Megie's Musings

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2008-08-26T11:49:00.000-04:00

HEY GUYS-

THIS HAS BEEN FUN.

THE END...................

Request

2008-08-20T10:56:00.003-04:00

Hey guys- Please remember Ronnie in your prayers today.

Last night while at a restaurant in Georgia, his truck was broken into and his GPS and all of the equipment he uses for his job was stolen. Valued at $10,000.00.
Of course everything was insured and will be replaced.He also had to reschedule the two jobs he had in Georgia this morning.

He's on his way home, angry and very dejected. What's so funny, the police didn't come out and make a report, Ronnie had to go to the station and file one!! What's up with that? I thought they had to come out?

I hear him pulling in so I will go.

Thanks guys.

Tomorrow is the BIG DAY!!

2008-08-18T10:53:00.003-04:00

It's so hard to believe but, tomorrow is the first day of school. Meredith is beginning to be excited. She has all of her binders filled with paper and marked with the subject she'll be using them for. Her pocket folders match her subject binders (designer school supplies) and every zippered compartment in her bookbag is filled with everything she needs for the 8th grade.

Please remember each student, every teacher and everyone associated with our educational system. Please pray for a safe year (NO BULLIES) and a wonderful year of teaching and learning and growing. Pray God's blessings on each family and that some parents will see the need for becoming more involved with their child's education.

I'm really excited about our new Wednesday night services coming up on the 27th. No more getting home at 10:00 pm with a sleepy girl who has to get up early the next morning. I'm really excited about what's happening at AMRBC.

Remember Meredith and her soccer season that's coming up in September. Remember all of the after school activites that will be going on. The days are so busy during the school year with, school, homework, church and other activities going on.

Pray for Ronnie this week. He's traveling again for most of this week so, he'll miss the first day of school. He missed her first soccer practice last week but thankfully he's always home on the week-ends.

Also keep Justin in your prayers. He's had a couple of job interviews and he's mailed his resume out to several places. Nothing yet but, we're still praying.

Continue to pray for Mama's house to sell. We're getting down to a very critical point for her financially and she really needs to sell.

I'm hoping to hear from my disability very soon. It's been over three years and it's been rough. Physically and financially as well.

I'm closing with a list of a few very special people who really need your prayers, my CaringBridge buddies. I love these people so much and they are very important to me.

Jaxon Burns-Connor Bowden-Nicholas Deyo-Andrew Kirby-Chelsey Mitchell-Austin Scott-Brook Waddle.

Thanks guys for all of your love and encouragement. You all mean the world to me and I love you all.

Have a Blessed week.

It's Official

2008-08-13T23:44:00.005-04:00

Meredith is an eighth grader!! We got up early this morning, had breakfast, dressed, curled her hair (picture day) and called Daddy (he's in Texas) while riding down the rode this rainy morning.

When we arrived at 8:03am, the parking lot was already filled. We stood in the correct lines, filled out the necessary papers, received Meredith's schedule, paid our fees and then went to have her picture made and meet her teachers.

Along the way I noticed something. The boys from last year are much taller and have really filled out. Some of the girls from last year are a little taller, their hair is longer and they have filled out some also.

What really caught my attention is that some of the girls have started trying to wear make-up. I say "trying to wear" because a few of them had on so much mascara they could hardly open their eyes. Their lashes were actually sticking together!! I promise you, one girl had false eyelashes on and so much eye shadow, that she looked like a peacock.

Meredith informed me that these young ladies were the "popular" girls. I told her they weren't popular,they looked like a circus act. I explained to her that people weren't looking at them because they're pretty but, because they're funny looking.

She said I was mean and maybe I was, a little, well.., maybe a lot. I told her that there is nothing wrong with wearing a little make-up, if it's applied properly. I told her what is most important is who you are on the inside. It's fine to make yourself attractive but it's not okay to make yourself someone you're not.

I'm not so sure what kind of journey this year will take us on but, this I know. Meredith Wall will be proud of who she is and will stand firm in her beliefs. She'll be able to meet the world with her head held high and her eyes wide open.

On the other hand, the peacock will be so busy trying to pry her clumped up eye lashes open that the world may just pass her by. Popular my foot!! Wringling Brothers should be so lucky.

Catching Up

2008-08-12T11:12:00.005-04:00

My goodness, I didn't realize that it had been so long since I had blogged. Have you missed me?

I'm still not caught up from the beach and as you know we were gone another few days after that. We've been up at Mama's cleaning out closets! We reduced three closets down to one this past Saturday. I knew that selling her house and packing things up would be hard for Mama but I just never realized how hard.

Mama is a worrier and she is so emotional. She has been doing better about not crying so much about Daddy but, bless her, everything is such a drama. Of course, we're packing up fifty one happy years of marriage, three children, six grands and one great-grand so I guess she has every right to be emotional.

Ronnie has told her she can bring anything with her to make her more comfortable here as long as it's not blue, a duck or makes noise. The other night she said something about bringing her birdhouses that she has hanging in her kitchen and Ronnie said "NO, it doesn't match our decor!" Don't forget that I call Ronnie, Emeril Stewart Villa and around here what he says goes.

Talk about stubborn vs stubborn, that's what I have on my hands and as usual I'm the peacekeeper. That's not an easy job with those two.

Keep all of us in your prayers. continue to remember to pray that Mama's house will sell SOON!! I think we're having an open house in a couple of weeks, hopefully that will generate a lot of interest and valid offers.

I register Sis tomorrow for the eighth grade. She is ready as far as clothes and supplies go but, she's also a little nervous. Please pray that she doesn't have to deal with bullies and the obnoxious boys and girls she had to deal with last year. We ran into one of the bullies at the beach and Ronnie told him.., "Boy, I better not have to come up to that school again." I hope that warning scared him enough to leave Meredith alone.

Please pray for Justin. He is actively seeking a new job, hopefully something where he can use his degree. He has tried so hard to work for his Dad but, he needs to get away from there. There's a long story and an even longer history there. Just pray that Justin finds something very soon.

I can't believe that summer is quickly fading and pretty soon we'll be tearing down our deck and pool to make room for Mama's new addition. I'm going to swim as much as I can before we officially close it down for good.

Our three dogs are doing very well. In fact the girls (Callie Rose and Sophia) are in here with me now. Oh, here comes Odie to visit too. They are just too precious.

Hey Kevin, tell Shelley to give me a call and maybe she can help me with a new blog page.

My love to all. Take care.

All Is Well

2008-07-31T15:27:00.006-04:00

Just wanted to let you know that Mom's procedure was a success. I called my sister at 9:30am on Monday and she said that it had only taken 5 minutes. Mom's doctor is very pleased and she can already tell a big difference in the way she feels. Thank the Lord for prayers answered and thank all of you for remembering her.

Please don't forget to continue to pray that her house will sell soon so we can get things started here.

Miss Shopping Diva spent all of her birthday money while we were gone. We went to so many places this week, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio and then back to Tennessee. We found a mall in Knoxville and she hit all of the stores. So she is set for school, with the exception of a few school supplies.

I even got to shop at Bath and Body Works! I've never been in that place before but I have always enjoyed the things from there, candles and hand soaps. So, I bought some good smelling hand soaps and two cinnamon candles. I love the smell of cinnamon, it makes me think of yummy, gooey cinnamon rolls with icing.

I guess this will be our last adventure for the summer. We have had so much fun traveling with Ronnie and visiting so many different places. While we were in Kentucky, I visited with my friend Pam and we had dinner on the river front. She has visited AMRBC with us a couple of times and she just loves our choir.

I told Meredith that she can go back to school this year and tell everyone that she is a well-traveled young lady. With the choir tour to D.C. and then the business trip with her dad this week, she has seen quite a few places this summer.

Speaking of school, it's right around the corner so, we need to be much in prayer for our students and school faculty. Pray for their safety and pray that this year will be a wonderful time of learning and growing.

My four-legged babies were sure glad to see us and Justin is glad we're home too. So, I'll go unpack again and throw some laundry in.

Prayer Request

2008-07-27T17:53:00.003-04:00

Hey guys- Please remember my Mom in the morning (Monday the 28th). She is going in to have her heart "shocked" back into rhythm. When she was in a coma at Christmas time they had to adjust her rhythm because she was struggling and fighting so hard.

I've been told that this is a routine procedure and she should be fine. However, I will not be able to be with her. We had already made plans, in advance, to be out of town until Thursday (Summer is winding down).

Of course my sister and brother will be with her and I know she will be in good hands.

Also remember to keep praying that her house sells. Once she gets her energy back and begins to feel better, I know that her moving in up here will be a very good thing for her.

I'll be off-line until Thursday. I will let you know then how things went. You can call her at 864-578-6624 and check on her if you want. She would really like that.

Thanks guys.

Love ya.

HAPPY 13th BIRTHDAY MISS MEREDITH WALL

2008-07-24T19:01:00.004-04:00

Actually, Meredith's birthday was this past Sunday, the 20th but, we're having an all out beach bash with five teenage girls and one little girl who is not too far behind.

When I think about the fact that my baby girl is 13 years old my eyes fill with tears.

Tears of thankfulness to our Heavenly Father for giving me such a beautiful baby girl. I was 41 years old when this little beauty was born and sometimes I still question God on the timing. She is a wonderful, loving, helpful young lady but, she's still a girl child with an attitude. God does have a sense of humor and I know that Meredith and I have given Him lots to laugh about over the last 13 years.

Tears of joy for the special little girl she is and the joy and happiness she has brought to our lives. Many of you know that Sis is very quiet and shy but, oh my goodness, she can talk a blue streak at home. She's funny too.

Tears of excitement because she has entered into a new phase of her life. I would love to be able to live my younger years over, knowing what I know now. I wrote in Meredith's birthday card, "Life is what you make it. Look for the positive. Set your goals high, dream big and go for it." I only wish that someone had told me that.

Tears of anxiety for the many things that our teens are faced with. There is so much available to our children now and without the proper guidance, many of our young people fall prey to the pressures. I can honestly say that Meredith is a very cautious person and she is strong in her faith. She does stand up for what is right and for what she believes in.

Tears of anticipation to what the future holds for her. Before either of my children were born I prayed for their futures. I asked God to guide them and bless their education, their careers and their future mates. Right now, Meredith is not into boys but, I know one day the right young man will come along and she will fall head over heels. However, this young man will have to be a very special person. He will have to be a young man of God, smart, well-mannered, ambitious and courageous. I put that last part in because this special young man will have Ronnie Wall for a father-in-law. Lord, bless him.

I'm asking all of you to say a very special prayer for my children, Justin and Meredith. Lord love them, they are two incredible kids in spite of their parents.

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISS MEREDITH McKENZIE WALL!! I LOVE YOU MY BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER AND THANK MY GOD ABOVE EVERY DAY FOR GIVING YOU TO ME.

Safe and Sound

2008-07-19T17:50:00.002-04:00

We arrived home from the beach safe and sound at 9:30 this morning.

We had a wonderful two weeks but, I am glad to be home.

There were 319 e-mails waiting for me so I will have lots of reading and catching up to do.

Will catch up with you ASAP.

HAPPY JULY 4TH AND VACATION NOTICE

2008-07-01T17:16:00.002-04:00

HEY GUYS-

JUST WANTED TO WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY AND SAFE JULY 4TH.

ALSO, BEGINNING JULY 5TH THROUGH JULY 19TH, WE WILL BE ON VACATION AT OCEAN LAKES.
TAKE CARE AND REMEMBER US IN YOUR PRAYERS. I SHOULD BE BACK ON-LINE JULY 21ST.

LOVE YA

THE POWER OF PRAYER

2008-06-28T14:05:00.006-04:00

This is the scariest election we as Christians have ever faced and from the looks of the polls, the Christians aren't voting Christian values. We all need to be on our knees!

Do you believe we can take God at His word? Call upon His name, then stand back and watch His wonders to behold. This scripture gives us, as Christians, ownership of this land and the ability to call upon God to heal it. I challenge you to do so. We have never been more desperate than now for God to heal our land. This election is the scariest I remember in my lifetime.

II Chronicles 7:14: "If my people, which are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

During WWII, there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every night at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace. This had an amazing effect as bombing stopped.

There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America. The United States of America and our citizens need prayer more than ever!!!

If you would like to participate: Every day, stop whatever you are doing and spend at least one minute, praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, for peace in the world, the up-coming election, that the Bible will remain the basis for the laws governing our land and that Christianity will grow in the U.S.

Someone said if people really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have.

Do this at least for the sake of our future generations.

Thanks

Choir Tour

2008-06-26T14:07:00.003-04:00

Please remember our Youth Choir and leaders as the travel to Washington, D.C.

They will be leaving from the CLC at 12:00 noon tomorrow the 27th.

They will be singing at various locations and at several of the monuments. They also are scheduled to sing the National Anthem at a very special event in front of thousands of people. They have worked so hard for this.

Please ask God to give them safety and protection as they travel and also remember the parents who will be sending their babies off for a week.

When Meredith gets back on July 3rd, we will have just enough time to do her laundry before we head out for the beach for 2 weeks but, that's another post.

To The Special People In My Life

2008-06-25T11:21:00.005-04:00

Sometimes in among all of the garbage that we receive in our e-mail boxes, a jewel will appear. Something special, from someone special, that just takes your heart. A cousin of mine sent this to me this week and I thought it was special enough to share with you.

I Wrote Your Name

I wrote your name on a piece of paper, but by accident I threw it away.

I wrote your name on my hand, but it washed away.

I wrote your name in the sand, but the waves whispered it away.

I wrote your name in my heart, and forever it will stay.

I'm reminded of our Lord Jesus Christ who gave the ultimate sacrifice for each of us. HE gave His life so we may have life. He forever wrote our names in His heart.

A retraction

2008-06-16T13:34:00.002-04:00

It seems that I insulted Mr. and Miss Wall with the "pig" statement in my earlier blog posting.

