California

We had a great time in California. The highlight of our trip was getting to see Allen and Sarah Gillespie for a little while. They are doing great and Allen seems really exicted about his work with Pepperdine.

Our limo picked us up a the airport and took us to the hotel. Those seminar people really know how to treat their people.

Our bag got to LA about 12 hours after we did...so the first order of the day on Friday morning was to find clean underwear...I always take a backpack with my meds and clean underwear, but this time, I didn't...fortunately, there was a Wal-mart across the street from the hotel so we could walk over and get what we needed. I can wear that outter wear for several days but I gotta have clean underwear! There was also a Starbucks for which we were very grateful...the coffee at the hotel was nasty! The rest of the breakfast was really tasty though. Friday was a very relaxing day...since we didn't have our bag, we didn't feel the need to get up early and pack every sight seeing thing we could into that one day. We went to Downtown Disney and ate at the Rainforest Cafe (photos are on Tim's blog). We had the best coconut shrimp that we have ever eaten there!

On Saturday, Tim went to his training and I laid around and read a novel and visited with Allen and Sarah and then that night a hummer limo picked up me and the other wives and took us to meet out husbands for dinner at the very nice fancy resturant.

On Sunday, the limo took us back to the airport and we had an unevenful flight back to Atlanta but then, we had a seven hour delay in Atlanta because of the weather so instead of getting home at 7:00 it was almost 1:00 am...It was quite interesting...Delta kept chaning our departing time and our departure gate...we're supposed to go to another seminar in Tampa this weekend...hope the travel will be less trouble free but I will be taking my backpack with my meds and clean underwear on the plane with me this time!

OK, I did the Simponizer thing like Beckie and Reagan and Jennifer...I don't know exactly how they came up with this image fromt he photo that I put in because I don't think it looks at all like me...Reagan's looks just like her curly hair...anyway...that's my give in to peer pressure for today!

The Kids are gone

The kids are gone. The house is quiet except for my coughing and blowing my nose (I know - that's probably too much information for most of you, but this cold is driving me crazy and making be feel very unproductive...the medicine I'm taking makes me feel like I have a sack over my head and I don't want to do anything except lay on the couch and sleep...of course, that's what I want to do most of the time anyway...now I just have a real reason to get by with it!)

The search cmmittee told us yesterday that they are essentially starting over with their search for a pulpit minister. None of the 3 they had it worked down to worked out so we'll get to enjoy John Mark Hicks a little longer. If any of you have any great suggestions, let me know.

Tim and I are leaving on Thursday to go to LA, CA for Tim's last training on his Laser equipment. We'll have Friday to play and then he'll be in classes all day Saturday. We're trying to work out getting to do dinner with Allen and Sarah Gillespie on Friday night, The Laser compnay will treat us on Saturday night (as much as that piece of equipment cost, I'm sure that we more than paid for that dinner but anyway it's a nice perk which they do not have to give). We'll be home sometime on Sunday.

Have great week!

Hard time this week

Well, I did ok last week making myself get up and going to work out, but I'm having a hard time getting motivated this week. I have about 11 kids at my house from Michigan this week (all boys) - Leslie has the girls at her house - they are here working with the Raleigh Plant chruch and the Downtown Church for the week and that really has not one thing to do with whether I work out or not but when I really don't want too, one excuse is as good as another!

Mama, Papa Mutt, and Diana were here all day yesterday so I spent the day going to the various doctors with them. It enjoyable getting to visit with them. Mama's Alzeheimier's is getting a little worse each time I see her and it's sad, but she still knows us all and she and Mutt still pick at and cut up with each other and laugh so that's really good! We met Robin and his family at the mall for dinner last night. They all came to have their teeth cleaned yesterday.

Gotta make myself get up and get dressed and go to the store. Leslie and I are making dinner for the kids tonight. It's fun having them here and hearing about their experiences. They are all fascinated by my pineapples and the ledgend of the pineapple.

3 times this week

Well, I worked out three times this week...that means I'm up to 10 minutes...

Tim is seeing a cartiologist today and having a sleep-deprived EEG tomorrow so maybe soon he will be released to fly again soon.

Laura and John got moved to Canada. She called today and said the weather is wonderful - in the 70's with a nice breeze and sunshine. Tim hopes to fly us up there before shcool starts for them in September. I am excited for them. John is doing what he loves - being in the world of acadameia (is that spelling correct?) and Laura is getting ready to apply for PHD programs in French...If you can do what you love and make a living doing it, then you are a blessed person!

