Happy Labor Day

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROBBY!

HAPPY 19TH BIRTHDAY, ROBBY!

Pictures from past and present.

Last Week at a Glance (8-18 through 8-25)

I believe everyone in the family who is in school or college is back at it now!

Monday, I attended Ross’s soccer game. He did a good job. (It sure was hot that evening.) He had a game on Saturday, but I didn’t go to it. Ross said that it was so hot on Saturday at the soccer game that even the parents were hot and sweaty and they weren't even running and playing soccer!
Tuesday evening, Sue and I ate supper at Monte’s Cabin; and Wednesday evening, Myrissa, Katie, and I met Jane there for supper. Also on Wednesday, I had a massage at the Tranquil Inn and Spa; Cliff had gotten me two massages for our anniversary and this was the second one. It was great. What a beautiful place – their new gazebo is gorgeous! Thursday evening, I got my hair trimmed at Tania’s. Friday evening, I had supper at Uncle Buck’s with Julinda and the boys. Saturday, I took Sue and Katie to the G&R Variety Store; the rest of the day was spent on housework and laundry. Sunday, we gathered at the Sanders House for lunch. That evening, I cleaned out my car (never again will I purchase a car with black carpet!). After I finally finished with my car, I watered the flowers, because once again, we didn’t get any rain. Maggie had two volleyball games on the 21st and 22nd, and she has three this week, I think. This coming Friday, her game is at Barr-Reeve, so I plan to attend that one. Katie is the assistant manager of the soccer team at Shoals. Yesterday was Ronnie Gilbert’s 40th birthday – Happy Birthday, Ronnie! Last night, Katie and I attended Ross’s soccer game. Then we ate at McDonald’s (yuck!). When I got home last night, some kind soul had left a sack of tomatoes at my door (thanks Liz and John!).
I would like to ask anyone who reads this to please pray for Cliff’s aunt, May Kalbas, in Wisconsin. She is not at all well and we may end up going to Wisconsin next week. Thanks.

Tomorrow, there are four birthdays: Bobby Hoppe (our nephew in Arizona); Cohen Walton (Debbie Flynn's grandson will be one year old!); Lorna Troutman (a friend); and Ruthie Gilstrap (a friend). HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL OF YOU!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

(parts of this are from a friend's blog site)

Seven reasons not to worry--
All from the book of Matthew, chapter 6:
6:24...the same God who created life in you can be trusted with the details of your life!!!
6:26...Worrying about the future hampers your efforts today
6:27...Worrying is more harmful than helpful
6:28-30...God does not ignore those who depend on Him
6:31,32...Worrying shows a lack of faith in and understanding of God
6:33...Worrying keeps us from real challenges God wants us to pursue
6:34...Living one day at a time keeps us from being consumed with worry

God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.

Congratulations, Maggie!

Maggie and the Barr-Reeve Volleyball team won their opening game last night against Sullivan! Maggie had 16 kills. The team plays at Bloomfield tonight.......Good Luck!

Congratulations also to the Shoals Volleyball team - they won against Washington Catholic!

Excerpts from Washington Newspaper:

SHOALS — The Washington Catholic volleyball team fell to Shoals in five games on Thursday. WC opened with a 25-22 win, lost 18-25, won 25-17, lost 20-25 and fell in the fifth, 15-12. The JV lost, 25-8 and 25-17.

Lady Vikes open with win. SULLIVAN — The Barr-Reeve Viking volleyball team posted a three-game win over Sullivan on Thursday, 26-24, 26-24 and 25-14. The Vikes were led by Hilliary Fox who had 22 kills, five digs and seven points. Megan Delaney had five digs and 16 kills, while Melinda Yoder had 11 points and Shanelle Burch added six digs. Terrell Miller led with 26 assists, followed by 21 from Amber Rademacher. The Vikes also posted a JV win, 25-10 and 25-21. Melinda Yoder had 11 points, Cassidy Helms had six assists and Haley Taylor had four kills.

Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Audrey Garrett!