They also informed me that I'm living in a fantasy land if I think that Justin is neater. They told me to check out his truck.

My most humble apologies to the injured parties.

Cleaning Out

2008-06-16T05:02:00.004-04:00

You know, it's amazing the things we collect over the years. Not only what we collect but, where we store it. Closets, drawers, attics, under beds and in the basement (our's is actually a crawl space).

As I have mentioned in previous postings, Ronnie does love a project and, during these projects we do clean things out. We have been known to say, "Let's not clean the kitchen, let's tear the old one out and put in a new one!" We don't need a new kitchen at the moment so, I guess we had better clean up the dishes that are piled in the sink. We really do believe in Sundays being a day of rest and, after singing in (3) services, that's usually what we do on Sunday afternoons.

With Mama selling her house and moving in, we have to clear out some space to store her things while the new addition is being built. Because she will be sharing a bedroom with Meredith for awhile, we have started in Sissy Wall's room.

Meredith is her Father's child and, in addition to being his dead-ringer look alike, she also has his knack for being messy. "Pig" is the word that I use to describe the both of them on many, many occasions. Both of my parents were OC and I was raised in a spotless environment. When we would go to visit other people, I was shocked at how messy some people live. Messy meaning, there is actually trash in the garbage cans. I'm also OC and this has caused lots of problems over the years. Justin is not actually OC but, he is neat. Unfortunately, because of my health issues, I have had to realign my entire way of life and, resign myself to the fact that I can't do the things I once could. Because I have to rely on my family to do for me at certain times, I have to be satisified with the way it's done or not done. This means, I usually go to the bathroom and have a good cry.

I digress. Last week we began to clear out Meredith's closets and drawers. Making stacks and stacks of clothes that fit, don't fit or are unfit. Some things in her closet still had the price tags on them. These were mostly Christmas or birthday gifts from well-meaning relatives and, consisted of dresses with frills and ribbons and bows. Sis is like me in that department, she's just not a ribbons and bows kind of gal.

Also, we had a veritable hodge-podge of various toys, games and dolls. As Ronnie and I sat among the "collection" he, in a red slouch hat pulled way down over his ears and me with white bunny slippers and cowboy hat, we realized that our baby girl is growing up. We looked around at the baby dolls and Barbie dolls, dollhouse and stuffed animals and, we saw the many stages of her life. In the back of the closet were the baby dolls; Ellen, Max, Joey, Emma and the twins and, their nursery items like, cribs, strollers and high-chairs.

We opened up storage bins to reveal Barbie and Ken and their many wardrobe changes. Clothes for work and church and a day at the beach. There was also Ken and Barbie's motor-coach, their van and their dream home. Man, they live like royalty and they don't even have jobs. Sounds like a soap-opera.

Closer to the front of the closet, are her DVD player, her DVD's, soccer stuff, I-pod and various other gadgets that "everybody" has now. I never have figured out who "everybody" is but, they have to have jobs to pay for all of this stuff. Of course we had to clean out papers and stubby, pointless pencils and broken crayons. All of this cleaning out to make room for Nana and the next phase of Meredith's life.

As I sit here, in Ronnie's home office, I'm looking at (3) huge bags of clothes and one basket of shoes that we're passing down to my cousin's girls and to Good Will. We have already taken the doll strollers, high chairs and other "baby doll" things to Good Will.

It's kind of bittersweet, you know? That little girl, who looked exactly like her Daddy in a pink hat, is almost as tall as I am now and wears the same size shoes. She's growing up guys and, even though I have already been through this with Justin, it still makes me want to cry. This is my sweet, baby girl, who will be a teen-ager in July. The precious little girl that I use to rock in my arms and sing to, will be in the 8th grade next year. Where did all the time go?

We have to make every minute count, cause in the blink of an eye, they've gone from baby dolls to cell phones. From tea-parties to sleep-overs. From cute little sandals to soccer boots and shin-guards. Hold on to your hats guys, cause we're in for a ride. I really think everyone should have a girl, they are indeed a "special" creation.

Oh, by the way, I kept the bunny slippers and cowboy hat. Ronnie didn't say but, the red slouch hat wasn't in the Good Will pile either........??

It's Official

2008-06-11T20:37:00.003-04:00

Mama is selling her house. My cousin, Steve, the realtor, came out yesterday afternoon and put up the 'For Sale' signs. We didn't realize that our neighbors across Sandy Ford from us are selling their house too.

Ronnie and Meredith went up to Mom's today and worked on some little things that needed paint and repair in order for the sale to go quickly.

We're excited about having Mama here and as I said before, it will be less taxing on me physically but, it breaks my heart to know that she's selling their dream home. When Cookie sold her house (next door to me and in between our house and Mom's) we were very fortunate to get a really sweet couple and their little baby boy as neighbors. We're praying that whoever buys Mama's house will be good neighbors too. The only requirement is, to love our dogs, especially Callie Rose, who has had the run of the place for the past 11 years. Jeff and Mindy (next door) love all of our dogs and Parker (their baby) adores Callie.

I ask for your prayers and thank you for your friendship.

Don't forget to comment here or on my e-mail.

VOTE

2008-06-10T14:29:00.003-04:00

Hey guys- just wanted to remind any of you that haven't voted yet, to do so. Please don't think that your vote doesn't matter because, it does.

It is our right to express our opinions and vote for the candidate that we feel is the most qualified. I will admit, there have been many cases where this hasn't happened but, we still need to vote.

This is a honor that we as Christian Americans have because, our soldiers have always and will always fight for that freedom of choice. We owe it to them, the men and women you have and are fighting and dying for our country, to get out and vote.

Please continue to pray for our soldiers. Continue to pray that we will put into office, men and women, who love the Lord and love this country.

'Lord, please hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Lord be with our government and the leaders of this great nation. Bring them all to their knees and back to the principals that our nation was founded on. In Jesus' name, Amen.'

Up-to-date

2008-06-05T12:49:00.008-04:00

Meredith got her report card in the mail yesterday. Bless her heart, she's been checking the mail twice a day now since school let out. I am proud to report that Meredith McKenzie Wall will be an 8th grader next fall! There was never any doubt in my mind but, she was worried. She missed having all A's on her report card by 1 point! We are so proud of her. As I've said before, we've been blessed with two outstanding kids. They have always made good grades and have never given us any trouble. Justin was always on the Dean's list at Community and they both have always been on the honor roll. Of course, you know they get their brains and their beauty from their Mother!

To up-date you on Mom's move. She is very excited and a little sad. She doesn't want to sell her home because this was their dream house. A big ol house with a big ol yard for the grands and great-grands to come and run and play. Every room is filled with my Daddy's touch. It's going to be a bittersweet time for her when she walks out that door for the last time.

Ronnie has the plans all drawn out and she is very pleased. He told her that this is her home too and that we are going to do everything to make this move as comfortable and pleasant as possible. Ronnie is going to incorporate as much of Mama's personal touch and her special things from her life with Daddy as possible. Don't let Ronnie's gruff exterior fool you. Although he can be a BIG BEAR and very difficult to deal with at times, he still has a soft spot and, of course he loves a project.

Of course that will mean that we will be living in a dusty mess again. We have been in this house for 14 years (June 3rd) and we have re-done our kitchen 3 or 4 times and have added a Master suite addition and a hobby room/exercise addition. You can tell by looking at us that the exercise room gets the least attention.

My pool and deck will be coming down the day after Labor Day. That's when we close it anyway but, it's coming down for the new addition.

We sat the kids down the other night and told them what we expect from them. Having Mama here will be less taxing on me physically, I won't be running back and forth but, we are going to need them to step up and assume a little more responsibility. They are in total agreement that this is the best thing and even Jordan, Justin's girlfriend, said that she would be willing to help out too.

We can definately see the hand of God in this decision and we know that if it's His will then He will provide.

We ask for your continued prayers on our little home, which will now include one more. The Lord gave me a second chance with my Mom and I intend to take advantage of every moment possible. She's even talking about going camping with us!! How cool is that?

Thanks for being my friends and for being so much a part of my life. I love you guys.

Big Decision

2008-06-01T21:09:00.002-04:00

Hey guys- Just wanted you to know that Mama has made the decision to sell her house and move in with us.

Ronnie will eventually build a Mother-in-law suite but, while construction is going on, Mama and Meredith will be sharing a room.

Please pray for Mama's peace of mind and that everyone will adjust.

Thanks-

May 30, 1986

2008-05-30T11:30:00.004-04:00

On this special day, twenty-two years ago..., my first child was born. After many many years of surgeries, medications, doctors and the heartbreak of being told I would never have children.., the Lord let everyone know who is in charge.

I was thrilled beyond any words and so was Dr. Lanford. When he confirmed that I was indeed pregnant, we both laughed, hugged and cried. I was going to be a Mommy.

My special craving with Justin was "Frosted Flakes." I would get up in the middle of the night, sit cross-legged on the couch and eat a big ol "Jethro" bowl full of Frosted Flakes.

At 8:11 am on Friday, May 30th, 1986..., Justin Defoye Horton was born. Weighing in at seven pounds fifteen and one half ounces and was twenty-one inches long. He had brown hair with a little reddish tint and the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen (he still does).

I can still feel that joy and the fast beating of my heart when the nurse brought him through the door, all swaddled in a white blanket with blue and pink stripes. I breathed the words, "My baby."

These past twenty-two years have been absolutely amazing. He is a wonderful, loving young man who still loves to kiss and hug his "Mom." I am so proud of this young man and it has been my honor to be chosen as his Mother.

Thank you Lord, for this very incredible gift that you have given me..., my son.

Happy 22nd birthday Justin. I love you more than I could ever say. I pray God's blessing on your life as you continue to walk this journey.

Favorite Smells....,

2008-05-20T08:26:00.003-04:00

I just finished one of those survey things that people send you. The ones where people are trying to find out more about you. I can't help myself, I just love those. It reminds me of the "Slam" books that we use to pass around in Junior High. Does anybody remember those? You'd sign your name by a certain number in the front of the book and then you would make your comments about people and leave your number underneath. Kids at that age could be so mean!

Anyway, one of the questions on this little survey was; "What is your favorite smell?" I'm going to get you guys to write on my blog page one way or another, so here goes.

1. Freshly ground coffee
2. Fresh cut grass
3. Clean baby
4. Clean sheets
5. Cinnamon toast
6. Cherry pipe tobacco (*)

You don't have to leave a certain number of answers, just let me hear from you. It gets lonely out here.

(*) I have asthma and I really can't inhale the smoke but, I do love to smell cherry pipe tobacco, a cigar and a freshly lit cigarette. They bring back good childhood memories.

You can also leave your answers on my e-mail:
megiewall@bellsouth.net

Hidy-Ho

2008-05-17T15:45:00.003-04:00

Hi guys! I'm back on-line. Just had a few things to catch up on. I'm so glad you missed me.

Meredith finished up her Spring soccer season this morning. Not a good season but, she had fun and she gave as good as she got. She's playing with much older girls who are stronger and bigger so, they feel they can have a shoving match and an elbow or two to the ribs with the younger girls. I looked up twice and Meredith was on the ground one time and then the girl she was covering was on the ground the next. My cousin asked me if Meredith gets fired up when she's angry and I said "Yep." On one of her earlier soccer teams, her coach would ask me if I had made her mad yet? She plays better when she's mad.

Justin is in Virgina with his racing team. It's in his blood, what can I say?

Everything else seems to be about the same on the homefront. My four-legged babies are a hoot and Ronnie is still a pain in the butt. My cousin (Larry) told me this morning that's a "man" thing and Ronnie agreed. He says he loves to pick on me and get me fired up. The thing is, I'm not as cute as Meredith when I'm mad and my B/P goes up and I say really bad words. Why does he do that?

Off-Line

2008-05-13T08:35:00.001-04:00

I'm off-line. Blog you later.

Prayer Request

2008-05-10T15:10:00.002-04:00

Please pray for my niece, Casey and her husband Jott Blackwell. Jott's Mom, Marla Blackwell, was killed in a car accident late Friday night.

Marla was 45 years old and a teacher in Cherokee County. She is survived by her husband, Tim, another son, Josh, a daughter, Angel and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Rolliston.

Thanks guys, you know how much I love you and appreciate your prayers.

7th Grade

2008-05-08T23:51:00.004-04:00

I will be so glad when this school year is over!! I thought last year was bad but, this year takes the cake.

What in the world is wrong with some kids today? They are absolutely horrible and obnoxious. Last year we had to deal with girls "bullying" Meredith. I went to the school twice, talked with the assistant Principal, threatened to sit in class with Meredith for the duration of the school year and make the school a drive through if I had to come back. Problem solved.

Fast forward to Junior High. Ronnie has already been to the school once this year because two boys took Meredith's drink at lunch and drank it. Another boy called her a witch with a "B." Last week, the two boys that had taken her drink at lunch, brought condoms from home and were throwing them around the room. That same week, the boy behind her was making vulgar gestures and rocking her desk back and forth. She got the teacher's attention when she turned around and slapped her hand down on his desk.

Today, a boy took her milk off of her tray and licked the outside of the carton!! The principal gave her another milk and took the boy to the office. What is going on with these boys?? Are they mentally challenged are just idiots? I personally opt for the latter.

We had bullys and obnoxious, vulgar boys who acted like idiots but, we could take matters into our own hands. I cannot tell you how many guys I smacked in the face with a book for making their trashy comments to me. I took great pleasure in making their noses bleed. I admit that I spent some time in the Principal's office but I didn't mind, those idiots boys kept their mouths shut.

In addition to the bullys and the potty mouths, we have a daily drama with the other girls! Every day it's some kind of crisis with these little divas. They're spiteful, hateful and jealous. You have to wear your hair a certain way and buy your clothes at the mall or they make all manner of fun.

