We took the boys and Calvin out for some peachy fun at Fisher's Orchard yesterday. We picked Blake (the orange peaches) and Georgia Belles (the white peaches). We have plenty to go around and will making deliveries this weekend at the beach and in Sumter. We are heading out to Hilton Head to spend the weekend and see Tricia's sister while she is down there with her inlaws.
See ya!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Africa Bound
3 weeks from today, I will be heading back to Africa. We will be in Gabarone, Botswana. I am preparing myself mentally, physically and most importantly, spiritually. Please pray for me and the rest of the mission team. We will be working with some of the poorest children of the region, most orphans from the HIV/AIDS pandemic of sub-Sahara Africa. There is so much to be done but God is in control and it will be because of his plans. I have a meeting with the team in Sumter this weekend and will be heading there on our way home from the beach. So, pray for focus and clarity of mission for us and a daily prayer of protection for us. I plan to use this blog as a means of daily updates from the field for all on the team. The details will be forthcoming. Thanks in advance for all the support and encouragment.
See ya!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Indy Jones and Keller's Love for Rubber
Well, as promised I thought I would write something about the Indiana Jones movie we saw last Saturday; but, I just can't seem to think of much to say. I never thought we would see another one but cash talks and integrity walks. I always find myself unable to suspend my disbelief with these movies and this one was even worse. It was like all the Spielberg action movies rolled into one. I noticed parts of Back to Future, Star Wars, ET... you name it. It was fun but I felt like I seen it all before and some of the action scenes (cars and guns) went on way too long. The boys enjoyed it and it was timely for us as we just finished watching the first 3 over the last couple of family movie nights. Our neighbor, Calvin, went with us too. He and the boys are now hanging out again and having fun wrapping up the last remains of summer 2008. So, back to the movie. It would have made a nice DVD night but I felt a little jipped on the $35 I spent for tickets and popcorn. Oh well.
The rain barrel I was so proud of? Keller is too. He thought he would help size my drain hose to the proper length by chewing it into pieces. Regardless that I have hose all over the yard in different places. He thought I needed to make some adjustments on the drainage from the overflow for the barrel. What a smart puppy! As long as he leaves the others alone, I can live with the short pieces of hose. Well, my break is over!
See ya!
The rain barrel I was so proud of? Keller is too. He thought he would help size my drain hose to the proper length by chewing it into pieces. Regardless that I have hose all over the yard in different places. He thought I needed to make some adjustments on the drainage from the overflow for the barrel. What a smart puppy! As long as he leaves the others alone, I can live with the short pieces of hose. Well, my break is over!
See ya!
Happy Birthday Mom!
Yesterday was my sister Amy's birthday. Today is my Mom's birthday. My Mom is not only a great grandmother (aka "Nana") but also a great Mother, Sister and wife. She somehow raised 4 kids as a working single mother without killing one of us or abusing alcohol or drugs (or at least hid it from us very well :-) ). Working night shift, evening shift, and day shift as a nurse at Tuomey with 4 kids must have been unreal but somehow she kept it all together. She attributes a lot to prayers, church and her large circle of brothers and sisters. She's a tough farm girl and taught me a great work ethic and set me on the path of salvation many years ago.
She is now enjoying her retirement from Tuomey but still is a nurse to Pete, her brothers, sisters, inlaws and extended family. She has a genuine concern for others and will let you know about it too! We love her for your many acts of service and support. So, here's to you Mom on your last birthday in the 60's! You look great and we hope you have many more to celebrate in the future. I owe a great deal to you and hope that we always make you proud.
With Love, your Son
She is now enjoying her retirement from Tuomey but still is a nurse to Pete, her brothers, sisters, inlaws and extended family. She has a genuine concern for others and will let you know about it too! We love her for your many acts of service and support. So, here's to you Mom on your last birthday in the 60's! You look great and we hope you have many more to celebrate in the future. I owe a great deal to you and hope that we always make you proud.
