Goodness! January has flown! It has been unseasonably warm, so maybe that's why we want to spring clean. The office looks so nice now, and we found some forever stamps in the desk.
Last Friday, I did indeed cook a ham dinner. I used my blue patterned china and set it on blue lace placemats. Pure fun! Bill told me to pick out a cake at the bakery and he would pick it up on the way home from school. It was a bundt cake named "strawberry cheesecake."
Saturday, Noel and Mark went with us to the mall theater to see, "Very Close and Extremely Loud". It was incredible! The acting is superb!
Sunday, was great! I had 16 in my class. Leo had back surgery, so we filled a huge basket with goodies, and I took it to him this morning. While cleaning my kitchen last week, I noticed that I had some specialty cookbooks that I will never use. I gave them away by number drawing in my class, and the students were excited. The lesson theme was "Our Culture is Greedy." We all agreed that we are greedy in some areas and should work on it.
Pastor Larry is always so open in his sermons. He told the congregation about getting a call from his daughter on Saturday morning. The police and DHS showed up at the hospital and told her that her new baby tested for drugs and she could not have any contact with her new son. While Larry's wife prepared a room for the baby in their home, Larry went to the hospital to pray with his daughter (adopted). Shelly had been on drugs, but insisted that she had been drug-free for months. After asking Shelly if she would totally trust God, he prayed with her through their tears. Forty minutes later, hospital staff came into the room and said that a second test showed the substance in the baby to be cough medicine that Shelly had taken. She could hold her baby again. The entire church applauded! We are truly a family and share each others burdens. Only God could take care of that problem.
I will post one more time before we fly to Tahiti.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
My 64th Birthday
I have lost so many family members and friends during my journey on this earth. I am truly humbled that God has kept me here for 64 years. I know I have purpose, and I want to find it each day. I must thank all of the people who wrote, called, and gave me gifts. Yesterday, Noel called and said that he and Mark wanted to stop by my house and bring me a gift. Later, I called him and thanked him for the nice earphones for my MP3 player. He said, "I didn't give you any earphones!" I had not opened the plastic see-through package, and didn't realize it was a web cam so that I can skype! I died laughing! I have resisted getting one, and he is making me get with the program. All of my brothers and kids have been waiting for me to get on line.
At breakfast, Bill gave me a card and a pair of pearl earrings set in 14K gold. He told me he was investing in the future. I use to laugh, but now it could be serious. I will post my birthday picture with the earrings on.
Last evening, we took Gramma to the new Arrows for dinner. As I mentioned, I was born on my parents 7th anniversary and Mom appreciated us making it special for her. It began to pour rain before we left the restaurant. When we arrived home, I spent lots of time talking to the kids as they called. Kirk was upset because he had learned that his good friend, Bobby, had been killed in an auto accident in Haiti. Kirk had performed Bobby's wedding last Valentine's Day. Now, he has been asked to do his funeral and is flying down today. I told Kirk that God is never surprised, and has a plan for the future. Don't worry!
In a few minutes, I will leave to take Noel to the OHH South for a check-up. Then, this afternoon, I will give 3 piano lessons. I have been given 6 new books to read. The latest is "So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore" by Wayne Jacobsen and Dave Coleman. It has challenging ideas which I always enjoy. I plan to take this book with me to read while I'm in the OHH lounge.
At breakfast, Bill gave me a card and a pair of pearl earrings set in 14K gold. He told me he was investing in the future. I use to laugh, but now it could be serious. I will post my birthday picture with the earrings on.
Last evening, we took Gramma to the new Arrows for dinner. As I mentioned, I was born on my parents 7th anniversary and Mom appreciated us making it special for her. It began to pour rain before we left the restaurant. When we arrived home, I spent lots of time talking to the kids as they called. Kirk was upset because he had learned that his good friend, Bobby, had been killed in an auto accident in Haiti. Kirk had performed Bobby's wedding last Valentine's Day. Now, he has been asked to do his funeral and is flying down today. I told Kirk that God is never surprised, and has a plan for the future. Don't worry!
In a few minutes, I will leave to take Noel to the OHH South for a check-up. Then, this afternoon, I will give 3 piano lessons. I have been given 6 new books to read. The latest is "So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore" by Wayne Jacobsen and Dave Coleman. It has challenging ideas which I always enjoy. I plan to take this book with me to read while I'm in the OHH lounge.
Monday, January 23, 2012
I'm Still Lovin' It!