I've been through the teen years with a boy and in July, I will start a very difficult journey with a teenaged girl. I already know that having a boy baby is easier that having a girl baby. We kind of breezed through Justin's teen years with very little drama but, I know in my heart of hearts, this is not to be the case with Meredith.

She already thinks she knows more than I do, when it comes to most things. The fact that I am 41 years older than she is may present a problem also. She's really a sweet girl but, she does have her times and, I'm not so sure I have the patience to do this at my age.

I know we'll get there. The road may be a little rough at times but, we'll make it.

In the meantime, please pray that I don't have to go to school again. As much as I would love to take these little snot-nosed boys and, knock their heads around on their shoulders, I must remain calm.

We only have 16 more days left in this school year, surely I can keep from popping one of them for that long. This is why I'm not a teacher.

And a class of 7th grade boys just heaved a collective sigh.

Get a life and quit interrupting mine!!

2008-05-07T11:34:00.003-04:00

Okay, here goes..., telemaketers!! I am so sick of my phone ringing 35 times a day and 33 of the calls are telemarketers. Get a real job! Get a life! I hate the telephone anyway, I only talk on it when it's necessary. I'm an "eye" person, which means I like to look at yours when I'm talking to you.

On the rare ocassion that I answer these telemarketing calls, I try to be polite and listen to them and then when I can get a word in I very politely tell them I'm not interested in more insurance, gutters, siding or carpet cleaning. We have hardwood floors in most of the house so we don't need carpet cleaning.

When you tell them you are not interested, they get inulted and start to argue with you. I've even had them be so rude as to hang up on me just because I told them I don't have termites and have no need of their services.

Yesterday I answered the phone at my Mom's house. The guy asked to speak to "Margaret" and I told him she was unavailable at the moment and could I take a message? He then asked to speak to "Johnny." My reply was, "well sir, it's long distance because my Dad has been in heaven for almost four years." The guy was absolutely speechless, I would have loved to have seen the look on his face. He replied, "oh I'm so sorry." I told him that we miss Daddy but we're very glad that he's in heaven. I suggested that he make a note and from now on, just don't call this number again. I believe he was still stuttering when I hung up.

I have taken to answering the phone with an accent, pretending that I don't really understand English. Some of them don't speak English either so, what we have here is a language barrier. I've also said that the Wall family is on a long extended vacation and I'm just there to water the plants and feed the dogs. I do so hate it when they call in the middle of dinner. As you can tell, I don't like to miss a meal.

Next to driving on the road with total idiots, telemarketers are my very least favorite people. Is there a such thing as "phone rage?" If there is, I have that too.

Sending the word

2008-04-29T11:29:00.002-04:00

I received an e-mail from Bucky this morning. For those of you who don't know our Bucky, he's the wonderful youth Pastor at AMRBC. He said in his e-mail that he has a special burden for our young people and he wants us to pray in earnest for them.

I too have a burden for this great group of people. They are our future America and the country they are to inherit is in sad shape. "Recession" I believe is the word on the news report this morning.

In addition to a floundering country, these young people have so much pressure on them now. I have to admit, things were so much simpler when I was growing up. Of course parents were more involved in their kid's lives. Today, parents have their own agenda and unfortunately in some cases it doesn't include their own children.

Justin will be 22 years old on May 3oth and our little Meredith will be 13 years old on the 20th of July. They are my greatest accomplishment and if I do say so myself, they are great kids. They are mine for a time and it is my responsibility to equip them for the world.

You may be a parent with young babies, teens or even grown children. You may even be a grandparent or have no children at all but today's children are the responsibilty of all of us.

Add this group along with our babies, to your prayer time. They need us and one day, we will need them.

Have a Jesus filled week and remember I love you guys. God bless you all.

Have you ever....?

2008-04-17T16:54:00.003-04:00

Said a prayer for a complete stranger? Someone that just happened to cross your path briefly, maybe you never spoke to them but, you looked into each other's eyes.

Started up a conversation with a complete stranger? I know you guys don't find this surprising at all. My Daddy always said that I could talk to a pole and then pull it up and then talk to the hole. He also said I was born talking. Anyway, have you just started talking to someone you don't know and then before parting ways you ask their name and tell them you're going to say a prayer for them?

You know how much I enjoy sitting on my front porch. I love to look up and the night skies with the moon and twinkling stars that look like little diamonds. Whenever I see an airplane, which is very often because we live in the flight path between GSP and Charlotte, I love to think about the people on board. Who are they? Where did they come from and where are they going? Before they get out of sight, I always ask the Lord to bless thier lives and give them safe passage.

When I was a little girl, as you know, my Daddy was a truck driver. He would be gone for weeks at a time. We could hear his truck coming before we ever saw him. I remember that thrill and how my heart would beat so fast, cause Daddy was coming home. Sometimes he would be home for a week but, sometimes just for a day or two. When he would leave he would pull out and go around the block. We would run the other way and be standing on the other street corner waving when he passed us by. Then we would run back to our front porch and watch him but we would always turn around before he went out of sight. Funny. Lord, how I miss that man and when ever I pass a tractor/trailer or hear that big diesel engine, I'm that little girl again.

There are people who pass through our lives. For just a brief glance or even a conversation. Then there are people in our lives that we love and cherish but even that is for a brief time. We should love and laugh often, because the time we spend together may be gone in an instant. We should always encourage and pray for one another, even the people who make us angry. That's what Jesus would do.

I want each of you to know, how much I love and cherish you. I pray that God will continue to bless you and your families. Thanks for your love and encouragement and for your prayers that have brought me through.

If you're reading this..., leave me a comment. If you'd rather, e-mail me at;

megiewall@bellsouth.net

God Bless you all and make a stranger's day..., speak to them and tell them you'll pray for them. You might be surprised and I know that you'll be blessed.

What to wear??

2008-04-15T09:01:00.006-04:00

As a woman of large proportion (fat-fluffy-dimply-squishy), it's sometimes very difficult to find something to wear. I have many different sizes in my closet. Clothes from 52 pounds ago, clothes worn before I ever gained that 52 pounds. Newer clothes since I lost some weight and then others that I can't really remember ever wearing. Some of them still have the price tags. Ususally in those cases, it's a birthday gift or a Christmas present from a well-meaning relative who's not sure of your size and really doesn't want to insult you by buying the size you really wear. Omar the tent maker sizes.

I hate people who can walk in a department store and pick anything off of the rack and wear it. I have to hold it out and see how far it stretches. I can't wear button-up blouses at all, I prefer the pull over. It seems you have more material that stretches in a pull-over.

Another thing, I absolutely refuse to wear anything clingy!! Why would anybody of ample size want to show off their rolls by wearing something that fits that tightly? If you watch them, they are constantly pulling and tugging. Short skirts and mid-drift tops!! A big no-no for us BIG GALS.

The problem that all of us are having now is, the weather. One day it's in the high 70's and you're wearing short sleeves. The next day it's in the 50's and you've pulled the coats and gloves back out of the closet. When it's in the middle (60's) you wear short sleeves with a coat or shorts with your socks pulled up to your knees and flip flops(Jed).

It wasn't in God's plan for us to have to worry about what to wear. However, Eve had to have a bite of that apple and well, here we are! I'm glad that we don't have to wear fig leaves. I'm not so sure figs have leaves large enough to cover big people do they? I guess that's where you would have to sew two or three together, depending on the look you're going for. Total coverage or a little leg. There's a nudist colony here in Chesnee, red-necks aren't too modest. I've often thought that maybe I could be a nudist but, then I think of all of the people I would send into fits of laughter. I mean side-splitting, pig-snorting, horse laughter. I think I detected a sigh of relief, besides I would have no way to cover up my embarassment. So, I guess I'll just hang around here and wear my gown and socks (my feet get cold).

Life here at 71 Grand Five Drive, Chesnee, SC

2008-04-12T13:45:00.011-04:00

I'm sure that some of you don't have a clue where our road name came from. My Mom and Dad built out here over twenty years ago and they just used the Sandy Ford Road address. That's the name of the main road at the top of our road, just off of Parris Bridge Road. However, when Ronnie and I built here 14 years ago (June) and then Cookie and Pudge built out here 12 years ago (Nov) we decided to name our road. At the time there were only five grand children, hence the name, Grand Five.Our Meredith McKenzie made it six a little over a year later. We've thought several times about changing the name but, now we just say the name represents the five original members of our little family.

Things have settled down a bit since Mama came home. She's adjusting pretty well to being home and she's doing a great job with her therapy. I'm a little worried that she will become inactive and fall into another deep depression. It's a fact that she still needs to build up her strength and her stamina and we are trying our best to encourage her. Please continue to pray for her, that she will have the will-power to get out and get involved when she feels stronger.

Ronnie and I are childless this week-end. Meredith is in Garden City with the youth and, Justin has gone racing for the week-end. They'll both be back tomorrow. We got our showers early this morning and went out for breakfast. We rode around for a little while and now, Ronnie and the pups are watching a murder mystery on TV and I'm blogging. We have a birthday dinner to go to tonight, can't say who it is though. I'm not sure if it's a surprise or not but, better to be safe than sorry.

I've checked in with my CaringBridge buddies this afternoon. Also remember them in your prayers. The Bachman family, still struggling with the loss of their sweet Caylyn and, Jim Berg. He's doing pretty well coping with the loss of his precious wife Barb but, he still feels so lost and lonely without her,especially at night.

I'll list my other buddies so you can call them by name;

Brook Waddle
Chelsey Mitchell
Jaxon Burns
Connor Bowden
Andrew Kirby (my new buddy)
Nicholas Deyo

If you have a chance,you should visit their sites. They are so sweet and so amazing.
The four little guys at the bottom of the list, are very young, like Caylyn was, with the oldest turning 7 years old on April,22nd. Brook is 20 years old and Chelsey is 16 years old. If you have followed my blog you may notice that Meredith Grace Dyar's name is missing from the list above. She's still on my list but, she no longer has cancer!! Praise the Lord. She's the youngest of my buddies (1 year old). Her Mom still posts to up-date us on how well she's doing and how much she's growing. Please don't forget my friend, Jonathan Melton from Care Pages.

Well, that the news from my house. By the way, Callie Rose, Odie and Sophia Belle are doing very well. We had all three of them in here last night during the thunderstorm. The older two mind very well but, the baby (So-So) is a handful.

I pray that your week-end will be safe and happy and Jesus filled. I hope to see most of you at AMRBC tomorrow morning.

If you drop by, leave me a note.

Love to all and God Bless.

Back to Normal

2008-04-05T16:23:00.004-04:00

Actually, I don't even know what normal is. It's certainly not a word that describes me in any kind of way. Spring Break is over and it's back to the regular schedule.

We had a wonderful time this week. First of all, my Mom is home and doing great! She is actually stronger and healthier than she was before. She doesn't quite remember everything that happened and, I'm sure that's a good thing but, she wants to be a blessing to people. She wants to be able to tell them what God has done in her life. He's given her a second chance and she doesn't want to let it pass her by.

Secondly, Meredith and I traveled with Ronnie this week. We put over 1500 miles on my van. We went to Dacatur Alabama and Cottondale, Alabama. While Ronnie was working, Meredith and I went shopping and site seeing. We also slept and watched movies, played ball and ate. We really had so much fun. On the way back home from Alabama, we stopped by Pell City, Alabama to see a friend of mine that I haven't seen in 25 years. His name is Wendell. For those of you who read my blog, I have mentioned him before. He use to work for my Dad (truck driver) and I was the young kid (15 years old) who would check his trip records and write his checks. We became fast friends but somewhere along the years, we lost touch. After my Dad passed away, I knew that Wendell would want to know. So I tracked him down over the internet a year ago and we've been writing back and forth. Ronnie has heard all about Wendell for the past 17 years but, on Wednesday they finally met. Two of my favorite guys in the world.

On Thursday, Meredith and I traveled to Greensboro and Gastonia, NC with Ronnie. Sometimes, if he's not going to be in the plant for very long, we just stay in the car, if security permits. Other times we shop or ride around. On one of the stops, I had to go potty. Now, I am very picky about where I go and I have found that Waffle House has pretty clean restrooms and they are private. My first choice is a Welcome Center but, we were near a Waffle House. Meredith decided that she was staying in the van to watch her DVD so, I locked her in the van, with the keys (both sets) and my cell. She was sitting right in front of the window so I felt she would be safe. As I reached the door, I heard my van door close and looked around and there she stood, right at my shoulder. I asked her..., "Did you lock the door?" Of course she said.., "Yes." There we were in a strange town and the keys were locked in the van.
I couldn't get in touch with Ronnie because my phone was in the van and so were his keys. Now you know my temper, needless to say I had Meredith in tears and my B/P was at stroke level, honestly. She said that a man in one of the booths was looking at her and it scared her and, I said..., "Well guess what? Everybody in here is looking at us now!" Of course the people in Waffle House were sympathetic to Meredith and thought I was some kind of nut. We called a wrecker service and the guy came out, popped the door open and charged me $40.00. While we were locked out, Ronnie had called, in fact, the phone was ringing when I opened the door. I just told him I had something to take care of and I would see him in a minute. He thought I didn't make it to the bathroom on time and I was in need of clean clothes. Then he thought, she backed in to somebody and she's getting a ticket. I drive forward real well but, the backing up is not so easy for me. Anyway, we picked him up and he could see that Meredith was upset. When she told him what had happened, well, let's just say that his tantrum made me look like a wimp.

Anyway, we calmed down and told Sis that we were sorry that we had lost our temper and she said she was sorry for being silly and a wimp. We kissed and hugged and made up and the rest of the day was great.

All in all, it was a good week except now, Ronnie is sick. He told Meredith it was because he had to stand outside in the cold while the wrecker guy unlocked our van.

I'm glad that summer is just around the corner and we will be travelling some more with Ronnie. We're planning to go back to Alabama to spend a little more time with Wendell. No matter where we go, I will have my keys and my cell with me at all times and Meredith will just have to go to the potty with me.