August 11-18. Last week passed by pretty quickly. Cliff is finally off his 12-hour shifts as of today (8-18). He is working 4 p.m. to midnight for the next two weeks.
Ross, Katie, Myrissa, Maggie, and Tim are all back in school. Robby starts his classes at VU this week, I think.
Last week - - One evening after school, I picked up Myrissa and Katie, and we met Jane at Los Bravos for supper.
I attended Ross’s soccer game on Thursday; he is doing better at soccer this year I think. Good luck in your soccer, Ross! Maggie’s volleyball team had a scrimmage at Linton on Thursday and I believe she has her first game at Sullivan on the 21st. Good luck this season, Maggie!
Erin had an ultrasound on Thursday and she is going to have a girl this time. Congratulations! I haven’t talked with her or Jordan, but I imagine they are pretty excited. Noah will make a good “big brother.”
Tim had “Meet the Teacher” night at his school and he said it went very well. I believe he has 24 students this year.
Saturday, I had to work, then took Sue to do her shopping. Afterwards, I helped Cliff with the yard. We were going to go to the car show at BoMac’s, but Cliff decided he was too tired. He did join the ABATE motorcycle organization and attended their meeting on Saturday. Sunday, we had lunch at the Sanders House; Sue had made chicken enchiladas and they were wonderful. We all visited and played until about 3; then Jane took Katie and her friend to the movie. Myrissa and I went to Pamida; then I painted Myrissa’s toenails and fingernails. I watered flowers while Cliff finished the mowing. Tonight Ross has another soccer game. GO ROSS! The rest of my time was spent doing the usual housework, laundry, watering flowers, and reading a little. It’s an exciting life I lead!

Today is Marilyn's (Cliff's sister) birthday! Happy Birthday, Marilyn!

FAMILY

There's a special kind of closeness

that only families know,

that begins with childhood trust

and deepens as you grow.

There's a special kind of happiness

in sharing little things,

the laughter, smiles, and quiet talks

that daily living brings.

There's a special kind of comfort

in knowing your family's there,

to back you up, to cheer you up,

to understand and care.

Of all the treasures life may bring,

your family means the most.

And whether near or far apart,

that love will hold you close.

Friendship's Road

Friendship is a chain of gold

Shaped in God's all perfect mold

Each link a smile, a laugh, a tear

A grip of the hand, a word of cheer

Steadfast as the ages roll

Binding closer soul to soul

No matter how far or heavy the load

Sweet is the journey on friendship road.

August 4 through 11

This week Cliff is working 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.! What a shift. At least it is a little cooler in the Plant on that shift. One more week of 12-hour days; hopefully the 12-hour days will be done on 8-15-08.
Jennifer’s headstone finally is at her gravesite; it is real pretty.
Jonathan and Brittney came out one evening and Jonathan did some weed eating for us. Jane and Katie came by for a few minutes that evening also; they had been to the cemetery. Saw Robby go by a couple of times; I don’t think he saw me sitting on the deck though.
Sue and I went to supper one evening at Uncle Buck’s; it was pretty good.
Went to the doctor Thursday afternoon; had a sinus infection which I got medication for.
Friday, I worked late; on the way home, I stopped by the soccer field where Ross was practicing. Julinda and Alex were in the car because Alex was asleep. Ross’s soccer games start next week (Thursday, 8-14-08 at 5:45). When I got home, I grabbed a bite to eat and then mowed grass for a couple of hours.
Saturday, I wanted to go to Tony and Patti’s moving sale, but I had to take my car to Bedford Ford to have it serviced. I then did a little shopping and stopped at Starbuck’s on the way home – Cliff had requested a Milky Way Cappuccino. When I got home, Jonathan and Cliff were working on the yard. They finally got all of it finished.
Myrissa and Katie both went to the optometrist this week. Myrissa got reading glasses and Katie got contacts. Julinda, Ross, and Alex attended “meet the teacher” night at Ross’s school this week. His teacher is Mrs. Callison, who is Dr. Sutton’s daughter. He thinks he will like her. I believe all the kids start school on the 11th, except Maggie who starts on the 12th.
Sunday was a busy day. I got up at 4:30 and finished the laundry and did some housework. Cliff got home at 8 a.m. and we sat on the deck for awhile. Brenda and I went to the Church of the Cross to hear Tony preach. He gave a great sermon! Afterwards, we had lunch outside at Jeff’s – what beautiful weather! Then we all went to the Martin State Forrest to celebrate Noah’s first birthday. It was a great party and Noah had a ball! He is just so ADORABLE! You can see all the pictures at: http://www.snapfish.com/ in my “album” entitled “Noah’s 1st Birthday and Misc.” Some of the pictures are pre-cake, during-cake, and post-cake! (See below.)
Sunday evening, Brenda, Jane, and Katie came to visit. Cliff watched some TV; I read some of a book, then got all my stuff ready for work.
Today--another Monday, but what a beautiful day! This morning was so nice and cool; it was hard to go back inside at work after going out for break. I am thinking about taking the day off tomorrow, because the weather is supposed to be so nice and I have leave I can use. Debbie Flynn called and we talked for awhile, catching up on all the news from the weekend and last week.
Brenda’s new blog site is: http://www.brendasville.blogspot.com/. She has a wonderful post on there entitled “A Benediction.” I put her blog site in my favorite links.
Hope all of you have a great week! As Tony said in his sermon on Sunday, do things to make God smile!