I'll be 64 years old tomorrow and I'm still loving life! I received some birthday wishes last week in the mail which made me smile. On Sunday, my Bible class remembered me and gave me a card that made me dance. When I opened it, the card played, "Celebrate!". Fun! Since I was born on my parents' 7th anniversary, we plan to take Mom out to dinner with us. Then, on Friday, I want to cook a ham dinner because we will be in California on Bill's birthday. Yep! We'll stop there on our way to Tahiti. I still can't believe it, because I thought my traveling abroad days were over. I think this trip will make Bill feel better about selling the Michigan cottage. He downloaded the music from "South Pacific".
We are still in our cleaning mode. I had carpet cleaners come out last week. It went quickly since we don't have babies or pets.
Saturday, we took a trip to Norman to visit our Toyota dealer. We have had some frost lately, and it had pulled a nut loose on my right windshield wiper. I was so happy when they said it wasn't the motor and there would be no charge! Before heading home, we used the Red Lobster gift card that Kirk sent. I love their grilled shrimp and scallops! God is so good!!
Two teenagers were baptized in church yesterday, and a man joined. Pastor Larry preached a sermon on reaching our potentials through the power of the Holy Spirit. I really didn't understand that concept until I was in my mid twenties. The power of forgiveness is another major subject. I think the Christians in South Carolina understand that concept better than some. To be honest, there are some people that are very difficult to forgive, but I am working on it! I have no choice if I want to have peace in my heart. God has forgiven me!
We are still in our cleaning mode. I had carpet cleaners come out last week. It went quickly since we don't have babies or pets.
Saturday, we took a trip to Norman to visit our Toyota dealer. We have had some frost lately, and it had pulled a nut loose on my right windshield wiper. I was so happy when they said it wasn't the motor and there would be no charge! Before heading home, we used the Red Lobster gift card that Kirk sent. I love their grilled shrimp and scallops! God is so good!!
Two teenagers were baptized in church yesterday, and a man joined. Pastor Larry preached a sermon on reaching our potentials through the power of the Holy Spirit. I really didn't understand that concept until I was in my mid twenties. The power of forgiveness is another major subject. I think the Christians in South Carolina understand that concept better than some. To be honest, there are some people that are very difficult to forgive, but I am working on it! I have no choice if I want to have peace in my heart. God has forgiven me!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Concert/MLK Holiday
Last Thursday evening, Bill and I accompanied Gramma to her church to hear Dallas Holm in concert. He is a fantastic guitarist and singer. His most famous composition is "Rise Again". We were not disappointed!
Saturday, we spent the morning tossing and shredding old stuff. We use to move every 4 years and would naturally rid ourselves of junk. Now that we have settled in, we have to make a conscious effort to throw away and organize regularly. If my world is cluttered, I can't find anything! In the afternoon, we took Noel and Mark with us to see "Puss N Boots". Fun!
Sunday was a beautiful day, and the church was full! Noel had planned to come with us and hear our recorder/piano duet, but his night had been very rough. So, we picked up Mark and took him with us. Our focus Sunday was on the value of life. I didn't know that Beethoven's father was a drunk who couldn't keep a job, and his mother had TB at the time of his conception. Today, he would have been a perfect candidate for abortion.
Yesterday was MLK Day, and Bill had the day off. My Camry had a slow leak in the right rear tire which had to be fixed. Then, we went to the mall. We ate lunch at Santa Fe Cattle Co. and then headed for Penney's. Bill needed jeans, and I exchanged a pair of Keds sneakers that had a defective inner sole. At 4 p.m. I gave Nancy her piano lesson. She is lots of fun and is learning to improvise with chords. I am so blessed to have a wonderful family a great friends. I thank God everyday for what He has given me.
Saturday, we spent the morning tossing and shredding old stuff. We use to move every 4 years and would naturally rid ourselves of junk. Now that we have settled in, we have to make a conscious effort to throw away and organize regularly. If my world is cluttered, I can't find anything! In the afternoon, we took Noel and Mark with us to see "Puss N Boots". Fun!
Sunday was a beautiful day, and the church was full! Noel had planned to come with us and hear our recorder/piano duet, but his night had been very rough. So, we picked up Mark and took him with us. Our focus Sunday was on the value of life. I didn't know that Beethoven's father was a drunk who couldn't keep a job, and his mother had TB at the time of his conception. Today, he would have been a perfect candidate for abortion.
