) house. This woman is actually living on a dirt (mud) floor. Her roof was leaking and she could not stay dry. We took the old zinc roof off and installed new rough cut and zinc roofing. For the  door she was using a piece of zinc roofing that she would roll back when she needed to go out. So we built a door and put hardware on it so she could lock herself in at night. All of her windows leaked so she had all those boarded up with plywood. We removed that and installed new plywood windows and hardware.  She as extremely thankful and relieved. 

 

I want to say thank you.  Without the church, which Christ is the head, ISA68 could not do the things we are called to do. It means so much to us to have the support and the gifts which you have entrusted to us to accomplish our mission.  ISA68 would like to share with the entire church what has been accomplished and will do so in a timely manner.  ISA68 has impacted many lives in Jamaica, and Jamaica has in turn impacted many of the lives of those who go with us and see the need.  ISA68 has many more things to share with you but this email would be to long so I will save those things for another time

 

Peace

 

Terry

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My Birthday Girl!

TToday is NATALIE RUTH FRY HORNE'S 32nd Birthday! How can she be that old?? I thought I was only 32! HAHA! As with all the other kids, I have written about how exciting and what  a gift from God each child was/is to Terry and myself on each of their BIRTH days. And, on their BIRTHdays, I of course, love to remember each one's special day on which they came into the world. Natalie's was unique in the fact that she was a GIRL!!!! Oh my gosh! I had a girl! Back in the OLD DAYS, when you had to WAIT to find out the sex of your baby, I agonized for 9 long months that I would have baby boy number 3! HAHAHA!  No, Not really, but I am quite a "girly girl" myself and just was dying for a baby girl! I wanted one so bad I could taste it! I stared at moms in Walmart with their baby girls all "dolled up" with their little bows in their hair and smocked dresses on. I would look to see if they had OLDER BOYS! HAHAHAHA! I loved  reading the STATISTICS regarding boys vs. girls in families! I held baby girls at church and imagined how it might be to have a GIRL to take into the nursery on Sunday mornings,too! I checked FAMILY HISTORY on Terry's side to see if it were genetically  even POSSIBLE to have a girl! HAHA! Yep! Terry had 2 YOUNGER SISTERS! Hurrah! That part was encouraging! I , of course, said to everyone, "I don't care as long as IT'S healthy!" Of course, what I DIDN'T Say was, "I WANT A GIRL!" hahahaha! Seriously, of COURSE, I would have been FINE and felt totally BLESSED  with another baby boy but I must admit, I was a little obsessed with having that girl and it still didn't keep me, while being pregnant to just IMAGINE how it would feel to hear the doctor say those MAGIC WORDS! So, imagine my shock when I heard those  MAGIC words: "IT'S A GIRL"! GIRL???? WHat's that????? I had to SEE that she was a girl, Ididn't believe the doctor! Having that girl was just the best thing ever! NOT TO SAY having 2 boys wasn't JUST AS GREAT ( I can't emphasize that enough!), but it was just this GIRL part of me that just desired having a daughter to HANG WITH ONE DAY! And, we DO! Having Natalie and Katie are just like having 2 best friends! (yes, I was blessed to have another boy after Natalie and then, surprise! Another GIRL!).  That's what I envisioned, believe it or not, 32 years ago, having a baby girl and imagining she and I doing things that only moms/daughters do ! Having a daughter to be able to be my FRIEND as they grew older. (now , having said that, they were NOT my best friend while they were teens! HAHAHAHAHA). It is truly one of God's greatest blessings to me, having Natalie as my "grown up friend/daughter". I can't imagine life without her and I praise and thank God for her in my life and for the gift He gave me 32 (short!) years ago! I LOVE YOU, NATALIE RUTH!   HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

HOOVER SNOW!