PRAISE THE LORD!!

2008-03-25T12:11:00.003-04:00

WONDERFUL NEWS! MAMA IS FINALLY COMING HOME AFTER BEING IN THE HOSPITAL FOR OVER 3 MONTHS!! SHE IS SO EXCITED BLESS HER HEART! PLEASE KEEP HER IN YOUR PRAYERS AND THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT DURING THIS TIME. I LOVE YOU.

Hello..., it's me

2008-03-18T10:12:00.002-04:00

Good morning! I'm still recovering from Sunday. Physically, I'm exhausted but sprirtually, I'm still filled with the wonder of it all. Jesus was there in all of the services on Sunday. I could feel His special touch as we sang each song and bowed our heads in prayer. During the sermon I could hear Him saying..., "I love you
and I did this for you." He suffered and died for all of us because He loves us. We are not worthy of such love and sacrifice. We are like the dirty laundry that Mattie spoke about in his blog. We should have been cast aside but Jesus said.., "I'll go."
"Hallelujah For The Cross." "Had It Not Been For A Hill Called Mount Calvary. Had It Not Been For A Man Called Jesus, Then Forever My Soul Would Be Lost." Every day that the Lord gives us should be a time of praise and worship and a time that we should reach out and love others.

I'm so looking forward to Sunday. It's a time of celebration. Our Lord arose from the dead and "HE LIVES!!" "Becasue HE LIVES, I can face tomorrow."

Continue to remember the Bachman family as they deal with the loss of precious Caylyn. Remember Barb and Jim Berg as the days quickly lead to the end of Barb's suffering and Jim's struggle with life without her. Please pray for all of my CaringBridge buddies and their precious families.

The days are getting closer to our bringing Mama home! This Sunday we will be having a special Easter celebration at my niece's home and Mama will be there. She is doing great, getting stronger and more mobile every day. Please continue to lift her up in your prayers. Rose Crest- Room 202B- telephone # 599-1716.

Thanks for keeping me close to your hearts. In my mind, I still feel young but, for whatever reason, my body just doesn't want to cooperate. I love you guys so much and appreciate your friendship and love and your prayers. You are such a special group of friends and I am so blessed to have you be a part of my life.

Have a great week!!

Prayer Requests

2008-03-12T18:42:00.002-04:00

I just found out this afternoon that one of my CaringBridge babies passed away. Her name is Caylyn Bachman. She was my little six year old that had lukemia. Please remember her parents, Cathy and Tully and her brother, Evan. Barb Berg is still very very critical also so, please remember her and husband, Jim. Please pray for all of my CB buddies who are suffering. They are very special to me.

I almost hesitate to ask this, because my health issues are nothing, compared to others who are suffering but, please remember me too. I went to my doctor for my check-up and she has put me on bedrest, NO activities, for two weeks. I still plan to sing on Sunday. She was very concerned because of my B/P. Also, my thyroid is over-active this time, which can cause an increase in my heart rate and B/P. There is a little matter of stress too. I can't imagine why?? I go back in two weeks to see how the additional meds and med changes are helping.

I took Mama to her cardiologist on Monday. He was pleased with everything but her heart rhythm. He wants to check her again in a month. He wants her to be a little stronger before he makes the decision or not to shoch her heart back into a normal rhythm. She's doing great with her P/T so, please continue to remember her. She's fussing so, she is better!!

Thanks. I love you all.

Easter

2008-03-11T09:58:00.005-04:00

"I look at the sun, and I think of the power and majesty of God. I look on the earth where the flowers bloom, and I think of the path He trod. I look at the trees, and I think of the wood which made His cross of shame. Then I look in my heart, and see my sin, and believing, I have life through His name." Because of the shedding of His precious blood, our sins are washed away. Because of His sacrifice, we have been set free. Because He arose from the grave, we have eternal life.

Tick Tock

2008-03-08T10:29:00.003-05:00

We lose an hour of sleep tonight so, don't forget to set your clocks ahead one hour. Do you know what this means? Technically we will be arriving at church at 6:30am. Also, I'll be racing through Boiling Springs at a high rate of speed with rollers in my hair and,carefully applying my make-up. So see you bright and early in the morning!

Why Did Jesus Fold The Napkin?

2008-03-04T17:09:00.005-05:00

Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection?

The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes.

The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded and was placed at the head of that stony coffin. Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple,the one whom Jesus loved. She said, "They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I don't know where they have put him!"

Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. The other disciple out ran Peter and got there first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus head was folded up and lying to the side.

Is that important? Absolutely! Is it really significant? Yes! In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition. When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it.

The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table until the master was finished.

Now if the master was done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers and mouth with that napkin and toss it on to the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, "I'm done." But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant knew that the folded napkin meant, "I'm not finished yet." The folded napkin meant, "I'm coming back!"

This is a promise, JESUS IS COMING BACK!! In John, Chapter 14, verses 1-3, Jesus tells the disciples, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me." He tells them that He is going to His Father's house to prepare a place for them and, "if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me."

As we approach this Easter season, let us be reminded of..., "The Cross" "The Tomb" "The Folded Napkin" "The Promise."

Ever Wondered??

2008-02-28T04:55:00.002-05:00

Have you ever wondered what goes on in the middle of the night? I'm always up at odd hours, letting the dogs out and letting the dogs in. While I'm up, I get something to drink and go to the bathroom. Here's my observation;

There are always cars going up and down the road. Where are they going at this hour? Maybe they had a craving for Krispy Kreme and they're making a doughnut run?

The paper man comes at 4:00am, poor thing. Did you know he has flashing lights on the top of his car? I guess that's so the people making a doughnut run will see him. The first time I saw the flashing lights coming down the road at 4:00am, I thought we were being raided. Kinda scary when you're half asleep.

It's dark out there. In the summertime, I like to sit out on my porch in the middle of the night and rock. It's peaceful and quiet but, it's dark out there! I can't see a thing except the paper man's flashing lights.

When do deer sleep? What about raccoon, fox and possum? One night I let the dogs out and Sophia ran out the door like she had been shot out of a cannon. She had spotted a couple of deer down at the end of the driveway. I've seen all kinds of furry creatures ambling across our yard.

Dogs are always up and barking to one another in the middle of the night. If one starts, they all start. Do you think they're planning a doughnut run?

There are some great old movies on in the middle of the night.

You can also buy things on the Home Shopping Network. This means, if you happen to be lonely, you can call and talk to somebody but, I think they want you to buy something.

Ronnie says the reason I don't sleep well is because I have a guilty conscience. That's not necessarily true. I've always been something of an insomniac ever since I was a kid. I remember lying awake while everybody else was sleeping.

The middle of the night is a good time to have your quiet time. God is always up and listening so, you can spend time with Him, uninterrupted.

Well, I guess I'll go and see what's on the television. Maybe I can sign up for one of those exercise videos that lets you lose inches while you're asleep. Or maybe I'll make a doughnut run. If I leave now I can be there and back by the time I get the kids up.

Don't forget: If you visit, leave me a comment. When I don't get any comments, it keeps me up at night.

Maggie has left the building

2008-02-22T21:38:00.002-05:00

Hey my favorite blog readers and prayer warriors! Yep, it's true, Miss Maggie has left Restorative and is now safe and sound and snug as a bug at Rose Crest. She is so excited about her new surroundings and the fact that she was finally able to take a shower this afternoon. Her room number is 202B and the temporary phone number is 578-0999. Her social worker asked her today if she was anticipating many visitors or phone calls and she said "YES I AM!" So all of you who can, go by and visit or give her a call. She begins P/T on Monday morning. Thanks for all of the love and encouragement and especially the prayers. I love you all. GOD IS GOOD! Keep praying.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

2008-02-14T18:55:00.002-05:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY GUYS!! Ronnie has been out of town this week and I was so-oo afraid that I would have to spend Valentine's without him. However, he just called me and he said he'll be home in 3 hours, which will be 10:00 pm. I may only have a couple of hours of Valentine's left but, I don't care he's coming home.

We had our very first date 17 years ago this Saturday (16th). Our group sang at a Valentine's banquet on the 14th and that's when he started looking at me as more than a friend. We had been friends for a couple of years or so but all of a sudden everything changed. We still call each other "Ronnie" or "Megie" from the group!

I hope that all of you will be able to spend Valentine's with someone special, even if it's only for an hour or two.

WHAT????

2008-02-12T16:40:00.000-05:00

As some of you know, we are facing a problem with placing Mama in a skilled nursing facility. We were told a week ago that medically Mama was ready to move from Restorative. As I stated in one of my earlier blogs, when we first moved Mama to Restorative, it was to medically get her to a place so she could begin P/T.

In our meeting with the Social Worker and the other therapist, we were informed that Mama did not meet their criteria for P/T because she is considered "long-term." We were given a 10 page list of nursing facilities that are as close as around the block from Restorative and as far away as Hendersonville, NC.

We have chosen several places that are nearby and we have visited each one. Three of them are beautiful facilities and two of them are dumps. Here's the thing, they have to choose Mama, based on their ability to offer her the type of care she requires and if she meets their guidelines.

Three of these facilities have declined because Mama is considered "long-term" with a need for extensive P/T and they are not set up for extensive P/T. One has declined her because they consider her "short-term" and they are set up for "long-term." This facility has the best physical therapy but they can't accomodate "short-term." We haven't heard from the other place yet but, we hope we don't.

Restorative has a beautiful facility but we have been told that Mama is not mobile enough for their criteria. My question is this. How can she possibly get mobile if they don't work with her?

Now that her mind is clear, she is willing to work but, for whatever reason, they aren't working with her. They came in yesterday and got her up. She walked, with the walker and their help, to the wall and back.

I called the Social worker in this morning and I said..., "Look, all we want is for Mama to be able to walk with the walker to the toliet and back. If you guys would work with her every day and not every other day or just when you feel like it, she would be mobile enough that we can get her out of here!" If we can get her walking enough to come home, we can take her to an outside P/T facility. As a matter of fact, my niece Casey works for an orthopedic doctor and, they have "long-term" and "short-term" P/T.

To say that we are frustrated would be an understatement. As I said before, I have seen people walking around with their little name tags and their little clipboards but, nobody is listening!!

Please continue to pray. Thanks!

Life's Little Pleasures

2008-02-07T20:22:00.000-05:00

Some of my blogger friends have these little question and answer themes on their blog page in order to have feed-back. I thought I would try this. I get lonely and paranoid when nobody writes back. So if you visit, drop me a comment.

Here goes; What are some of the things you like to do to unwind and treat yourself?

My answers;

1. I love movie night with my family. We buy a movie on Pay-per-View and have a special meal.

2. I love curling up on the couch with my four-legged babies and a good book.

3. One of my favorite places is my front porch swing or my rocking chair. I even like to sit out during a thunderstorm.

4. My next favorite place is floating on my noodle in the pool.

5. My special way to treat myself is driving through Hub City Coffees for a large special blend. One splenda and a bit of skim.

Okay guys, it's your turn. Let me know how you like to unwind and treat yourself.

BIG BAD DAD

2008-02-05T17:43:00.000-05:00

Many of you know my hubby Ronnie. He's big and bald and can be very intimidating. I'm sure there are two young men at Boiling Springs Junior High who know this very well. Yesterday after lunch, Meredith called me and told me that the two young men who have been bullying her all year long, actually took her drink at lunch and drank it!! There have been several things that have happened all year long but, BIG BAD DAD HAD ENOUGH!!

Last year, Meredith was bullied by a bunch of girls and I took care of that but, yesterday Dad went to school. He went straight to the big guy and told him all that had been happening. He told the principal that he was not sending his baby girl to school to be bullied and frightened and he had had enough!

The principal called Meredith to the office. Luckily, when she called, I told her that her Daddy was on the way, I think I heard a big sigh of relief when she hung up the phone. Many of you know our sweet little Meredith. She is very quiet and shy and doesn't want any trouble. She told the principal all that had been happening and then she started to cry. Ronnie said the principal almost cried and he reassured Meredith that she had done nothing wrong. He told her if either of those boys cause her one minute more of grief, come to him.

Ronnie got a call from the principal later on in the afternoon. He told him that he had talked to both young men and if it was any consolation to Meredith, both of them cried!! She did smile and take some pleasure in that but, I could see the relief on her beautiful little face.

I know you may find this hard to believe, for those of you who know me but, I too was bullied in Junior High. For three long years I suffered verbal abuse at the hands of a few young men. I was the new girl in school and they took advantage of that fact. They called me horrible names and told vicious lies. Unfortunately, the young man behind all of this didn't attend our school at the time . He was a big
athlete at a Junior High across town but, he lived across the street from me.

I did get my revenge however. Because he lived out of district, he had to attend my school in the 9th grade. One day he and all of his buddies came sauntering down the hall. They started immediately laughing at me and calling me names. I grabbed this big old jock and threw him up against the lockers. I threatened to make him "cry like a girl" if he didn't tell them the truth. I had him in a big choke hold and he admitted, right there in front of God and everybody, that he was a BIG LIAR. He also apologized to me. I took great pleasure in that. Now, this is the Megie most of you know..., right?

My Dad came to the school later on that afternoon and he too took care of things. That's what Daddies do, they take care of things.

Our Heavenly Father is our Daddy too. He takes care of things. He picks us up and dries our tears and loves us unconditionally.

I eventually forgave these young men, even the ring leader and a couple of years ago when I read that he had passed away, I cried.

Life Goes On

2008-02-04T20:43:00.000-05:00

I've come to realize that no matter what's going on in your daily schedule, life goes on. All of you know that my Mama has been in the hospital since Christmas Eve. Bless her heart, she doesn't even remember Christmas day or New Year's.

Day in and day out for these many weeks, my family and I have gone back and forth to the hospital to be with Mama. As I have said before, we have seen the evidence of God's love and mercy during this time. Even though Mama is still confused at times, she has made wonderful progress and we owe it all to the Lord.