Yesterday was MLK Day, and Bill had the day off. My Camry had a slow leak in the right rear tire which had to be fixed. Then, we went to the mall. We ate lunch at Santa Fe Cattle Co. and then headed for Penney's. Bill needed jeans, and I exchanged a pair of Keds sneakers that had a defective inner sole. At 4 p.m. I gave Nancy her piano lesson. She is lots of fun and is learning to improvise with chords. I am so blessed to have a wonderful family a great friends. I thank God everyday for what He has given me.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
2012 Has Begun
I'm writing this blog to the music of buzz saws. We hired a tree service to trim the two oak trees in our backyard. It was past due. I felt a little sorry for the cardinals and the blue jays this morning as they looked for their usual perches. I'll have to hang a bird feeder on the back fence until the branches grow back.
Last Friday, Bill called me from school and asked me to pick him up. His world was spinning again. I took him to the ER to have a check-up. I knew what was wrong, but wanted the doctor to rule out everything else . Sure enough! He had worked too hard on his on-line class, and had pinched a nerve in the back of his neck. I think he wants lots of neck rubs! He went back to school this morning.
I went to chuerch by myself on Sunday morning. My class was down to 11 members.
After worship, Bailey Hill took Gramma, Noel's family and me to Bamboo Gardens for lunch. Janice had driven from Springfield in order to take Noel to the OHH for a pacemaker replacement on Monday. The 2 hour surgery went very well, and he was back in his apartment by 6:00 p.m.
Yesterday afternoon, Kirk called to thank me for his birthday gift and to report on Andy, his father-in-law. It wasn't good news! The doctors had planned to remove part of his esophagus, but the cancer had spread to his stomach. They told Andy to fight it, or enjoy the life he has left. Andy is my age, and is a reminder that I don't know what is around the corner. I must love, laugh, be thankful and allow God to get closer to me each day.
Our friend, Randall, is out of the hospital now and doing well. He is a walking miracle! A week ago, he was rushed to the ER in a unresponsive state. Thank you, God!
I'm praying for our political process. I can see Obama being re-elected because of the shallowness of our society. Yes, a form of communism was cited in the New Testament. However, the Christians were being persecuted by the Romans, and they could absolutely trust their God fearing leaders. It came from the heart. When Godless people rule a socialistic or communistic nation, you find corruption and greediness. I visited East Germany before the wall was torn down. I also visited China a few years ago. I did not see anything in those places that made me want to trade America's society for theirs!!! Either America wakes up, or I pray the Lord comes soon!
This afternoon, I have a dental check-up and will give another piano lesson. I have 5 students and was told I'll be adding another little boy soon. (No little girls! Just adults and boys.)
Last Friday, Bill called me from school and asked me to pick him up. His world was spinning again. I took him to the ER to have a check-up. I knew what was wrong, but wanted the doctor to rule out everything else . Sure enough! He had worked too hard on his on-line class, and had pinched a nerve in the back of his neck. I think he wants lots of neck rubs! He went back to school this morning.
I went to chuerch by myself on Sunday morning. My class was down to 11 members.
After worship, Bailey Hill took Gramma, Noel's family and me to Bamboo Gardens for lunch. Janice had driven from Springfield in order to take Noel to the OHH for a pacemaker replacement on Monday. The 2 hour surgery went very well, and he was back in his apartment by 6:00 p.m.
Yesterday afternoon, Kirk called to thank me for his birthday gift and to report on Andy, his father-in-law. It wasn't good news! The doctors had planned to remove part of his esophagus, but the cancer had spread to his stomach. They told Andy to fight it, or enjoy the life he has left. Andy is my age, and is a reminder that I don't know what is around the corner. I must love, laugh, be thankful and allow God to get closer to me each day.
Our friend, Randall, is out of the hospital now and doing well. He is a walking miracle! A week ago, he was rushed to the ER in a unresponsive state. Thank you, God!
I'm praying for our political process. I can see Obama being re-elected because of the shallowness of our society. Yes, a form of communism was cited in the New Testament. However, the Christians were being persecuted by the Romans, and they could absolutely trust their God fearing leaders. It came from the heart. When Godless people rule a socialistic or communistic nation, you find corruption and greediness. I visited East Germany before the wall was torn down. I also visited China a few years ago. I did not see anything in those places that made me want to trade America's society for theirs!!! Either America wakes up, or I pray the Lord comes soon!
This afternoon, I have a dental check-up and will give another piano lesson. I have 5 students and was told I'll be adding another little boy soon. (No little girls! Just adults and boys.)
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Christmas/Branson Condo
Branson deluxe condo
Bill on balcony of condo in Branson
Marti in Branson
Mom,Janice and Noel
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Christmas/New Years
Christmas Musical, Tapestry of Light; a Celtic Celebration can be found on YouTube. Look for cld9trs (Cloud Nine Tours). Under that heading you can click NBC2011.wmv. New Beginnings Church choir is directed by Bill who is standing on the floor. I am singing on the front row in a white sweater.
