Holiday Season

Bill and I put up our Christmas tree on Saturday morning. (We also stored our patio furniture in the shed.) We figured we had better get ready for the holiday season because our calendar shows a non-stop chain of events for the next several weeks. My next blogs should be filled!!

This week was a bit crazy! Our Muslim students celebrated Hog last Tuesday and 20 of them did not come to class. Then, on Friday, our boss came from Edmond to observe all of our classes. My "preemie" students sang a jazzy song about the days of the week, and had a spelling race on the whiteboard. After my boss left the room, my students smiled and held up their thumbs to let me know that they had done a great job. It made me laugh, and I told them how proud I was of them.

Galen and Sondra arrived this week, but had the flu. They are planning to go with us to Springfield for Thanksgiving weekend.

Keri threw a 40th birthday party for Kelli this weekend in Chicago. The big surprise was that Kirk flew in after attending a conference in Atlanta. And his wife, Tamra flew in from California. I wish we could have been there, but I'm so happy that the 3 Ks are so close and love each other so much! I pray to God that in spite of distance, they will always be close.

Sunday is always great! I accompanied Bill on the trumpet, and Suzanne and Robert on clarinets this morning. We played, "I'll Fly Away". During communion, I began to wonder how anyone could doubt Jesus' divinity. No one but Jesus would have endured the cross without any verbal defense, or at least tried to run away. He came to our world with purpose and died for us with such dignity!! During the invitation, a young couple who plans to be married next week came for baptism. God is good!

Weekend ESL Conference

I am still recovering from my hospital visit, but felt it was necessary to attend the conference for Oklahoma ESL teachers. Our school is in the middle of an accreditation, and the powers that be will be looking to see that teachers are up to date. Six of us drove to Tulsa together in the school van after classes on Friday. It was raining, but beautiful! There is a lot of countryside between Oklahoma cities. I loved watching the horses and cows standing lazily under trees of red, yellow and green leaves. Ducks floated in ponds nearby.

We stayed at the Park Inn which is next to the Tulsa Airport, and near Tulsa Community College where the conference was held. TCC is a new campus on the north side and very modern. We were treated to catered meals, and spent almost every minute in seminars that we had to account for. My favorite was titled, "Music and Language". That was pure fun for me! During the Director's meeting, some of us visited with Desiree Jang and saw her new baby. Desiree was our former director in Shawnee. She's living in Tulsa now while her husband, James, works on his M.D. He was busy learning to sew up patients after heart surgery at a nearby hospital.

After arriving back in Shawnee on Saturday evening, Bill and I got up early on Sunday so I could teach Bible Study, and Bill direct choir rehearsal. Pete came by our house last week on his bike to pick up copies of the music and a CD. He dropped out of choir to leave retirement and go back to work as a jet mechanic at Tinker Field. His days were cut, so we now have 17 in the choir.

After choir practice, Bill and I had a quiet lunch at Cracker Barrel. As soon as we reached home, I fell asleep in our Lazy Boy couch, and Bill went to work on his on-line class. Now, it is Monday, and we are back to class again. I'm only teaching two classes in the mornings, and I am celebrating my schedule! Thank you, God! I can feel His presence through these busy days!

Family Excitement

Happy Birthday, Sofia! My granddaughter turned 6 years old on Saturday, November 6th. She had a birthday party with 9 friends. She called to thank us for her gifts and couldn't wait to tell us about the garden cake that her mother, Keri, had made with M&Ms and other candies. Sofia, we are so glad that God created you! You bring us such joy! I can't wait to see the pics on your mother's blog!

My youngest brother, Roger, just bought a bigger and better sailboat. It is 36 feet, has a full kitchen, radar, GPS system, and can make fresh water from salt water. Roger's dream is to sail to Hawaii. The boat is docked in Ventura, California.

