argh!

Dave Sutton, I'm convinced, does Google searches to find games that will push me over the edge!

music, music, music

I have been working for two days getting music organized for our worship services.  Still not where I want it to be, but closer.

Just wanted to update everyone regarding Don.  He's much better.  Still has some soreness, but slept all night last night without pain for which we are praising the Lord.  Rash also seems to be less.

Learned Thursday that the son-in-law of my long time friend in Texas, had a 4-wheeler accident the night before and broke his neck.  All extremities were working, but he required surgery and may require another later.  I have since not been able to reach any one in their family.  He works for his parents on their ranch and they use the 4-wheeler with the cattle, etc.  Needless to say, all prayers are appreciated.

Following are pictures I've taken while walking or from the window over the computer center.

Flowers.

A tiny gray teardrop travel trailer that I will have to take pictures of the interior for you later.  The white trailer hauls a red, white and blue Harley. Meet Jimmy (Bubba), Pam's (Lucy) hubby. Johnny Magic eating Shogun-to-go while waiting for his laundry to dry. A view of the park from the front of the laundry/bath house. BJ our blue jay. I need to get bird feed for him.

OK, love you... gotta go.  More work to do.

I've learned...

Received this today from a friend.  I've read this before, but it's been quite a while.  I almost deleted it and then decided to read it again and I'm glad I did. Good things that I need to reflect on from time to time... be reminded of, like reading the Bible and then starting over and reading it again because I learn more new things each time and each time I read it, I'm at a different place in my life and different verses speak to me where before, other verses spoke to me.

Please Read all the way to the bottom:

If you will take the time to read these, I promise you'll come away with an enlightened perspective. The subjects covered affect us all on a daily basis:

They're written by Andy Rooney , a man who has the gift of saying so much with so few words.

Enjoy.......

I've learned ... That the best class-room in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

I've learned ... That when you're in love, it shows.

I've learned ... That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.

I've learned ... That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

I've learned ... That being kind is more important than being right.

I've learned ... That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I've learned ... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.

I've learned ... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I've learned ... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

I've learned ... That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.

I've learned ... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned ... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

I've learned ... That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned ... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I've learned ... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

I've learned ... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I've learned ... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned ... That love, not time, heals all wounds.

I've learned ... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

I've learned ... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

I've learned ... That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I've learned ... That life is tough, but I'm tougher.

I've learned ... That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.

I've learned ... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I've learned ... That I wish I could have told my Mom that I love her one more time before she passed away.

I've learned ... That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I've learned ... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I've learned ... That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.

I've learned ... That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.

I've learned ... That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

fun day with Lucy

Lucy came over this morning to pray for Don.  Wow! What a prayer!

Then she wanted us to go get our toes done.... you know, a pedicure. :-)  Lucy's so much fun!  I haven't had a professional pedicure since last summer... with Lucy.  (This won't work Lucy.... just ask Rick Fury.)  Lan (pronounced Lane) was my pedicurist. Awwwww.  This is the best. Lucy getting her toe nails shortened. What is she looking at?? Lan gave me pretty toes. After our pedicure we walked around the Branson Mall and Wal-Mart and then we went over to the Grand Palace Mall to eat lunch at the Hard Luck Diner. The flowers in the mall were so vivid and beautiful. While waiting for a seat, I noticed this bulletin board with all of the American Idol pictures of Jason Yeager. Our hostess, whose audition is tomorrow, easily took the cue to pose for a pic. And then she wanted me to take her picture with Lucy because Lucy was laughing and just fun like that. As the hostess seated us, she said, "Jason, will be your waiter and he'll be right with you."  "Jason?  Jason Yeager?"  "Yes'mam."  I got my picture taken with Jason Yeager, who performed on American Idol, is best friends with David Cook and shook hands with Simon Cowel. What a sweetheart!  Lucy had to get on the phone to her daughter, Charla, to tell her who our waiter was. Of course, we asked him all kinds of questions. Jason was from Grand Prairie, Texas (and Branson, MO) and had his son with him.  I remember the little boy booing Simon Cowel when Simon said something negative about Jason, his dad. " Remember, he sang "Moon River" on AI. Well, when it was his turn to take the mike today and walk around the diner, we were blown away by his rendition of "Mary, Did You Know?"  Beautiful.  Jason said he makes more money singing at the Hard Luck Diner and selling his CD's than he made on stage last year here at Branson.  Lucy & I will take Don and Jimmy back to the Hard Luck Diner and we'll get an autographed CD next time.  You can't work at the HLD if you can't sing, and.... wait tables.  Each waiter/singer gets a turn at the mike. This singer had a lot of fun.  This waitress sang a lovely Broadway tune.  Thanks, Lucy!! That was so fun!  Wish you could have been with us, Snookie!  I thought about you.