Surprisingly, it DID snow a bit this morning!I didn't believe it would, I said "IT NEVER WILL" and , it hadn't when I first got up!But, soon I saw on the news it was snowing hard in CLANTON and, sure enough, it moved  right this way! I didn't see much snow coverage  except Clanton/Hoover way so I don't know if it even made it past Riverchase! Katie jumped up, a BIG KID AT HEART, and got JON up (he stayed here last night) and soon they were out playing like overgrown kids!  SNOW BALL FIGHTS and all! they even made SNOW ICE CREAM (which is in the freezer at the moment! HA!)...It was fun , while it lasted, but glad it's already gone. I'm so glad I don't live up North b/c it doesn't take me long to tire of the white stuff!  (like within the hour!). I managed to put on my birks (who has snow boots in Birmingham?!) and go in the back yard and get a few shots on the lake. That's about all I'm good for!....Terry is stuck in Miami with the team! B/c of the "big snow", everything was messed up, flightwise! He won't get back until tomorrow now!!! I could tell he was tired and ready to COME HOME but looks like he'll be sleeping tonight in Miami ! HAHAHA...The NEWS PEOPLE here, just KILL me! The capton on T.V.: WINTER STORM! like we got  a foot or something! HAHAHAHAHA! It's almost gone, now, I just looked out the window. All we have left is some that Katie made into Ice Cream Snow!

Ecstasy (and AGONY!)

Thursday, Katie and I drove to Auburn to meet Jon to look at some condos/townhomes/duplexes  to live in  for after they get hitched (and Jon to live in after he graduates in May). We went to lots of areas but were most excited over one particular duplex that we heard  about, at a great price. Jon map-quested it and we headed right to it. Jon/Katie were sooooo excited to learn the low rental price and how neat this duplex was. It was just precious and perfect for a newlywed couple! So they were in:  ECSTASY! Great area/great price!  they called to say "WE WANT IT" only to find out one "fly in the ointment": we heard, "there is someone who  wants it and is supposed to let them know today if they want it or not. we'll let you know ASAP". The next few hours were agony!!! In the meantime, we drove by several other areas. Lots of neat places around town (yes, even in AUBURN! HAHA), but none to compare to the duplex.  We were waiting to hear if they could get it so we had to kill some time.AND, what girls do when they are stressed?  Well of course, we went SHOPPING!!! After shopping , in the cold, we went to McDonald's for a cup of java. Then, the phone call came. And, more AGONY. The duplex was taken! what a disappointment is an understatement!!!! we were sitting in McDonalds when we got the news. So, while Katie grieved over this "unfortunate turn of events", Diego (Jon's friend from Brazil who is one of his good friends/fraternity ) consoled Katie (over hot cookies, of course_) and to decide where to go look next. SO, after an apple pie and some coffee , the girl was over it and ready to look some more!!!! Diego went with us to look at some places and he also took us to a few that he knew about . By that time,  Jon  was thro at work and he met us again for dinner and to look a few more places before we ate. Jon was really bummed, he wanted that duplex! But, by the time we had some chips and salsa was ready to start the whole process all over again.  I know they were disappointed, but I'm sure they will find just the perfect place! (Plus, that means another fun trip to AU to have some fun shopping/eating and chilling out!)!

* O.K., now you have GOT to look at the pix at the Fraternity house! JUST LOOK AT THE BATHROOM!!! YES, THIS IS HOW COLLEGE BOYS LIVE!!! Wouldn't their mothers just die? Check out the tub/ the sink/the commode /the NO toilet paper on the roll! hahahaha! Jon is in AKL, which is a Christian fraternity so  that's the good thing, but the BAD THING is that nasty Fraternity house they live in! If  "Germ aphobe-clean freak-Natalie "sees these pix she will definitely have frightening nightmares! hahahahaha 

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Miss Piggy

Look at MISS PIGGY! Isn't this  outfit just plain ADORABLE?!  And Miss Piggy's expressions while wearing them? Too funny! Yes, Miss Daisy's p.j.'s   have little pigs all over them as well as having the MATCHING Pig blanket! (I don't think Daisy likes her PIG PAJAMAS too much, tho! Typical girl, don't compare us to PIGS! HAHAHA)!  Of course,   Miss Daisy has more clothes than her Aunt Cutie and THAT'S saying something!!!!

P.S. yes, i'm going back/forth with BABY pix for the next few days! I just think they are soooooo cute that I just HAVE to post them! One day, Daisy: the next, J.P.! So, get used to it! HAHAHAHAHA

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More pix of Mr. J.P.F.!

Smiling boy! Isn't that soooooo sweet? I love it when the babies smile in their sleep. As Mama Powell used to say, "Talking to the angels"! Here's some more adorable pix of our little angel on Saturday night!

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Dinner w/Nat, Brad ,Pat,KT,(Kemp and Daisy!)