Kirk just returned from a vacation to Hawaii with his wife, Tamra. While on the Big Island, a fellow hiker broke her leg in 3 places. While Kirk prayed, one of the bones moved back into place. Tamra, an RN, wrapped the leg with beach towels, and the small group of hikers carried the lady 2 miles to a waiting boat. One of the hikers was Jewish and said she couldn't wait to tell her Christian boyfriend about watching one of the bones miraculously move into place. Cool stuff! Kirk has also been given a scholarship to go to a Billy Graham evangelism conference in Nashville the end of this month.

Congratulations, Kelli! She just learned today that she has been elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the Western Michigan Public Relations Society. It is a three year term. I'm so glad for her since she has had many negative personal issues this year. God is watching over her, and is rewarding her for her faithfulness to Him! She's a beautiful, sweet girl! I'm not prejudiced. Ha!

I'm Home from the Hospital

Yep! I have joined the club of Senior Citizens who have to watch their health! I was awakened from sleep around 1:00 a.m. Saturday morning. I had severe pain shooting through my left chest. It persisted, so Bill gave me an aspirin and called the Blue Cross Blue Shield hotline for advice. An R.N. advised me to go to ER as quickly as possible. After going through the drill in ER, I was admitted for further tests and observation. After hours of poking , prodding, squeezing, and 9 visitors, I was released to go home at 4 p.m. yesterday. I was so exhausted, I got into my own bed and slept from 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 a.m. this morning without waking once! I learned that my heart is undamaged, and that the pain was from severe muscle spasms caused from stress. Thankfully, there is medication for that. The doctor also said that working part-time is good for me. (While questioning me, the doctor asked me if I was a teacher. I said, "yes" and then asked him why he asked. He said, I used words like "subsided and other vocabulary that Okies don't use. Bill and I just started laughing.) Other than Mom, my own family does not live in Oklahoma. I learned just how great it is to have a church family. My pastor came to pray for me at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, and 8 other friends showed up as soon as worship service had finished. I feel so blessed to be loved by God's family.

T-Town Is Proud!

The elections are over and Tecumseh is proud! Oklahoma made history by electing its first woman governor. She is Mary Fallin (R), from Tecumseh. Our current governor is Brad Henry (D), from Shawnee. These governors have known each other since they were children because their parents were involved in politics and civic affairs. Also, James Lankford (R) is our new House Rep. Lankford has been director of Falls Creek Baptist Assembly. It is Oklahoma's state camp, but is similar in size and scope to Glorieta. They are mere humans, but it's nice to know that some conservatives are doing their best for our state and nation for awhile. I will put my faith and trust in God, not government.

Mom is feeling much better, and thinks the swelling in her foot has gone down. Perhaps the swelling made her blood pressure go sky high??

I gave tests this morning. My "newbys" did very well. They all made 98% on an 8 page exam. They did so well, I taught them how to play the spelling game that we all know. They were so eager that I had to take off points if they blurted out the answer without spelling the phrase. Why is self-c0ntrol such a difficult skill to learn?

Up and Down Weekend

Mom called me at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. Bill and I were just finishing a blueberry pancake breakfast. Mom was not feeling well and wanted me to take her blood pressure. It had been as high as 190. She often "doctors" herself, and had doubled her medication. That scares me! I took her to the pharmacy where I needed to pick up some meds for Bill, and her pressure was down. Therefore, she refused to let me take her to ER. I took her home, and told her I would check on her. She also has my cell number. By noon, she was doing okay, so Bill and I took a drive to Newalla and Harrah. We had never been there, and were just curious. We got a Dr. Pepper at Sonic and drove home. Mom did well through Sunday, but stayed home from church.

My Bible Study Class is coming back after the summer months. We had 15 on Sunday. Our new fellow from Brazil has become a believer, and had us all in tears as he described how God had changed his life. He told his father that he loved him for the first time via a letter. The lesson was about how important it is to get the head knowledge into your heart. We also discussed the importance of saying, "I love you" to our family, our friends and to God.

Mom gave me a list, so I will shop for her this afternoon. I also mailed Sofia's birthday gift and card today. Sofia's gift is a frilly winter night gown with a matching one for her doll. I really enjoy buying for my grandkids! I can hardly wait until they come for the holidays!!!