Also during these many weeks, some semblence of our daily life has continued. We have dealt with our own illnesses. There have been days on days of soccer conditioning, try-outs and selling candy, only to be told that because we hadn't signed Meredith up for "Club Ball" she was never even considered for the JV team.
Talking about "unfair practices" and "politics" in school athletics!! We had to console our girl and reassure her that she did her best and that the team was picked way in advance of try-outs. Somehow, that just doesn't seem fair. Not only was the team picked in advance, most of the girls were "Club Ballers" and they never even conditioned with the others. I'm not saying that this is true for ALL of the girls chosen but, most of them. Well anyway, we still have good ol AYSO soccer. Their motto is "It's All About The Kids" and that's the truth.

Another place that we have had to deal with "unfair practices" and "politics" is with the insurance companies and Medicare. My Mom has been at death's door in the past few weeks but, she has also been on a time schedule. Bring her out of a drug-induced coma and perform a tracheoscopy then ship her out. Get her breathing on her own and move her to the floor. Offer minimal physical therapy and if she refuses, move her out. It's not the nurses or the techs or the therapist, it's the insurance companies.

As I've mentioned before, we have to choose a "skilled nursing" facility (nursing home) to place Mama in for extensive therapy. She hasn't cooperated with the therapist at Restorative so, they can opt to move her out. Why can't they see that she is still very confused and anxious about everything that has happened?? She was over medicated by her personal physicians, which lead to her hospitalization. Because of the seriousness of her condition, she was placed in a paralytic state so her lungs would heal and the ventilator would do all of the work for her. It's going to take a long while for her mind to catch up. Also, we found out this week that she is still scheduled for Ativan on a daily basis. Ativan was one of the meds that she was taking at home and one of the reasons she is where she is. I've seen too many people walking around the halls with name tags and charts but nobody seems to be on the same page. HELLO?? Is anybody listening?

Life goes on..., school, work, church, grocery shopping, homework, dishes, laundry and BILLS!! These are every day occurences that are a part of our every day lives and they go on. Even if life throws you a curve and suddenly you are faced with a sick and aging parent that needs constant care.

Life goes on...., and God does provide. He provides a listening ear and arms to hold us. He provides loving husbands and wonderful children. He provides good
friends that pray for you and encourage you. We go on, we adjust.

Thanks

2008-02-04T17:29:00.000-05:00

I just want to take this time to "THANK YOU" my wonderful friends and Prayer Warriors. These past few weeks have been very difficult and there is no way that we could have gotten through it without God's "Amazing Grace" and your love and prayers.

We still have a long road ahead of us and decisions to make but, I know that we will get through it.

Please continue to pray that God will strengthen Mom's body and clear her mind. She still has a lot of confusion and sometimes it's so hard for her to understand. Continue to pray that my health will hold out. I am feeling much better but, I will have to rearrange my schedule. I can't possibly keep going the way that I was trying to go, which was every day.

I love you all. You are all a special blessing from God.

Off-line

2008-02-01T06:54:00.000-05:00

Hey guys- I'm going to be off-line for a few days. I'm having trouble with my B/P again and my asthma is acting up. So, I'm taking a couple of days to rest. Keep praying for Mom. We have to make a decision about moving her to a skilled nursing facility. Thanks.

Love you-
Megie

Great News!!

2008-01-22T20:28:00.000-05:00

Mama has been moved to a regular room at Restorative Care. She is in room #218 and has a bed with a view. She can have a pureed and liquid diet now, which means we can take her a Wendy's Frosty. Continue to pray for her because she will begin extensive PT and speech therapy and it's going to be very rough at times. Thanks guys.

Love ya-
Megie

Up-date on Miss Maggie

2008-01-17T18:43:00.000-05:00

Thank you for all of your prayers during this very difficult time. Mama is doing so much better. They have had her breathing on a "T" bar for the last three days. This means that she is actually breathing on her own. When we were there earlier this afternoon, she had been breathing on her own for about five hours. Her vitals are great and they are going to continue to let her breathe on her own for as long as she is able. Of course, she gets tired, but she is such a trooper. Hopefully, if she continues to progress, they will move her to a regular room. She will have PT to help build up her endurance and to help her get mobile. Please continue to pray for her because she still has a long road ahead of her. I love you guys very much and thank you for remembering me in your prayers as well. I had to go back on the prednisone, which I hate but, it's the only thing that will open up my lungs so I can breathe. I thank my God for wonderful, loving friends.

Mom's Big Move

2008-01-10T18:43:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to give you guys an up-date on "Mom's Big Move." She was transfered to Restorative Care ICU, bed #2. The lung specialist assesed her condition this morning and decided that she has progressed well enough to be moved. Her vitals are good and she is awake. However, she is still very confused about the tracheoscopy and the move was stressful. Please continue to pray for Mama's continued progress and as she becomes more aware she will be less confused and anxious. Thank you all for your love and concern. Keep praying.

Love-
Megie

Up-date on Mama

2008-01-08T09:54:00.000-05:00

Hey guys- just to up-date you on Mama's condition. We are at day 15 in ICU and yesterday they performed a trecheoscopy and moved her feeding tube to her stomach. The trech is better to manage and much more comfortable for Mama. She did very well during the procedure and she was even awake when we went back to see her in ICU. She is still very critically ill but, even in spite of the set-backs, is still showing some signs of improvement. I think the doctors under estimated Mama's fighting spirit because she continues to rally around. This week-end after the last set-back on Friday, the lung specialist told the nurses that she wouldn't last the week-end. Well, here we are at Tuesday morning and her vitals are good, her kidneys are functioning and her respiration is at a ratio of 8 to 16, which means she is breathing on her own at 16 breaths per minute. She has been opening her eyes and following our voices by watching us and turning her head. We asked her a question yesterday afternoon and she shook her head "No." She is raising her arms and moving her legs and even squeezes our hands. We still have such a long way to go but God's love and power has been so evident through all of this. GOD IS GOOD- ALL THE TIME- AND ALL THE TIME- GOD IS GOOD. He is an awesome GOD and we give HIM all of the glory and honor HE deserves for every blessing HE has given us. Please continue to flood the gates of Heaven on Mama's behalf. I love you all so very much. I will continue to up-date when I can.
Praying and Believing..., God is still on His throne and HE is in control. Praise HIS Holy Name.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2007-12-29T18:53:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to wish all of a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Thanks for your friendship and thanks for the prayers, love and concern during my Mom's illness. Please continue to remember her in your prayers. There has been some progress but she is still very critical. Prayer Warriors please stay on those knees. I love you guys so much. My life has been truly blessed for having so many wonderful, loving people in my life. May God bless you and your families in 2008 and let us give Him the praise and the glory and the honor that He truly deserves.

HAPPY NEW YEAR
BE SAFE

Megie

Up-date

2007-12-28T09:54:00.000-05:00

I wanted to up-date you on my Mama's condition. The doctors have her in a drug induced coma, this is to give her lungs time to heal and so she doesn't have to fight so hard to breathe on her own. The doctors have done everything they know to do. We had to make the very difficult decision to not resuscitate. Please keep Mama in your prayers. She has wonderful doctors and nurses but they are limited to what they can do, God is not. We are leaving everything in His capable hands. Thanks. I love you all.

URGENT URGENT PRAYER REQUEST

2007-12-26T09:33:00.000-05:00

PLEASE KEEP MY MOM, MARGARET EASLER, IN YOUR PRAYERS.
SHE WAS ADMITTED TO ICU-SRHS ON CHRISTMAS EVE WITH DOUBLE PNEUMONIA. SHE IS VERY CRITICAL. THEY HAVE HER ON A VENTILATOR AND A FEEDING TUBE.PRAYER WARRIORS, I NEED YOU GUYS. I'LL BE OFF-LINE FOR A WHILE. REMEMBER HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2007-12-19T17:23:00.000-05:00

WISHING YOU ALL A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

I am better but still struggling with my breathing. I'll be back on-line for sure next week.

Off line

2007-12-13T18:25:00.000-05:00

Guys- I will be off line for a few days. Had to go back to the doctor today. I have a sinus and ear infection and bronchitis. He increased my breathing treatments, yet again, antibiotics,prednisone and cough medicine. If I am not greatly improved by Monday or Tuesday, I will be hospitalized. I'm going to take my meds and get plenty of rest. Please remember me in your prayers. Thanks!

Praise The Lord-Cancer Free

2007-12-08T21:23:00.000-05:00

I just had to share the wonderful news. One of my CaringBridge babies got the news on Thursday that she is cancer free!! Praise the Lord! Meredith Grace Dyer is my baby girl from Alabama who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma six months ago. She is a beautiful doll baby that just turned one year old and she has been a trooper through this entire ordeal. Even when she would be so sick from the chemo, she would always have a big old smile. Folks, we serve an awesome God who is greatly to be praised with honor and glory forever and ever. He is the great physician. Meredith's Mom, Ginger, said that the radiologist is still a little concerned about Meredith's adrenal gland but her onocologist and his assistant are 100% positive that she is cancer free. Continue to pray for this precious little one and for all of my CaringBridge Buddies; Barb-Connor-Chelsey-Caylyn-Brook and Nick. Thank you my friends and prayer warriors. I love you guys!

Grandma Got Run Over....

2007-12-08T10:59:00.000-05:00

While driving through traffic at West Gate. Ronnie and I were driving to Sears yesterday afternoon to pick up a couple of gifts. You know how I am in traffic anyway but, thankfully the doctor increased by B/P meds and I'm a little more mellow. Gene, you would have been so proud. Anyway, we're coming on to 29 from I-26 and this dear sweet young lady begins blowing the horn! Did I mention we were listening to our Christmas CD? Anyway, she's blowing the horn and swerving in and out of traffic like the poor misguided, no-driving person that she is. We proceed up 29 to the double turning lanes going toward the mall and for some unknown reason, we have several wonderful people who are blocking one of the turning lanes trying to get into the other turning lane! I'm thinking to myself, "Do they not realize that both lanes are going the same way? Anyway, we go around these wonderful, misguided, no-driving people and, someone else starts blowing the horn, yelling out of the window and flipping people off. Normally, without increased meds, this would be me, however I was very calm. I did turn off the Christmas CD though, because it's hard to listen and sing about "Peace on earth Goodwill to men" while people all around you are blowing their car horns, screaming out the windows and flipping people off. Where's the Peace and Goodwill? I am feeling a lot better with the increased B/P meds but my pressure is still running a little weird. My breathing however, is another thing(meaning not so good) but, I was calm in traffic. I didn't lose my cool and I didn't run over Grandma.

Need Your Help

2007-12-05T10:59:00.000-05:00

Hey guys- I need your help. I am not feeling well at all. My doctor was very concerned with my B/P because it was high even on my regular meds. (150/90) Also I was only breathing at 71% so she has increased my treatments to every 4 hours. Saturday night my B/P was so high that I had a little blood vessel to rupture, the doctor called it a pop-off, and it took Ronnie and me 1 hours to stop the bleeding. The next stop was the ER which my doctor informed me should have been the first thing I did so they could get an accurate B/P reading. I am very very tired. Ronnie is staying home with me today. What I need from you guys, is to pray. The doctor wants me to rest a couple of days and she needs to monitor my B/P about every other day. If you could just say a little prayer for me I would appreciate it. I have too much to do to be down long. Ronnie had to have a long talk with my Mom this morning, which by the way did not go well, but he told her that his first concern is me and my health. Thanks guys. Oh by the way.., there are (9) reindeer which included Rudolph. I left out Vixen in my previous posting. That's okay Kevin, nobody else caught it either except my sister. I love you guys. Hope to see you Sunday.

Did You Pass??

2007-12-01T19:45:00.000-05:00

Did you pass the test?? There was a little something in my last blog; to see how many of you actually read it and pay attention. I'm not talking about typos and grammatical errors.

Ho-Ho-Ho and a very Floppy Droopy Christmas to you!

2007-11-28T09:33:00.001-05:00

I don't think I'm politically correct with the ho-ho-ho and I may even be arrested. I came to the conclusion this morning that it's not Santa's ho-ho-ho's that are frightening the children but, the hundreds of floppy, droopy Christmas decorations lying in people's yards! It looks like someone went on a killing spree and took out Rudolph and Frosty and Santa Clause. What is up with this? Another thing I don't understand are the Christmas characters in a bubble! What happened to good old Christmas trees and wreaths on the doors and ribbons? Every year there is a yard right up the road here that looks like the owner "tied one on" decided to decorate his yard and just went out there and threw the lights in the bushes and the trees! There is no rhyme or reason, just lights scattered everywhere. A couple of years ago, Meredith and I started noticing the palm trees.
I know that our Lord was born in a desert place but palm trees remind me of hammocks and drinks with little umbrellas. I so enjoy the little carolers, the nativity scenes and Santa and his sleigh but, if thery are made of plastic and they are 35 years old, if they have been stuffed in the attic all year long or even left out on the lawn all year long for the summer sun to fade them out, THEY ARE TACKY AND UGLY!! THROW THEM AWAY! What's up with the wire reindeer that stand still, one leg poised in the air and they are lighted? No self respecting reindeer would be caught still and definately would not not be lit because that's how they wind up over somebody's mantle! I hate blue Christmas lights. Blue is just not a Christmas color. Santa's sleigh is big and red and he has 8, count them, Rudolph, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen, reindeer. So why have I seen a little white sleigh, with no Santa in sight, and 2 reindeer? One has his head down, probably in shame, and the other yet again has a leg poised for flight only most of the time he's lying on the ground because he's off balance! Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Christmas purist. My tree has blinking white lights.
No, there is no bar or a dancing pole in the middle of the room, I just like the blinking white lights. I don't do bows on gifts. I have a very hard time tying my shoes so I can't tie a beautiful ribbon and the bows with the sticky backs fall off. Mostly because they have been in a bag in the back of the closet since last year and they are all smushed. (Is that a word?) I like the Christmas bags with the tags and the tissue paper. Nice and neat, no big black trash bag full of Christmas paper that cost you $8.00 a roll (thru a school fund raiser) and you spend all day wrapping just for some excited person to rip in half and throw it on the floor. My tree is electic. There is no theme, just ornaments from over the years. No big old shiny balls (I don't like those thing either), garland (no tinsel) and a beautiful angel with a golden gown at the top. This of course is my opinion and I would love to know how you decorate for Christmas. Maybe you have the inflatable Christmas
Characters, even a Mickey Mouse, although I'm not sure what he has to do with Christmas but, share with me. I promise I won't laugh or make little comments the next time I see you. You know I love you guys. You are out there.., right? Leave me a comment. It's not hard, just follow the directions. Happy decorating!