I can hardly believe that Christmas has come and gone! We traveled to Springfield on Christmas Eve to take Noel and Mark home. Gramma went with us. That evening, I accompanied Janice to her brother's in Nixa to take Christmas gifts. It was a treat for me to see Dwayne and his family, as well as their luxious mansion. It was decorated with a million colorful lights! Gorgeous! On the way back to Springfield, we stopped at Appleby's and took dinners back for everyone. While we were enjoying the food, the phone rang. Dwayne's mother-in-law had just passed away! Linda and her sister flew to Indonesia on Christmas morning. Linda's family is Christian, and that is a comfort.
On Christmas Day, we went to Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Springfield. It's a mega-church and we always enjoy the service. The music makes me feel close to heaven! After church, Steve and his family joined us for a ham dinner that Janice cooked. Then, we opened gifts. The little boys were so cute. Hunter kept saying, "Awesome! Cool!" When the gifts ran out, Bill and I headed for Branson.
We rambled about in our condo. We expected Noel's family to join us, but he wasn't feeling well, so we had the two bedroom, two bath to ourselves. I took some pictures that I will post. While in Branson, we saw lots of movies and shows because it rained a lot. We saw, "War Horse", "Mysteries of the Great Lakes" at Imax, and "Sherlock Holmes". We also saw Legends in Concert featuring look/sound alikes for Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, and the Blues Brothers. Bill was a little jealous when Elvis kissed me. Ha!
We left Branson on Wednesday and traveled back to Oklahoma. On Thursday morning, Noel called me and asked me to take him to the ER at OK Heart Hospital. They kept him overnight and moved up his pace maker replacement to next Monday.
On New Years' Eve I made chili and lemon meringue pie for the family. Ian and Phyllis came over about 9 p.m. and stayed until midnight. The Firelake Casino was shooting fireworks. The next morning, I taught the 10 people in Bible Study who showed up. Everyone was glad to be together. Just before worship service began, we learned that our good friend Randall Hair had been taken to emergency with a possible stroke. We stopped and prayed for him and his wife, Lisa. Randall made the pulpit, the communion table and the choir risers. He's a gifted carpenter!! He's still not doing well, but we know without doubt that the angels of God are with him and his doctors. The New Year has its challenges, but we are not alone and don't have to journey without the power of God!
I can hardly believe that Christmas has come and gone! We traveled to Springfield on Christmas Eve to take Noel and Mark home. Gramma went with us. That evening, I accompanied Janice to her brother's in Nixa to take Christmas gifts. It was a treat for me to see Dwayne and his family, as well as their luxious mansion. It was decorated with a million colorful lights! Gorgeous! On the way back to Springfield, we stopped at Appleby's and took dinners back for everyone. While we were enjoying the food, the phone rang. Dwayne's mother-in-law had just passed away! Linda and her sister flew to Indonesia on Christmas morning. Linda's family is Christian, and that is a comfort.
On Christmas Day, we went to Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Springfield. It's a mega-church and we always enjoy the service. The music makes me feel close to heaven! After church, Steve and his family joined us for a ham dinner that Janice cooked. Then, we opened gifts. The little boys were so cute. Hunter kept saying, "Awesome! Cool!" When the gifts ran out, Bill and I headed for Branson.
We rambled about in our condo. We expected Noel's family to join us, but he wasn't feeling well, so we had the two bedroom, two bath to ourselves. I took some pictures that I will post. While in Branson, we saw lots of movies and shows because it rained a lot. We saw, "War Horse", "Mysteries of the Great Lakes" at Imax, and "Sherlock Holmes". We also saw Legends in Concert featuring look/sound alikes for Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, and the Blues Brothers. Bill was a little jealous when Elvis kissed me. Ha!
We left Branson on Wednesday and traveled back to Oklahoma. On Thursday morning, Noel called me and asked me to take him to the ER at OK Heart Hospital. They kept him overnight and moved up his pace maker replacement to next Monday.
On New Years' Eve I made chili and lemon meringue pie for the family. Ian and Phyllis came over about 9 p.m. and stayed until midnight. The Firelake Casino was shooting fireworks. The next morning, I taught the 10 people in Bible Study who showed up. Everyone was glad to be together. Just before worship service began, we learned that our good friend Randall Hair had been taken to emergency with a possible stroke. We stopped and prayed for him and his wife, Lisa. Randall made the pulpit, the communion table and the choir risers. He's a gifted carpenter!! He's still not doing well, but we know without doubt that the angels of God are with him and his doctors. The New Year has its challenges, but we are not alone and don't have to journey without the power of God!
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