With Love, your Son
Sunday, August 3, 2008
My Rain Barrel
I finally have some rain in my rain barrel to work with. We have had a few storms in the last week, one of which knocked a huge limb out of a tree. That huge limb crashed on our fence and tore a few of the boards loose, actually it ripped them into shreds. The support beams are fine so I just need to get the 4 boards replaced. The winds actually picked up the dog pen my neighbor has and lifted it clear over the 6 feet of privacy fence, completely clearing the fence and putting it in the woods behind the yard. The paper reported 65 mile/hour winds. It looked like a tornado had hit the neighborhood when we came home from the Indiana Jones movie. We didn't see the real damage until this morning.
Ok, back to the rain barrel. I have had been able to water all my trees, plants and transplanted grass with no problem with my rain barrel supply. It gets supply right of the gutter drain that I rigged into the top. It has a mosquito net on the top too. I have the overflow going out of the hose you see at the top and I put it on some cement blocks to allow me to easily get my water jug under the spigot on the bottom. One of the coolest things is that this is actually a recycled pickle barrel that was rigged to be a rain barrel by someone with Upstate Forever. It's also helping me with the rain drainoff that is eroding part of my yard back there too. So, for $50 I am saving more than money on the water for my trees and plants. Just wanted to share with you the happenings in the backyard at the homestead. I might try to put together my thoughts on the Indiana Jones movie tomorrow. Tricia and I are working on the budget tonight, so pray for us!!!
See ya!
Friday, August 1, 2008
Carowinds
We had such an awesome day yesterday at Carowinds with my sister Amy and her friend Katelyn. This was Dylan's first trip to Carowinds and Miles' second trip. We took Miles a few years back and he has been talkin' it up to Dylan ever since. I'm pretty sure it lived up to his expectations. Dylan yelled "That was awesome!!!" several times yesterday. He has had a great birthday week with camp and Carowinds.
My favorite ride yesterday were the After Burn which will forever be known as Top Gun regardless of who owns Carowinds. That's a very fast ride and so smooth. I like it much better than the Borg, now known as the Nighthawk. I don't really care for laying down on a rollercoaster like the Nighthawk and the line to get on that ride was not worth the extra wait. The crowd was thin yesterday and the rain that came later in the afternoon made it even thinner. We were able to do just about everything but the log ride which needed some repairs. I also enjoyed the Drop Zone or whatever they call it. You basically go up, way up, and then drop down as fast as you can without crashing into the ground. It's a fun, smooth drop. Miles braved that one with me too. Tricia rode a good many rides, most with her eyes closed. She was on full safety patrol mode yesterday too. So, we had at least 1 parent in the group :-) I also enjoyed the Scream Weaver which is a wheel with car/compartments that you ride in. The wheel spins and then changes axis to spin you vertically. You get the full G force effect from the centrifugal force. It's an awesome ride with your eyes closed and hands to the side, like the swings on steroids.
It's pure joy to ride with Miles and Dylan on these rides. It's worth all the hassles of the drive, the lines and the ridiculous food prices to yell and scream in delight with my sons on a day when we forget the world and just have fun. We are hoping to catch the new Indiana Jones movie sometime this weekend to continue the fun! More later!
See ya!
My favorite ride yesterday were the After Burn which will forever be known as Top Gun regardless of who owns Carowinds. That's a very fast ride and so smooth. I like it much better than the Borg, now known as the Nighthawk. I don't really care for laying down on a rollercoaster like the Nighthawk and the line to get on that ride was not worth the extra wait. The crowd was thin yesterday and the rain that came later in the afternoon made it even thinner. We were able to do just about everything but the log ride which needed some repairs. I also enjoyed the Drop Zone or whatever they call it. You basically go up, way up, and then drop down as fast as you can without crashing into the ground. It's a fun, smooth drop. Miles braved that one with me too. Tricia rode a good many rides, most with her eyes closed. She was on full safety patrol mode yesterday too. So, we had at least 1 parent in the group :-) I also enjoyed the Scream Weaver which is a wheel with car/compartments that you ride in. The wheel spins and then changes axis to spin you vertically. You get the full G force effect from the centrifugal force. It's an awesome ride with your eyes closed and hands to the side, like the swings on steroids.
It's pure joy to ride with Miles and Dylan on these rides. It's worth all the hassles of the drive, the lines and the ridiculous food prices to yell and scream in delight with my sons on a day when we forget the world and just have fun. We are hoping to catch the new Indiana Jones movie sometime this weekend to continue the fun! More later!
See ya!
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