Up-date

2007-11-24T11:54:00.000-05:00

Good Saturday Morning- I don't normally blog or even check my mail on the week-ends but I have a couple of CB friends who have had chemo and radical surgery this week-end and I wanted to check on them. While I'm up-dating you guys on my CB friends I can up-date you on everybody else here, in and around the Wall home. First of all, please be in special prayer for Dr. Barb Berg (MN) who just underwent another very serious and radical surgery. She did make it through the surgery but the news was not good. In attempting to remove the large mass that they already knew was there, they found 12 more tumors. The cancer is very obviously growing at a rapid pace. Also my sweetie from Alabama (Meredith Grace Dyer) was to have more chemo
and hopefully be home for Thanksgiving. She's my baby ( one year old). Chelsey Mitchell is in Charlotte in PT. This has been a very difficult road for her and her parents. Please remember my other CB friends, everyone of them are very special people to me and their Thanksgiving probably wasn't as normal as ours. We do have so much to be thankful for and we take it all for granted. Corresponding with my friends at CaringBridge has helped me put a lot of things in perspective. Now for the Wall family, Justin is doing great! He goes to PT on Monday for them to up the tension on his brace and then he sees the doctor on Thursday. He's back working at his dad's, something he really didn't want to do but, he has financial obligations and there are things that he can do to help his dad out, even in a brace. Odie and Sophia are doing much much better. Sophia is back to her little high jumping hyper self and Odie just looks like, "I wish I could do that again." Meredith is really doing fantastic with her JV conditioning (3x weekly). I haven't heard her complain one time. I can tell that she is really building up her muscles and her stamina. Ronnie is feeling some better but he is just so tired. My Mom's injections went very well last week and she has cataract surgery on Monday. This situation with my Mom is one that really needs your prayers. The physical is not as serious as the emotional. Please keep Cookie in your prayers especially, she lives with Mama and Mama is totally dependent on her. Mama enjoys the attention but it can be very difficult when your schedule is already filled and you have to pencil in another appointment. I took her to the doctor one day a couple of weeks ago and he said there was nothing really wrong and wasn't sure what she wanted. I'm telling you folks, this is not the independent woman I grew up with! I know she's getting older and she misses my Dad but the Lord has a purpose for her life and she can't see beyond her wants to find out what it is. She gets mad at me a lot because I don't give in to all of her attempts at guilt . I do love her dearly and I enjoy the "good" times we spend together but she makes me angry because she considers herself a shut-in and enjoys poor health and all of the attention she gets. Lord love her! She said something about our putting her in a nursing home the other day! She just needs to quit "feeling sorry" for herself, be thankful and get up and go. Please pray for her and for us as we try to be kind and loving but strong. My Daddy was a saint! Hey, my kids have already said at the first sign of chin dribble, I'm out of
here. Anyway, that's the up-date with the exception of Callie Rose. She is a trooper. She scares the UPS and Fed-Ex guys and the other afternoon I was talking to a man on the front porch and he made a little hand move and stepped forward. She stood up, the hair on the back of her neck bristled out and she showed him her big pretty teeth, The growl, deep in her throat, was scary too. Needless to say, he didn't stay long. The mail lady knows the trick though. When she has her arm out the window putting mail in the box and Callie is standing there barking and growling, she just throws her a handful of treats. Callie has her number, bark,growl,show my teeth, snacks. It works. Have a wonderful and safe week-end. Pray for my Justin he went racing with some friends to Dublin, NC. Of course, he's just along for the ride and the excitement. You have to be a race fan to understand this. Pray that he has a safe trip home. By the way, the Kim drama is OVER! He told her, it's OVER! You don't know what you want, it's obviously not me and I'm not waiting around for you to play me like a puppet. YES! See you tomorrow for a wonderful day of Praise and Worship!
Love you guys. Please leave me a comment. I'm getting paranoid here.

Wishing you a...,

2007-11-18T20:22:00.000-05:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! BE THANKFUL TO THE LORD OF HEAVEN FOR ALL OF THE MANY BLESSINGS HE HAS GIVEN US TO ENJOY. PLEASE REMEMBER ALL OF MY CARINGBRIDGE BUDDIES WHO ARE SUFFERING THIS HOLIDAY SEASON. BE SAFE. UNTIL NEXT TIME.

UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

2007-11-15T00:18:00.000-05:00

WOW!! I am totally speechless!! Until next time.

Prayer Request

2007-11-10T18:06:00.001-05:00

Hey guys- I just posted on one of my newest CaringBridge Sites. I have added a couple of more CB friends in the last week or so and I want you to say a special prayer for all of my friends. If you want to write to them you just type in their name and it will bring you right up to their site.

Nicholas Deyo
Meredith Grace Dyer
Connor Bowden
Chelsey Mitchell
Brook Waddle
Steve Dyar (Susan still posts)

I also still have a friend on CarePages. His name is Jonathan Melton but his site is listed as
Big Melton.

When you visit on these sites and read their stories, it makes you appreciate so much your good health and it makes what problems you do have pale in comparison to what these wonderful people endure. Their faith in God and the courage they display is so humbling.

I'll check back in with you next week. Thanks guys. I love you all so much.

DELETE BUTTON

2007-11-09T20:14:00.000-05:00

I was reading through my e-mail and deleting all of the "junk" and the stuff I had already read when I had a thought. Bring out the hoses guys, it's gonna be a barn burner! Wouldn't it be great to have our own "Delete" button to take away all the bad stuff? I would have to have several because I am bad almost all of the time so, I know I'd have to have one in the van. Road rage (deleted). I'm married with children and sometimes I just lose it (delete). I've always wondered if I really had it to lose? I had a craving for a piece of fried chicken and I ate it (deleted). I have about 60 more pounds to lose (deleted). Shoot, let's go for it..., 75 more pounds (deleted). Of course this button could never be used to wipe out a whole complete person. I can name 4 or 5 persons, just off the top of my head, that I would delete out of here. Bad thoughts (deleted). I think that would be so cool to be able to mess up and just push a button and it never happened.

Christ's sacrifice on Calvary is our "delete" button. When we confess our sins and trust in the Lord, His blood covers our sins and it's like they never happened.

Great concept, this delete button, now I have to find an inventor and get a patent. That's just too much to think about now, DELETE, I'll think about it later.

Doctor's Visit

2007-11-08T13:52:00.000-05:00

Justin's doctor's visit went very well this morning. They removed the stitches and even though he still has to wear the brace (8 weeks) he no longer needs crutches. He can put all of his weight on the knee and can use a cane for support and balance. He will still need PT 3x weekly but she says he can drive and go back to work (light duty) on Monday. Odie and Sophia are doing much better.

Up-date

2007-11-06T13:48:00.000-05:00

Didn't want you to think I had forgotten you guys. Justin is doing great. He has PT 3x weekly and is getting around really well. He sneaks to the bathroom without his crutches but the therapist said not to put a lot of weight on his knee right now. We go to see the doctor on Thursday. I'm sure she will tell him what activities, if any, he can add back to his schedule. I was so worried about leaving Justin for Montogomery but I am so very glad that I did go. It was truly an awesome worship experience and Susan Dyar just blessed me above and beyond anything I could have imagined. What a truly wonderful, talented girl our Susan is. Steve Dyar was probably leaning over the balcony of heaven telling everybody, "That's my girl. That's my choir. That's my orchestra. That's my baby boy playing the guitar." I know Steve was so proud. He loved AMRBC and we were truly blessed by his talents and his ministry. He is truly missed. There was a problem while we were gone. Our baby dashchund, Sophia, wasn't feeling too well when we left. My niece Casey, who was Justin's care-giver, ended up taking Sophia to the ER vet on Sunday morning. By the time we got home Sunday evening, our male dashchund, Odie, was feeling bad too. We took them both to the vet on Monday morning and they have ear infections plus Sophia has suffered trauma to her left eye. We know now for sure that our "Big Girl" our blonde lab, Callie, didn't hurt the baby, she hit her eye while scratching her ears and shaking her head. God love them. They have felt so badly but they are beginning to perk up a little. Well, gotta run and pick up Meredith. She has JV conditioning 3x a week so I'm in the car a lot. Love you guys. Overlook the typos cause I gotta go!

Surgery

2007-10-30T13:30:00.000-04:00

Don't forget to remember Justin in your prayers. His surgery is tomorrow afternoon at 12:30pm. Pray for Doctor Black and all of the other doctors and nurses who will be attending during the surgery and pray for ME! It's one thing to face surgery yourself but it's another when it's your child. I'm so worried about leaving him this weekend to go and sing in Montgomery. We have people who will be on call and will be staying with him but it's not the same as my being there. We weren't scheduled to go to Alabama because Meredith had soccer tournaments but, those games have been rescheduled for next weekend. I'm praying for God's guidance and His peace. Justin has so much going on right now besides facing this surgery. His Dad's wife called him last Thursday and was very rude and ugly to him. His Dad had asked him to run an errand for him and she (the step-mother) became very angry because she wasn't made aware of the situation. It was no big deal, Justin had to pick up his older brother and take him to get his car at the repair shop. Anyway, for whatever reason, Justin got caught in the middle and she (step-mom) took her anger out on Justin. Then on Firday night, Justin went to take Kim out for supper and she told him she wasn't sure what she wanted but she's almost positive it isn't him.
Okay- enough already. I'm a very loving and forgiving person but I don't feel loving or forgiving right now. Justin is my son. He's a wonderful young man. He's loving and kind but he's no doormat!! We've made it plain that right now Kim is not to come to the house. She was suppose to help look after him while we were gone but, I've made other arrangements. Now she's mad at me. Well. BOO-HOO!! I'm a big girl and I can take it, what I would really like to know is.., can she take it? Lord, please give me peace about leaving Justin on Saturday. Pray for me, okay guys? This trip is very important and a very special outreach but, I'm a Mom and my children are my first priority. Meredith had a great time on her youth trip. She was tired and dirty but she was happy. Not too sure what happened with the facilities on this trip but the first thing she did when she got home was shower and lather her hair, twice!! Believe it or not Maggie survived the trip and her head is still attached but, only by a thread or two. For those of you who don't know this, Maggie is Meredith's doll that she carries with her everywhere and she is literally losing her head. Some of you know Maggie personally. Anyway, I need my prayer warriors to pray. If I thought Justin could make the trip I would just pack him up with us but, I know that's just too long. I know God will work everything out but I still need your prayers. Have a wonderful day and remember, I love you all so much.

Parenthood

2007-10-26T11:50:00.000-04:00

Well, Sissy Wall is off on her youth trip. Did I cry? Well, yes of course I did but, not in front of her. I let her take my cell phone because I knew it would make her feel better. She just called to let me know that they have stopped to eat and she will call me when she gets there. It's so hard being a parent. I mean hard on the heart. They hand you this tiny little pucker faced bundle, all sweet and innocent, and you're suppose to know what to do. Surprisingly, for the baby's sake, God makes sure we do know what to do. You feed them, clothe them, bathe them and rock them to sleep. You kiss away their tears and bandage their knees. You take them to tennis practice or soccer practice, dance, gymnastics or drama and you cheer them on. You hug them when they win and when they lose. You help them with their homework and for a science project you get out the modeling clay and help them make a volcano. Hurray for the Blue Ribbon winners and the Participants!! Suddenly, like over-night, they're driving and going on dates. One day you're sending them to kindergarten and the next you're attending their high school graduation. One morning you're putting on their lacy socks and sandles and the next you're watching them board a big charter bus with their flip-flops and ponytail. Where did the time go? It went by too fast! I'm proud of my kids, they are great people. I love them so much and I thank my God every day for allowing me the honor of being a care-giver to His children. They are His kids and He gave them to us to help" train them up in the way that they should go."(Pvbs.22:6) Pray for our youth. Pray for our sweet little babies and toddlers. The world is a hard place and we need to be there for them, to guide them. This is our job. What a noble profession. What a challenging and rewarding task. Have a great week-end my dear friends. God Bless you. Until next time.

A quick post

2007-10-24T09:58:00.000-04:00

I know that you're probably laughing hysterically because you know I don't do quick.
Justin and I were getting in the car the other afternoon to make his doctor's appointment and he told me I was the slowest person he knew. There's a reason for that, I'm short. Short people don't do quick. Short people have to walk faster to catch up. We take two steps to other people's one. I'm also fat and old. There are three words that don't belong in the same sentence, quick, fat and old. They just don't work together to make a good combination. I always get where I'm going and I'm even on time and surprisingly I may be early but, it just takes me longer to get there. I'm sitting here at the computer watching it rain. We really need the rain. Everything is so thirsty. I don't mind rain unless it's cold and windy. I never minded the cold but now my body aches when it's cold. There's two more words that don't go together either, cold and old. They rhyme but they don't go together. I always liked fall and winter, cool crisp mornings that make you want to jump up and down and run around. I can't do that anymore either. Just thought of two more, fat and hot. I think that's why I always liked cooler weather. Fat plus hot equals hot and sweaty. There may be many things I can't do anymore but there are still plenty of things I can. I can love my family and friends. I can pray for others and encourage them when they're down. I can be a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on. I can still praise and worship my Heavenly Father and lift His name in song. My voice has changed a lot since I've gotten older. I can't hit the high notes anymore and when Julie says "stagger" your breathing I'm staggering just to breathe. My voice is not as strong and sure as it once was but as long as I'm singing to "Honor and Praise" my Lord, that's all that matters. That's what it means to, "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord." What may be "noise" to others is joyful to the Lord if the heart is true. See, I told you I can't do quick. Pray for Ronnie, he's traveling. Remember Justin's surgery (31st). Pray for Meredith, she has to live with me, Bless her! Remember all of my CaringBridge people. Two of the babies have had to be hospitalized this week. Say a special prayer for Nick Deyo (Mn.) and Meredith Grace Dyer (Al.). Have a wonderful, rainy Wednesday. I love you guys.