Here's the 3 guys playing trains! Supposedly "helping" Kemp??? I DON'T THINK SO! I think they are just PLAYING!!! I think they are enjoying themselves and have an excuse to PLAY with TRAINS!!! HAHAAH! Oh, well, I do the same thing when I play dolls with Miss Lil! And, of course, we got to play with a REAL doll, DAISY, last night! We had a great dinner (thanks, Nat) and also Katie took N/B her "old" Dell laptop so that they won't have to go downstairs everytime they get online.  WHAT DID PEOPLE DO BEFORE COMPUTERS????????????? I was just wondering! Or, CELL PHONES! Gosh, SOMETIMES I just  hate cell phones! REALLY! I hate hearing people talk on them at a restaurant or walking down the aisle of Walmart or, worst of all, DURING a CHURCH  service when  the darn thing rings>>>?!!! GOSH! Can't people go 5 minutes without talking on a phone when they're out??? Now, sorry I'm on my soapbox, but REALLY!!!!!!!!!!! I mean they're great for letting people know where you are, when to pick up people etc. but can't you share personal stuff at HOME? Don't you just love to hear about someone's personal problems in line at the bank?! And, while I'm on the soapbox,  I hate the stupid BLUE TOOTHS worst of all. That hideous contraption people have clipped  on their EAR??????? Then you think they are talking to YOU and they are talking to the AIR! To their ugly ear piece! Sorry, blue tooth people out there, but I hate those things! I mean, who wants to wear a blinking bullet on their ear?  Of course, once I thought this woman was talking to me and I responded only to have her look at me like I was crazy and she walked off continuing to talk to the air. LOUDLY I might add. People who wear those need to know ,  YOU'RE LOUD ! HA!.....OH YEAH! Back to dinner???? I forgot while ranting and raving!!! It was fun and I'm always up for holding a baby! Katie has had babies in her arms for 2 straight days now! 2 nights in a row! It's a good thing she is getting good practice holding babies b/c she is going to work in the baby room at Little Lambs Playschool when Lara closes at the end of the month!!! Yes, Katie has taken a new job since Lara is closing her doors. So, she'll be rocking babies instead of pushing fashion wear! HAHAHA....Didn't hear from Terry yesterday but probably won't till tonight. I hope they are careful ON THE ROOF! Well, let me get to work around here! I need to go BUY A BLUE TOOTH!       NOT!

more Powell pix tomorrow!

Our little preemie angel

Last night was awesome getting to babysit Powell for several hours! Katie and I had sooooooo much fun, it was like playing with a tiny little doll!! Yes, Powell is growing ,(about 6 pounds now) ,but he is still a preemie! His preemie clothes are getting TOO SHORT (he's gonna be tall like his daddy!), but he is still soooooooo tiny! He is kind of "in between" regular newborn size and preemie size.  He's perfect, just so tiny. Even his little ears are so cute and tiny! (I told Charles, "good thing they are flat to his head! Boys HAVE to have flat ears"! HAHA). The tiniest little legs and hands and feet! I'm fascinated by them which is why I made so many pix of his hands/feet to show him one day when he's all grown up! He looks entirely different from his cousin, Daisy! Both so beautiful and yet so very different! it just brings to mind how we are all created by God so differently and yet so perfectly!!!....I am going to post pix for several days b/c I have so many! I just kept snapping pix all night and so did Katie! We had sooooooo much fun with him and I hope Charles and Rachel will go out again soon and ask US to babysit again! He is truly our little miracle baby boy! .......Terry called last night right before we left and said things are going great in Jamaica! that they were tired and going to bed and heading to worship service this morning. Church in Jamaica! It's something else! I bet Don will definitely get tickled at the difference between Holy Apostles worship service and the Methodist worship service in Jamaica!!!( I love it that we can worship in so many different ways)! he said is is VERY HOT there right now!...I have a full week planned and looking foward to doing some things I don't ordinarily do when Terry is here (like staying up late and working on scrapbooks/greeting cards or watching what I want to on T.V.! HAHAHA). Thursday, I'm going with Katie to Auburn to look at some condos/townhouses with her. Lots to do this week! should be fun! i'll be on "Jamaica time", too, even though I'm here! Doing what I want/when I want to! HAHAHAHA

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Terry leaves for Jamaica!