We ate lunch with the staff yesterday for some birthdays and Tammy White's boyfriend, Rick, who is also a pilot, joined us...He's trying to talk Tim into buying a new plane...I told him to just go ahead and buy it and I would find more trips to go on...I mean, he's already got his three ski trips planned, so I think I've decided I'm going to Greece next March with my cousins (my nephew, Wil, will be studying in Greece and we'll have to go see him and his favorite Aunt Diana will be forced to go with us), then in May, I will have to go with Beckie and Reagan to Japan to have reunion with Mami (we did a trip to Germany together several years ago) and then in August, Tim will go with me and Leanne and Ed back to Ghana for a mission trip, so 2008 looks to be a busy traveling year for me. And of course, I'll have to go to Canada sometimes in the year to see Laura. Tim will never get to retire...We both like to play toooooooo much!

Exercising

OK, I did it. I got up this morning and joined Bartlett Rec and worked out on the elipital (SP?) machine for a little over 8 minutes. Dr. Cole told me to do 8 minutes for the first week and then build up a minute a week. I think I can build up faster than that, but I'm going to do it as he says because I don't want to hurt my back. I'm thinking maybe if I make it public knowledge on this blog, I'll be too ashamed to not do it at least 4 times a week or more. He actually says I should exercise every day that I eat...maybe I'll have to start fasting some days!

Tim got challenged yesterday at church to get ready to run a half marathon in December so he started running yesterday. He ran 1.7 miles in just a few minutes. I think I got about a third of a mile in 8 minutes this morning...but I did get my heart rate up good....if I do this consistently and don't see any pounds go down on the scales, I will be sorely dissappointed!

a few pics from the cousin's reunion

These are the cousins who showed up...Robin, Diana, Me, Bill, Joyce, Kim, Linda...Bob was there for a while, but he had to leave to go see his girlfriend before we started taking photos,
Mama, Uncle Tom, and Aunt Des - their only other living siblings are Aunt Grace in Maryville and Uncle Aaron in Harrison, AR who weren't able to come.
My brothers and sister.
Kim and her husband, Robbie took a fun drive in Tim's car on those little curvy country roads.
Hope we'll have more cousins to join us next time...we really had a good time catching up! Two of our cousins, Joy and Terri, when to see "the Full Monty" in Little Rock that weekend. I called to see if they still had full vision after the show or if God had struck them blind, but Terri said they could both see alright...at least out of one eye...they were williing to risk one each.

Cousins' Reunion

We had a cousins' reunion with some of the cousins on my mom's side of the family on Saturday, June 30. Only about 7 or 8 of us (out of 20 or so) made it, but those of us who were there had a great time! I was goimg to put some photos on here, but Tim has not had time to down load them to my computer and I have no idea how to do it so I decided I'd write about it any way. We did get one major decision made...We are going to try to go to Greece in March next year if we can find prices that are at all reasonalble - I've been looking, but so far I've not found anything cheap. Wil, ny nephew will be studying in Greece in the spring, so we'll get to see him, too, and it'll make the trip even better.

My cousin, Joyce, has a cabin on the Tennessee River. We all met there for the day and everyone had a great time playing in the water and on the "ski doos" (I think is what you call them) and riding the pontoon (sp?) boat and eating and laughing. It was great fun! We missed the ones who weren't there and hope they can join us next time. It's so much more fun to get together when we aren't there for a funeral, which is when most families come together it seems...now I'm trying to get on in the works for the Skelton side of my family for next summer.

That day started our July 4th celebrations and we've had two more since then,,,Tuesday night, we were with Ed and Leanne Braddock-Cookenham, who live on the lake over which they shoot of the Bartlett Fireworks. Their back yard was full of friends, Tim and I rode the motocycle over so we could park on the Cookenham's sidewalk. It took us over 30 minutes to get home because of th crowd and we don't live two miles from them! On Wednesday night, we ate with the Gillespies, Jane and Garry Manness and Lynn and Augustine from Ghanna (we're planning to go back there in August 2008 if any one wants to go with us).
We are enjoyng being off the rest of this week-or at least I am...Tim is studying for his ACLS exam.

Beckie called today and said that she would probably be here to spend the night Satuday night. I'm looking forward to that!
Hope you all have had a great 4th. Laura called today on their way from Austin (they'd been to see John's mom) and said it was raining hard on them. Pray they make it home safely. Driving in the rain is not fun! Until next time...