Well, the fun with Lucy continued.  We walked through the shops in the mall and I took lots of pictures in the shopping center. The Christmas store was awesome. We loved these "senior" dolls... so cute. Speaking of cute.... remember Edith Ann??? Well, she's baaaack. And that's the truth. Two nice ladies walked by and shy Lucy asked them to take our picture. I was scared of this huge rocking chair. We started something.  Wish we had had them take our picture from THIS angle.  Now, if I were a bird, I think I'd try to find somewhere else to build a nest... scary. I don't know the name of this shop, but there were some nice, girly things in here. Like this wreath made out of cotton bolls.  Just for the record, cotton is not this pristine white out in the field on the cotton stalk. And this adorable mini tea set. Or this clock Love this coat hanger. Now this is nest isn't so scary looking. Outside, the flowers were so pretty. Somebody please tell me what this beautiful plant and flower is. I've always loved zinnias, but these are the healthiest I've ever seen. What a fun afternoon we had!! We laughed so much.  BTW, Lucy's real name is Pam.  Hmmmm.  Wonder how she got the nickname of Lucy????

Don update

See a few posts down for this report.

email reminder from Mel & Vi

Prayer request:

According to the weather reports, it is our understanding that it is 122 degrees in Iraq right now -- and the low will be 111! (at the time this email originated)

Our troops need our prayers for strength, endurance, and safety..

Please, God, give these men and women the strength they need to prevail.

Prayer

'Lord, please hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Father, touch every heart of every service person from the highest ranking officer to the lowest ranking private and reveal Yourself to them, exposing their need for You, showering them with Your forgiveness and bringing them to a saving knowledge of You. Cultivate that relationship and hide each one in the shadow of Your protective hand. All for the glory of Jesus Christ and what He did for all mankind. Amen.'
There is nothing attached... . Just send this to all the people in your address book. Do not let it stop with you, please.....Of all the gifts you could give a US Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Marine & others deployed in harm's way, Prayer is the very best one!

Encouragement

As we deal with whatever is afflicting Don, which we believe is Shingles, this verse is encouraging. If you are in a 'battle,' we pray it will be encouraging to you as well.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
You will revive me;
You will stretch out Your hand
Against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will save me (Psalm 138:7).

Don couldn't get into the VA clinic at Harrison, Arkansas, today, so he has a 4:00 PM appointment at a private clinic here in Branson.

Don update

The doctor confirmed that Don has Shingles and prescribed two medications, one for pain. He'll take that one at bedtime as it may cause dizziness. You can just imagine, I'm sure, what he said about that.

Thanks to Stephanie for telling him to go to Wal-Mart to see if he could get the meds for $4 each. He did get one of them for $4 and saved some money.

And thanks to everyone for your prayers for Don. The pain is horrific with these Shingles.
Please do not hesitate to contact us with any prayer request you have. We are honored to pray with you.

I know some of you are very concerned about Don starving to death while he's sick, so I need to let you all know that I HAVE BEEN COOKING EVERY DAY! And he says I'm doing a very good job. We are using this Baby George rotisserie like crazy and we think of Cheri every time and thank you so much. We don't know how we survived without it. Cheri said the best place to find a Baby George is on eBay... for less than retail. It has the prongs and it also has a basket that we use the most.

Found this webpage this morning and thought I would just link it to my blog. Interesting.
8 Ultimate Flat-Belly Summer Foods on Yahoo! Health

touching so many lives...

Angie posted on Bring the Rain last Friday, May 23rd and to date has had 232 comments posted. She is such a gifted writer...read The Past and The Pitcher.

quiet day in the park

After I made pancakes for 'brunch,' at Don's request, we just relaxed here in the 5'er.  He took a nap in his 'happy place,' and I laid on the bed to read The Last Jihad by Joel Rosenberg.  Well... I could not keep my eyes open so I didn't.  Slept almost all afternoon.  When I woke up, I went outside to walk around the park. They are doing a lot of clearing out trees to make room for about 60 more sites.  I really don't know how they plan to get 60 more sites down in this low area. Stopped to visit with Barry and Anna Douglas and took this picture of Cassie. Barry is protecting is tomatoes from the neighbors squirrels. As I walked past the office, Callie came out to meet me. I believe she remembers me from last summer when I worked in the office.  She wanted me to scratch her tummy. This is the pavillion where we have church on Sunday mornings at 9:30. It begin to sprinkle on me before I got back to the 'house.' Here's where we are parked... in the middle. And the thick trees across the street from our site, where they are clearing out below this area.  We love it on the back row... it's quieter and more shaded in the late afternoon.