Today is Chris Keegan's birthday (MaryAnn's husband). Happy Birthday, Chris!
Be sure to click on the link to Patti's Blog to see pictures of Noah's first birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NOAH TYLER SANDERS!

Last Week at a Glance

Monday, July 28, 2008 through Monday, August 4, 2008

--Monday, Tim stopped by for a little while; I shared some blackberries with him that Hilbert George had given me. After supper, I washed dishes, watered flowers, worked on the computer, and read a little of a book before going to bed.
--Tuesday, I left work a little early to get my allergy shots. When I got home, Cliff and I went to visit Julinda, Ross, and Alex. We had pizza and played with the kids. When we got back home, Cliff went to bed (he is working 4 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and I went for a walk. I read a little before bed.
--Wednesday after work, I fixed supper while Cliff went to CVS to pick up some stuff for his mom. I did a load of laundry while I was waiting on Cliff to return.
--Thursday evening I had to work late, so I didn’t get home until 7. I watered a few of the flowers that really needed it. While watering, I discovered three baby birds in one of our little evergreen bushes. They are so tiny that all you can see is little beaks and little feathers! I’m not sure what kind they are; maybe as they get bigger, I will be able to tell. Tim got a carport put up at his house today; Cliff said it was really nice. I hope to see it on Sunday. Did some laundry and washed up the dishes before hitting the sack.
--Friday, Debbie (a friend at work) and I went out for lunch at the Club. I love eating there just because we sit and look out over the lake and watch the wildlife (geese, deer, eagles, etc.). It was nice to get away from the desk for a little while. After work, I went over to visit with Myrissa because Jane had taken Katie to the dentist. Myrissa talked me into walking around the block a few times – boy, was it hot! Whew! Then I went to BoMac’s and got us a milkshake. I think that is the first milkshake I have had this year! Cliff had to work late.
--Saturday, I got up early, watered the flowers, cleaned house, and then I met Jane/family and Julinda/family at the Jasper Cinemas where Jane and Myrissa saw Mamma Mia and Katie, Ross, and I saw The Dark Knight. Julinda, Bryan, and Alex shopped in Jasper while we were at the movies, then we met up with them afterwards so they could take Ross. The movies were both pretty good. Katie went kayaking with Patti Saturday morning and she loved it! (See Patti’s blog site for a picture.)
--Sunday morning, it was such a beautiful morning, so I went for a walk after breakfast and then sat on the deck waiting for Cliff to come home. He had to go in at 4 a.m. and work for 4 hours. We then had cappuccinos on the deck and read the paper. I put the chicken on for lunch and finished the laundry. We saw Jordan, Erin, and Noah as we went to pick up Sue for lunch, so they are back safe and sound. Guess they had a really good time. Noah’s birthday party is Sunday, August 10. We had lunch at the Sanders House; drove by Tim’s on the way home to check out the new carport – nice! Then Cliff, Sue, and I went to Bedford to do some shopping; stopped by Starbuck’s on the way home. Cliff watched some TV; I worked on the computer, washed dishes, watered the flowers, and did some dreaded ironing! Trying to prepare for this week.
--While I was watering flowers, I checked to see how the baby birds were faring. As I approached the little tree where they “lived” I saw the nest on the ground with one egg and little feathers all around it! Needless to say, the baby birds are gone. I was so looking forward to seeing them “grow up.”

--I am reading a good book, A Heart for the Dropped Stitches. It is an inspirational romance about four girls who are cancer survivors and they formed a "sisterhood" during the time they had cancer. Their "sisterhood" was called the Sisterhood of Dropped Stitches and during their meetings they were all learning to knit. So far (I am on page 87) it is very good. It has some great quotes; funny ones and philosophical ones. Here are a couple I liked.

"Joy is very infectious; therefore, be always full of joy." ~Mother Teresa

"High heels were invented by a woman who had been kissed on the forehead." ~ Christopher Morley

--Julinda and Bryan and boys left for Indy for a couple of days. They were going to the zoo, among other places. The boys were really looking forward to it! Tony and Patti are gearing up for a “moving sale.” Everyone is trying to make most of the few days that are left before school starts! Hope everyone is all geared up for a new week and hope it is a great one!