Christmas Boxes

2007-10-22T14:02:00.000-04:00

Saturday night, a group from our Sunday School class, met at Frank Starosto's home and put together 66 shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. I believe our class goal is 100 boxes. Here are five reasons we didn't complete all 100 boxes;

1- We ran out of toothbrushes to go along with the 500 tubes of toothpaste.

2- We ran out of boxes.

3- We ran out of hairbrushes for the girls. Boys don't brush their hair.

4- I wanted to open up all of the toys and play with them but,
they wouldn't let me.

5- Frank ate all of the cheesecake.

Seriously, we had a wonderful time of fellowship and we need to do that more often. We would have our class out here but, we're afraid they may get lost. It would be our luck that half of the
class wouldn't be at church on Sunday because they would still be riding around trying to find their way home. It was very humbling to think about the little hands that would open each box
and no matter what was inside (even a box of socks) these children would be so appreciative.

We're still short a few itmes and we need to collect money for the shipping. If any of you want to help out, let Frank Starosto, Sandra Loyd or Joye Hall know. This is such a special project and I have a soft spot when it comes to the kids. As Jesus said to the disciples, "Let the little children come to me." (Matthew 19: 14)

Remember Justin today. We'll be leaving in a little while for his appointment. I love you all. Have a blessed day.

Prayer Warriors Unite

2007-10-19T21:33:00.000-04:00

You've all heard the saying..., "if it's not one thing, it's another." Well, in my last blog I told you about Justin and Kim getting back together. That is working out really well so far. So keep praying. In one of my earlier blogs I mentioned Justin's new job and how well he's liking it. Well, here's the "other thing." Many of you may remember that Justin badly injured his left knee, back in February, while playing ball with Meredith in the yard. The doctor mentioned surgery to us then but she wanted to kind of hold off. Justin's new job requires him to jump in and out of a box-type delivery truck which has re-injured his knee. He went today for an MRI and we go back Monday for the results and to schedule surgery. The doctor told Justin under no circumstances is he to continue doing the job he was doing. His supervisor was really nice and sympathetic but, he has a business to run. So, Justin had to give up his job and now faces a surgery with the possibility of another one, if this surgery doesn't do the trick. Bless his little heart. He's 21 years old but he has knees like an old grandpa. He's more upset about his job than his up-coming surgery. Please pray for Justin's speedy recovery and that he will be able to find another job. Now for my other baby, Meredith. As you all know, she's our little "soccer queen." That's what my cousin David calls her. She will be trying out for the JV soccer team in January. At the meeting the other night they told us, in a round about nice way, that Club players and USA players are favored over the AYSO players. Meredith will have to condition and practice just like the other girls but, there is a possibility she won't make the cut because she didn't play Club or USA. She's excited about the opportunity and she knows that even if she doesn't make it this time, there will always be next year and she will always have AYSO. I have been blessed with 2 wonderful kids. They are so smart and so good, in spite of their parents. They both have hearts as big as all outdoors and they are so sweet and loving and kind. Remember them in your prayers my warriors. I love you all and pray that you have a blessed week-end. Our's will be busy as usual but, maybe I can find time for a nap one day next week. Oh yea, by the way..., George it must be a "bald" thing. Ronnie Wall is full of himself too. I love you George. Jill and I know that we're blessed!

Change

2007-10-16T11:27:00.000-04:00

"The only thing constant is change." I don't know if this is an original quote from my good friend Sandra Loyd but, it sure makes sense to me. I'm not good with changes, I like being in a rut. However, I can adapt and I have had to adapt many many times over the years. In just a short week, my little family has undergone a CHANGE. Most of you know that back in May, my son's fiancee, Kim, broke up with him. BIG MAJOR CHANGE!! Last Monday, Kim called Justin and told him that she had made a big mistake and wanted them to try again. ANOTHER MAJOR CHANGE! I have mixed emotions about this. Well, of course I do, I'm a mother. It was very difficult to watch Justin go through the terrible pain of a break-up. Lord, we've all been there and we know how it feels. I was devastated for him but, as time went on we adapted to life without Kim. In the meantime, Justin left his Dad's employ and now has a new job with benefits and opportunities for advancement. CHANGE. Of course, Justin had to adjust to a new way of doing things and there are perks when you work for family but, he's adjusted. Now, we will have to get use to Kim being in our lives again. This is not a bad thing, cause I do love Kim, in spite of the fact that she hurt Justin but, I am concerned. I'm all for second chances because our Lord gives us unlimited chances. I'm all for forgiveness because our Lord forgives us on a daily, minute by minute, second by second basis. Over the months I have tried to understand what was going on with Kim and why she did what she did. I do know that she was very confused and needed her space. I'm praying that Kim coming back into Justin's life, back into our family, will be because she genuinely cares for my son as much as he cares for her. I will eventually accept things, even though I don't like CHANGE, because I want Justin to be happy. However, Ronnie and Meredith will be a great challenge. Before the break up there were times that the situation between them and Kim wasn't a happy one and I, being the peacekeeper, was always in the middle. I'm sure I will always find myself in that position because that's what I do. Please pray that this is God's will and if not, pray that He will reveal His will. I want nothing but the best for both of my children, which includes a wonderful mate, but in all things I want God's will for our family. Kim will be coming over tonight after soccer practice for supper. Ronnie is out of town so, things may be a little awkward but it will be okay. Ronnie has promised me he will be a "good boy" but, for you that know him, you know this will not be an easy thing. Thanks for listening and being my prayer warriors and friends. Have a blessed day. Until next post.

Friday

2007-10-12T08:47:00.000-04:00

Most of the technical difficulties have been taken care of. I'm running a new program and I'm not so sure I like it. Ronnie said my other set-up slowed things down and caused problems so, he re-programed everything and well, here we. There are some things that I knew how to do before that I'm learning on this set-up or I'm unable to do. It's been a very busy week. Ronnie has been in New York so, whatever I've been able to accomplish around here I've done it alone. Before I had the many many health issues that I now deal with, I was your average working wife and Mom. I was the accounting manager in my family's business for over 32 years. I'm amazed at what I did on a daily basis and still managed the home-front as well. Now, some days getting out of bed is a real struggle and when Ronnie is gone it makes it really difficult. Thankfully, Ronnie will be home late this afternoon and our week-end will be normal. Soccer games, church, errands. You know the drill. Monday will begin another busy week but for now I will enjoy the moment. Have a blessed week-end and hopefully, if time permits, I'll be back on Monday.

Due to techinical difficulties...,

2007-10-05T13:44:00.000-04:00

there may be a slight and temporary interruption of my blog. We've sent a man to the moon but we still have cable interruptions and computer difficulties. I'm sure at times it probably is the operator but I can assure you I'm totally innocent this time. I'm sorry for any inconvience my absence may cause. Tune in next time for...,

megiesmusings

Two Days in A Row!!

2007-10-02T12:23:00.000-04:00

Hey Kevin- Here I am two days in a row. This is not to say that I haven't been busy this morning. After I dropped Sissy off at school I went by my Mom's house to check on her and my sister. We decided to go and have breakfast together. We had so much fun. Drinking coffee and laughing. My Mama can be so funny and we laugh hysterically at her. Funny thing is, she doesn't always mean to be funny, but she is. She has never remembered our names, even when we were younger. I'm sure glad she didn't have the "house full of youngins" my Daddy always wanted. I guess they would have just given us numbers. I told my sister, Cookie, that I'm so glad that we are grown and self-sufficient, cause Mama would probably leave us somewhere. Oh by the way.., pray for Cookie, she's having some tests done tomorrow. I think I may have already told you this, here I am laughing at Mama, anyway.., Justin is really liking his new job. It's different from what he is use to but, it's kind of fast pace and he likes that. He was a little over-whelmed yesterday but one of his supervisors told him to pace himself. That's kind of hard to do, especially when both of your parents are OC. Please continue to pray for Justin. I think he's really going places in this new job and he has the opportunity for advancement and the drive. Yesterday evening, Ronnie and I had a meeting at Meredith's school. She scored in the 95% of her grade on her PACT. Because of this she is being recognized as an advanced student and will be given the opportunity, next year, to take the SAT with high school seniors!! Beautiful and smart..., that's my girl! Only thing is, Meredith doesn't think she's either. That's good to a point, at least she's not flirty or flighty. Pray for Sis too. She will be attending a couple of workshops to prepare herself for the tests. If you know Meredith, you know she is VERY SHY AND VERY QUIET!! She gets her beauty and her personality from her Daddy and she gets her brains from her MOM! Hey, do I hear an AMEN out there? I'm gonna sign off now because I have to swap off the towels and then finish the weekly newslwetter for Meredith's soccer team. See, I told you, I'm not just another pretty face! Love you guys. Have a blessed day. Hey Kevin, do you feel better now? You were so-oo worried that I was MIA!

So Busy

2007-10-01T21:56:00.000-04:00

I see somebody missed me. Sorry guys I have been so busy. I'm not just another pretty face, I actually have a family that requires me to look in on them sometimes. I am so tired! This was one of my "bad fibro" days. Some of you may know what I mean when I say that. I feel like I have the flu. I am so tired and I ache all over. I had to get up early Sunday morning and just soak in a tub of hot water. We had a soccer week-end and then (3) Sunday services and then Sunday afternoon rehearsal until after 3pm. By the time we got home and changed clothes, I had to turn around and take Meredith back to church for her choir practice. Some of you know where we live and it's not a quick trip. I loved every minute of the week-end and I really like to keep busy but sometimes my body screams..., ENOUGH ALREADY! YOU'RE FAT AND YOU'RE OLD! That maybe true but I don't plan to give up anytime soon. I have too much to do.
Well, I hear the music for CSI Miami so I guess I'd better go and watch Horatio. Actually, I love Grissom on Thursday nights better. I'm sure glad they found Sara but I don't think she and Grissom are so cute together. I think I'd be cuter.

"Sensing Life"

2007-09-26T12:06:00.000-04:00

My friend Alison and I were sitting at the soccer field yesterday afternoon just enjoying the sights and sounds of the kids around us playing soccer. I love watching them run up and down the field kicking and passing the ball. I love to hear them laugh and cheer each other on. I love to feel the warm sun on my face and feel a little breeze blow through my hair. I love to smell the grass. Have you ever heard a song on the radio and it bring back memories of a long ago time and place? Whenever I smell burgers grilling I remember back when I was a little girl and Daddy would be home, maybe for a week-end, hopefully longer. He was a truck driver and he was gone a lot of the time and when he was home in the summer we would always grill out burgers. I love to hear the big tractor-trailers going down the interstate and smell the diesel. I grew up around trucks and so those sounds and smells remind me of my Daddy and good times. Fresh cut grass reminds me of ball games and watermelon. Burning leaves reminds me of swinging on our swing set and jumping in to a big pile of leaves. Listening to my family talking and laughing in the evening is the sweetest sound. All of these sights and sounds and smells make me feel safe. I can smell onions cooking and it reminds me of being outside as a little girl and smelling Mama's supper cooking through the open windows. We didn't have air-conditioners back then. Lord! I'm old. But I don't care cause I don't feel old. I feel blessed and happy. I love life and I enjoy the "sense" of belonging. Of loving and being loved. We need to slow down people. We need to "sense" life. To smell life. To reach out and touch it and listen to the sounds of life. We need to taste life.We need to be thankful for all that the Lord has given us to enjoy. We need to practice life. This is just a rehearsal of what's to come. I Cor. 2:9 "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. We can only imagine the sights and sounds of our glorious eternal home. I know there will be music. Hymns of praise and worship. There will be beauty beyond description. Streets of purest gold. Who knows..., there may even be watermelon! How about potato salad? I can dream, can't I?

Family

2007-09-20T14:53:00.000-04:00

I usually end my blog on Friday but I'll be pretty busy tomorrow and I may not have time to post. I'm so excited because we're having The Parris Family Reunion!! This is my Mom's family. Margaret Elizabeth Parris was born on July 5, 1934 to Alex and Ruby Harrison Parris. My Mama had (3) older brothers and (1) younger. Her brother Ralph died when I was 4 years old (1958). He and his wife Doris have two sons..., David and Steve. You may remember David from an earlier blog. He's the oldest Parris cousin and he's the one who tries to keep me in line. Next is H.L. "Charley" Parris (wife Ann). He passed away in 1996. His children are..., Nina, Frank, Tim and H.L. Jr. Her next brother was Alex Jr. He died before my Mom was ever born. I've seen pictures and he was a cutie. Next in line is my Mom..., Maggie. She and my Dad (Johnny) were blessed with (3) children, Megie, Cookie and Mark. My Mom's youngest brother was Dean Parris ( another Ann). He passed away in 1991. His children are Larry, Mike and Libby. I remember when I was a little girl and we would get together at Nannie and Papa's for Thanksgiving. All of the aunts and uncles and cousins would get together and eat and laugh and play and of course fight. Steve and I always fought. I remember listening to the grown-ups talk about "the good old days." Those times were fun. They were safe and comforting. My kids..., like most kids today..., don't enjoy family reunions. They don't realize that through these family gatherings you learn who you are and where you came from and what makes you who you are. Family is a sense of belonging. There's love and caring and acceptance. On Saturday, those of us who will be there will remember fondly our loved ones who are no longer with us. We'll talk about the funny things Papa would say or Nannie's sweet smile. We'll laugh about the time we had to help bottle feed Papa's baby goats (kids) or the time the rooster flogged my Mama when she ran up the back steps. How about Nannie's fresh cut corn and her fried okra? How we sat on the back steps and helped her shuck and silk corn and cut up the okra. Food even tasted better at Nannie and Papa's. The smell of Papa's cigar and Nannie's Jergens lotion as we rocked on the front porch after having a big ol bowl of vanilla ice cream. Family..., strong and grounded. Standing proud. Ties that bind us to one another in sweet and lasting memories.