O.K., it was 1:20 A.M. when I made this pix ! So, I'm lucky to get this few as I was half asleep! HAHA! Terry (and the team of 7!),  left EARLY this morning to head to the church and load the vans and then head to Atlanta. They had to leave early b/c of immigration stuff  and all the stuff they take had to be weighed, etc.  I just know his suitcase was over the weight limit! I kept sticking in old tee shirts of Katie's for the girls in Jamaica plus he had stuff he had gotten yesterday from others, too . Natalie sent some baby stuff , too, so his bag was really FULL!!!!! I can't wait to hear that they made it safely! Please pray for the team as they will be working on ROOFS and in Jamaica, I imagine the roofs they will be on are not very stable!!!! Hopefully, they will be extra careful!!!!  He will be back next Saturday!!! I will update as I hear from him!...Tonight Katie and I have a special night planned! We are BABYSITTING Baby Powell!!!!! We are sooooooo excited! We are going as soon as Katie gets off work. SO, I should have lots of pix to put on my journal of my sweet little boy in the coming days, too! I haven't seen him in 2 weeks so I know he has GROWN so much! I can't WAIT to hug and KISS him and will have fun with him WITHOUT his daddy hanging around ! HA!!  I'm glad Rachel and Charles can go out for a nice dinner and have some time alone.Hopefully they will stay out for a LONG TIME! HAHA.....I also have a few pix from when Nat dropped by with Daisy yesterday to see Laura and to nurse her before she went to lunch with a friend of hers. She was sooooooo cute and STARES now at people! She will smile at her mommy and she loves looking in her mommy's face!! It's soooooo sweet!!!! Notice I have my DAISY shirt on, I wore it the day she was born and I got it from White Flowers. I love it! It's soooooo cute. Just like my adorable grand-daughter!

the 3 amigos!

The three amigos! Here we are  bringing Miss Lily to our house after PlaySchool. She was sooooooooo chatty on the way home but was soooooooo sleepy (b/c she had awakened at FOUR O'CLOCK that morning and told Kadie, "let's TALK"! HAHA!) So, she was exhausted after a day of playing at school after getting up so early. She was MISS CHATTERBOX on the way home! She was sooooooooo funny!  She had a snack/ colored in her new coloring book/watched a little NOGGIN and then, her OWN noggin was so sleepy she fell asleep!!! After her nap, however, our little angel changed into a little GRUMPY BEAR! HAHA! She was mad b/c she FELL ASLEEP! She's sooooooooo funny!

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Daisy's first worship service!

Sweet little Daisy at her very first Worship Service at SonDay Live this past Sunday! Isn't she precious? (And, shh! Don't disturb her, she's PRAYING! ).....Her Great Aunt Judy made her beautiful smocked dress and her Aunt Cutie gave her the adorable "Miss December" burp cloth. Her "DAISY" bracelet was a gift from some of Nat's friends at Little Lambs Playschool. She has certainly been SHOWERED with gifts! Beautiful ones!Isn't she just sooooooooo precious?! She never made a peep the entire service, even during the LOUD songs! I whispered to nat that it's because she already KNEW the songs, having heard them "in utero" when Nat was singing on the Praise Team! Of course everyone had a FIT over her. BIG T was nervous about people holding  and passing her around, but hey! She was in God's House, He was watching to make sure she didn't get any germs! HAHA! She can't go in the nursery for awhile (for that reason!) so we sat on the back row, just in case we had to make a hasty exit. We didn't. She never made one peep!  Sweet and pretty baby girl of mine!

P.S.. BIG BIG NEWS!!! JACK HINNEN (our cute minister!) is ENGAGED! HURRAH! (Hey, I  "heard it first"! He TEXTED me on Friday to tell me!) I am thrilled! Cheryl is the Youth Minister at Canterbury UMC and went to Jamaica last trip, too with IsaiahSixEight so Terry has gotten to know her too!

 *CONGRATS , JACK!!! Cheryl is a sweetie, just like you are!

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The FREAK SHOW

This ain't right!

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Dell vs. Mac!

O.K., this is just WAY too much fun! Katie got a MAC/APPLE laptop yesterday! She has been DYING for one! (Of course, I think  PC's ,(Especially DELL), are the best and  then there are others that screams MAC! HAHA! You know what they say about MAC/APPLE users!!!!! They are the BRAINS/GEEKS! Yep, it's true! She was a tad worried about learning something so different, but of COURSE, she knew EXACTLLY how to do everything! She's a computer geek! Good thing she's going to marry a computer nerd, too! HAHA! Anyway, here she is opening and setting up the new APPLE. NOW, just NOTICE how much BIGGER my beautiful RED Dell laptop is next to her SMALL white one! And hers cost more? I don't get it! HAHAHAHA! No, actually, hers is VERY CUTE! BUT, I'll stick with my DELL!!!!!!!!!..... Just make sure you check back tomorrow! We have a series of pictures that we "CREATED" that will make your day! They're the funniest pix you've ever seen!! Anyway, make sure you come back tomorrow. NO, I'm not going to post them yet! You're just going to have to check back! hahahahahaha For now, enjoy watching Katie put her Mac up and running!

