A Peek at our Vacation

The first of August was a wonderful time for Dennis, Katie and me. We loaded up the Expedition and headed south to Kemp, Texas-our favorite vacation spot. You have probably never even heard of Kemp but it is where my sister Nora lives. Her house is just about the most relaxing place I know to visit. Here is a snap of that little abode:

My favorite part of visiting her, besides seeing Nora, is spending time on her wonderful porch. The picture above gives you the outside glimpse. Well, here is part of the inside. I realized, too late, that I didn't get a picture of the gazebo portion on the inside. I will confess, though, that the part in this picture is my favorite spot:

Maybe you noticed the "noodles" under the daybed in that last picture. She lives across the street from the lake so we got to spend one afternoon relaxing there. The water is not too deep for those of us who aren't really swimmers. We lounged around, floating and hanging on to the noodles until the sky began to look like this:




It is always sad to say goodbye to Nora and head home. I could stay there forever. Next, you will get to our short visit to Fin and Feather.

What a Difference a Day Makes!

We all have memories of the first day at a new school. For some of us it was an exciting time-we were moving up, getting older, all grown up. For others it was a scary time-what would the teachers be like, where's the bathroom, is the food in the lunch room better or worse? I moved around a lot so going to a new school was not usually a big deal to me. Except for one time-when we moved from Arkansas to California. I was starting the 8th grade and I felt like a misfit. It was pretty traumatic for me-not knowing anyone at the school. I went to that school for two weeks and never made one friend. I sat by myself at lunch every day and went home and cried every night. Our kind pastor took pity on me and helped us facilitate a transfer to a different school where most of the kids from our church attended. Life was good again.



August, 2009 brought about the switch for Katie from the LG Upper Elementary to the LG Middle School. Life was about to change. And, she wasn't sure she wanted it to do that. The morning of the first day was not a pleasant one for us. She didn't feel good, she couldn't stop crying, she didn't feel good and she didn't feel good. I told her it was nerves and everything would be fine and took the required "first day of school" photo:





We got to school. I left her there. She was close to tears and so was I. But, she has wonderful teachers and good friends, so I knew she was in good hands.

When I picked her up she was beside herself. In a good way. School was fantastic! Life was wonderful! She loved it! It was the best! All of the things I had tried to convince her of that morning were now known realities. She was happy again. Yeah!

We don't usually do a "second day of school" photo. But, I think you will agree that this year it was absolutely necessary:




Transition is always hard but is most often worth it.

The Giver

Gift #1:

The last few weeks have been fun for me. Dennis, henceforth known as The Giver, bought me two neat-o gifts. Both are things that I have been wanting for a long time.

First up: The Amazon Kindle-a wonder and marvel for a reader like me. I love to read. I would rather read than anything else. Yes, even eat. If you are not familiar with the Kindle, go to amazon.com and type in Kindle and watch the demo about this amazing product.

It looks innocent, doesn't it?


The Kindle stores books, tons of books. So, whatever I am reading is at my fingertips all the time. Have you ever been reading a series and finish one and can't wait to go check out or buy the next one? Well, with the Kindle I finish a book and I can log on to the wireless Kindle store and download the next book in 60 seconds! Prices for books range from free (yes, there are some free ones) to 9.99. Current bestsellers are obviously the higher priced ones. But, considering that with new releases in hardback you are going to pay upwards of 22.00, 9.99 is a great price. I downloaded the complete works of Emily Dickinson for .99!! You read a page and touch the "next page" button to advance. You can highlight passages, bookmark them and there is a dictionary to look up any words you don't know.

Here is a closer look. The screen is very easy on the eyes. I can read for hours. It is great while lying in bed because it weighs almost nothing. When you are through reading, close the cover and it puts itself to sleep. When you wake it up, it is already at the page you were reading.

For an avid reader like me, this is the absolute ultimate gift!

Gift #2:

Here is my other gift. I told people on Facebook about it last week but they didn't get a picture of it. We went to Best Buy last Monday to replace Dennis' big television. After choosing a tv the salesman asked if he could show us anything else. Dennis said that we would like to look at laptops. He asked if it would be for Dennis, me or Katie. Dennis pointed at me. It was news to me but who am I to protest? So, I scored a laptop that day. I love it. Well, when I can keep Katie off of it!

I love the full size keyboard and that it has the number keypad on the right. The picture is so clear. It has some really great features. I love the "create your own radio station" feature on Pandora.

So, there they are-my two gifts from the Giver, Dennis. He really is a sweet guy. Thanks Dennis.

I Need.....

...to post about our vacation to Texas and Fin and Feather

...to post about the two awesome gifts Dennis has given me lately

...to post about Katie's first day of school at a new school

...to post about the blessings of being home again

...and, I will. Soon.