P.S. that's us and her computer making our pix! So, I had to make a pix of the computer making a pix...........!!!!!!!!!!!!

9 months (from yesterday)  will be Katie and Jon's wedding day! It's coming faster than I thought! (told you it would, Katie!!!).Guess I'd better start working on some of those scrapbooks of her and Jon I promised her! At least I've done your RECIPE BOOK, Katie! HAHA!...Katie has had strep, bless her heart,  andshe was sick from Christmas Eve through Dec.27th!  These pix she was still kind of sick (even though she doesn't look it!) but she was feeling better by the time they left for their little New Year's trip. She got on anitbiotics and was feeling better when she and Jon left for Gatlinburg with their friends, Amy and David. They had a great time but didn't see a single snow flake ! only rain drops!.. Jon is now back at Auburn for his last semester at AU but is working there so he'll stay on even after graduating. In FACT, Katie will be living in Auburn, too, this time next year! How funny is that?! That little girl who used to CRY when Auburn would beat Alabama? Go ahead, Auburn fans, SAY IT! "I GUESS SHE'S BEEN CRYING FOR THE PAST 6  YEARS!" hahaha!..Aren't Jon and Katie the CUTEST couple you've ever seen?!

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Princess Lily comes to play

She came in wearing her crown , with one outfit on, and left wearing another! HAHA! That's LILY! she's soooo funny!!! She found her old skating velvet skirt and jacket in the closet that she had from last year and wanted to put it on, right then! Actually, it fits her this year! Last year it was too big! She looked so adorable and loved SWIRLING around to make her skating skirt twirl! She ALMOST started to primp when she thought her SHIRT didn't match! (Katie calls her the next VERA WANG!). She is something else! Kadie will tell you that each morning she knows that Lily will begin to freak out over what she will wear that day! SHE KNOWS WHAT SHE WANTS TO WEAR AND DON'T TRY TO CHANGE HER LITTLE MIND!!!! She also saw her Cinderella dress in the closet (THAT SHE WOULDN'T WEAR ON HALLOWEEN B/C IT WAS "TOO SCRATCHY"!) and said, "I like that but it scratches"! HAHAHA! Give the girl a TUTU and a wand and crown and she's good to go! Here she is painting with her new paint set from Rachel and Charles from Christmas. She spied that gift under the tree immediately when she came in! (YES, my tree is still up! UN-decorated but still in the corner! I know, I know>>>Bad luck!). Anyway, she loved having something new to do. She was an angel yesterday. I got so much done while she was here. She and Kemp both can entertain themselves so well now! It's a breeze to keep them! (and "NOGGIN" helps, of course! HAHA).....I just can't get over how SMART Lily and Kemp are now! They come smarter than they used to! HAHAHA....

Sweet little girl

Here's Miss Daisy in one of her cute "animal print" outfits from Aunt Cutie ! (Katie knows Natalie loves animal print so she stocked up on blankets/dresses and shirts with Zebra/leopard  prints, even bought Nat her DIAPER BAG she gave her, before she was born that is in the "animal print category"!haha!). Isn't DAISY SOOOO cute? So different looking from our SWEET LITTLE BOY! Powell looks  exactly like BOY and Daisy looks exactly like a GIRL! (well, thank goodness! HAHA). DAISY CAKES, (as her mama teasingly calls her), makes the cutest little expressions and is soooo "kissable". And, Praise the Lord, just, well, GIRLY.I'm so glad Natalie (and Brad!) have a baby girl. Brad is in love with his baby girl and Natalie is heaven having a daughter. Kemp is still the best big brother who is soooo gentle and sweet with his sister and will randomly come over and kiss the top of her head, then run off to play with his trains..... I'm still so excited over the babies! Can you tell???? A boy! Then, 6 days later,  a girl! WHOOPEEE! GranJan has the best of both worlds and she is so excited!!! ....* As the DAISY shirt Pat gave gave Natalie for Christmas says: "LIFE IS GOOD".

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