SEPTEMBER 20TH

2007-09-19T10:50:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is a very special and wonderful day in my life. On September 20, 1991 I married my best friend in the whole wide world. 16 years ago I entered into a committment for a
lifetime with the most precious man..., my Ronnie. "Ronnie from the Group." I call him that because for years that's who he was..., Ronnie from the group. My sister and brother-in-law and I had formed a singing group..., "Redeemed" and we were minus a bass singer. Cookie and Pudge(David) knew Ronnie from Mountain View (Chesnee..., not Cowpens) and asked him to join us. I knew of him. I actually remember seeing him years before when we sang at a Homecoming at Mountain View. He was just a teenager then but I remember vividly seeing him. I thought he was the "cutest" guy with beautiful blue eyes. Now, you have to remember I'm a good bit older (11 years) and I was married but..., I still thought he was a "cute kid." Suddenly the kid was all grown up and man could he ever sing. We soon became good friends and "sparring partners." For those of you who know us you know we always carry on with a one-on-one repartee..., always in fun. He was funny with a quick wit and he was always amazed that I could keep up. I believe he must have dated "dumb" girls cause he wasn't use to a smart woman with a quick wit and a smart mouth!! Of course I was married with a young son and Ronnie had a girlfriend. In fact..., they use to sit behind us during the worship service and Ronnie would always pick at Justin trying to get him to giggle during the service. Anyway..., a couple of years later my marriage ended in a very heart-breaking, devastating divorce and for months I closed myself off from everybody. I took care of my son and I worked but I just couldn't bring myself to do anything else. I prayed earnestly for God to put my family back together again and to take away the pain. One day while I was reading my daily devotion and having my prayer time..., the Lord told me to get up off of my knees and put 'feet' on my prayers. I started back to church and started back practicing and singing with the group again. In the beginning it was very difficult but I knew that I had to keep focused because I owed it to my son. In the meantime Ronnie and his girlfriend had broken up..., around the first of the year. I was upset for him but he seemed to be well adjusted. So much so..., that on Valentines we sang at a senior citizens banquet and he actually persued me around the fellowship hall. He had this gleam in his beautiful blue eyes and I was running scared. Eventually, I quit running and let him catch me. A few months later he asked me to marry him and on September 20,1991 we were married at Cowpens First Baptist Church. God answered my prayers..., maybe not in the way that I had in mind but He did put my family back together. Now it's better and more wonderful than it had ever been before. Fours years later..., July 20,1995 the Lord blessed us with a beautiful little girl, Meredith, and now our little family is complete. On our wedding day he sang the song from the group 'Alabama' "Forever's As Far As I'll Go." "I've thought about how long I'll love you..., Forever's as far as I'll go." Happy Anniversary "Ronnie from the group."
I LOVE YOU!!

" Dancing With God"

2007-09-17T17:30:00.000-04:00

My cousin David sent this to me the other day and I thought I would share it with you. When we look at the word GUIDANCE, we see the word "dance" at the end of the word. Doing God's will is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. When one person realizes this, and lets the other person lead, both begin to work together and move in the right direction. Dancing takes surrender,willingness, and attentiveness from one and gentle guidance from the other.

The "G" stands for God, followed by "u" and "i". "God, "u" and "i" dance." We need to be willing to trust God..., to dance together with God, and let Him lead and guide us through each day.

Let us dance the dance of worship and praise to our Lord, as David did. Of course being Baptist, dancing is frowned upon but, sometimes I'm so filled with joy and emotion that mere words can't always express what my heart is feeling.

Let us dance before the Lord with thanksgiving and in adoration of who God is and how He loves us and has blessed us.

My prayer for you is health, happiness and the peace that can only come from our loving God.

Le't continue to love one another and encourage one another and pray for one another.

AND I HOPE YOU DANCE!!

I AM A BAD GIRL

2007-09-14T10:36:00.000-04:00

Most of you who check in on my site know me. Some of you know me very well. Actually, if you have spent any time with me at all you are aware of one thing. I am..., what I am. There is no pretense with me..., what you see is what you get. I am not a patient person. Some people have told me that God gave me my children later in life because I would have more patience with them. Just ask my kids how that's working out. One place I have the most trouble being patient is in my car. No doubt about it..., I HAVE ROAD RAGE!! Meredith always tells any of her little friends that ride with us..., "Watch out! My Mama has road rage." I don't like stupid anyway and some people when they get behind the wheel of a car just go all stupid. I have a sneaky suspicion they're that way most of the time but it really comes out in their driving. Even Ronnie, who travels in his work and drive thousands of miles a month, makes me furious. My Daddy was a truck-driver and he taught me how to drive. I'm not talking about the modern day truck drivers who think they are King of the road, I'm talking about a safety conscious, knows the rules, all time great, truck driver. People use to say..., "Johnny Easler can drive anything with wheels." Having learned from the best I try to do my best. I play a little game sometimes. Go from point A to point B and drive like you are being tested. When I get in my car I stop and think about where I'm going and what way I'm going. I know people who have lived in Spartanburg all of their lives and they don't know how to get from one place to another. One guy has to go home and start from there! Men say that women are bad drivers. Well let me tell you..., I have seen some pretty stupid men drivers too. Kids don't know how to drive only because their parents can't drive. When some people get into their car..., their eyes glaze over and their brains turn to mush. I don't think they need to be behind the wheel of a moving vehicle and out on the road with other people. When I have the misfortune of sharing the roadway with these idiots I would love to have a boxing glove with one of those extendable arms mounted on the side of my car and just knock them right in the head a couple of good times. I usually yell and call them idiots and yes..., I have even told them they were number one and where they could put that cell phone along with a few other choice words. I'm not proud..., but I am honest. We all have our problems..., our dark side and road rage is mine. I've told some of you this before. Ronnie made me take my JESUS magnet off of my van because he said I wasn't being a very good witness. He's right. I'm not. I need for you guys to pray for me. I need to work on this problem area in my life because I am a representative of Christ in ALL things. I need to do less talking and more walking..., closer to Him. I love you guys. Thanks for letting me vent and for letting me be honest. Thanks for keeping me humble and for loving me even when..., I AM A BAD GIRL. Have a good week-end and I'll check in with you on Monday. If you visit my site..., please leave me a comment.

Disconnected

2007-09-13T09:40:00.000-04:00

HEY!! I'm ba-aack!! I've been disconnected from the internet. Do you know how upsetting that can be? I've been disconnected from all of my friends and some of my family members for a day and a half. This was a good thing in that I was able to catch up on the laundry and clean the kitchen and chase the dogs. Oh yeah..., by the way I'm still chasing dogs. But I really had some stuff to do on the computer and I couldn't. Before computers we talked on the telephone and visited our family and friends. If we had business to conduct like letters to write.., we either wrote them by hand or typed them on a typewriter. Now we do EVERYTHING on the computer..., even pay bills on-line and shop. As Christians we need to stay connected. That means worship, fellowship, daily Bible reading and prayer. If we don't seek God's guidance through worship, fellowship, daily Bible reading and prayer..., then we are disconnected. That's a lonely place to be. Everything is out of kilter and nothing seems to go right. I'm glad to be back on-line because I really do have stuff to do but..., being off-line gave me a time to reflect and to count my blessings. It gave me time to re-connect with my Heavenly Father because I was quiet and I could listen. Unfortunately I had to call Ronnie so he could tell me what to do to find the problem. He always says that I get on the computer and start jumping around and moving my feet and I pull something lose. I tell him that if he would clean this mess of wires and cables up underneath the computer I would be less likely to pull something lose. He has some things tied together with wire ties but it still looks like a bunch of snakes down there. Also, sometimes when I'm on the computer the dogs like to come in and lay at my feet. They have a bed in here behind my chair but they still like to lay at my feet. When Sophia was younger she actually chewed one of the cables in half and Ronnie had to replace it. We were disconnected big time then!! Anyway..., I'm glad to be back. Maybe you guys missed me as much as I missed you.
Have a wonderful day and stay connected. LOVE YOU!!

How To Leave Your Comments

2007-09-11T16:54:00.000-04:00

I have had so many of you visit my site but you don't know how to leave a comment. At the bottom of my 'musings' will be a line that reads: Comments- click on that. Unfortunately my blog page won't allow anonymous comments so you have to have a Google account. There's a place to click on: Set up Google Account. All you have to do is type in your e-mail address as your User Name and for your Password type in an 8 character word that is easy for you to remember and that's it!! I hope you guys will stop by and leave me a comment. I really enjoy the feed-back. Well-gotta run and get ready for Meredith's soccer practice. I love you guys. Be safe and remember our fallen heros. We owe our freedom and security to their sacrifice.

Patriot's Day

2007-09-11T13:21:00.000-04:00

Six years ago today I, like so many other Americans, sat glued to the television in shock as we watched the horror unfolding before our very eyes. We weren't watching another country being attacked.., WE were being attacked!! The United States of America, the greatest country in all of the world, was being attacked by terrorist. Those beautiful Twin Towers in New York City crumbled to the ground and with them our assurance of living fear-free from terrorism. So many precious lives lost in a senseless attack. We have since then gone about out daily lives but it's never been the same. To millions of people all over the world America is a magic place. With schools, parks, playgrounds; peaceful living and the freedom to choose our jobs and plan our lives. A way of life that we readily assume to be a natural right. But every freedom has a price.
When we think of the cost paid for our freedom, we should realize that living in such a great land is a responsibility as well as a prviledge. As we honor the millions of American Patriots who so willingly gave their lives for the priviledges we enjoy, let us find new reasons for wanting to keep our country the home of the brave and the free and the good.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!

Honoring The Fallen:
September 11, 2001

I'm Late- I'm Late- For a Very Important Date!!

2007-09-10T22:06:00.000-04:00

I'm going to make this a short one guys cause it is so late. This has been a typical Monday. Nothing bad happened..., I've just been so busy. After I took Meredith to school this morning I went and had coffee with my Mom and my sister..., Cookie. My sister had several doctor's appointments so I stayed with Mama until lunch time. Of course Ronnie is out of town again and I'm still chasing my crazy dachshunds. I'm trying to train Sophia to come when I call her. Of course none of our dogs have ever been trained but they would at least come when I call..., not So-So. At first I thought she wasn't coming to me cause she hadn't learned her name yet but now she just doesn't come. Anyway..., this afternoon she and Odie were running in the neighbor's yard and when I came out to call them Sophia ran under their car. At first I was trying to bribe her with a snack but she wasn't having any of that. I finally had to run her out with a fly swatter. Don't go into a panic I mostly just waved it at her and yelled for her to go home. I'm so glad my new neighbors weren't home. I think they are kind of concerned about what kind of people we are anyway. I'm sure if they had been home and saw me running around flapping a fly swat and screaming they would know for sure what kind of people we are..., NUTS!! I'll try to post earlier tomorrow and until then..., remember I love you guys. Hey- if you visit how about leaving a comment. I want to know how I'm doing. My sister thinks I should write a book..., HA! my life is a book..., a comic book!

Hey- it's Friday

2007-09-07T11:55:00.000-04:00

Hey guys- it's Friday. Ronnie is home for the week-end. Justin is feeling some better and when I pick up Meredith this afternoon at 3:15 our week-end officially begins. I love Fridays. I love any time my family is spending time together. My favorite time of the day is when everybody is home and I can hear them laughing and talking. It makes me feel so safe. Meredith has a soccer game tomorrow. GO ORANGE HOT TAMALES!! I don't know that much about soccer even though Meredith has been playing for awhile. I guess all that matters is that she knows and she is having a ball. I love watching the girls play and this year Meredith's age group is playing with high school age girls. The little ones Meredith's age are keeping up with the older ones. It's a blast. Oh yea..., I'm the Team Parent this season. I didn't realize how much responsibility goes along with the honor but so far I've been up for the challenge. I'm doing a Team newsletter every week so everybody will know what's going on. If they don't know what's up it's because they haven't read the newsletter. Of course we have a busy week-end planned and then the best way to end a week and begin another is attending Anderson Mill Road Baptist Church. I love my church. AMRBC is definately a God touched- Spirit-filled church. The fellowhip-the music-the message-the love. I'll end with this;

Beautiful is the church if God is worshiped there.

Have a wonderful and safe week-end. Love and encourage one another. Praise God for who He is and for what He has done. I love you guys. You're in my special thoughts and in my prayers.
I'll check back with you on Monday. God Bless you.

Friendship

2007-09-06T16:15:00.000-04:00

I'm really late posting today. It's been a good day. I took Odie back to the vet and this time he gave them a good specimen. Hopefully this is a good sign. We should have his test results next week. All you pet lovers..., PRAY!! After I dropped Odie off at the vet I met a friend for coffee. I've known of my friend Alison for a long time. Our daughters have gone to school together since kindergarten and Alison (Super Mom) was PTA president for three years!! However.., I didn't actually get to know her until last Spring when our girls played on the same soccer team. I love this woman!! She is funny and out-going and just so bubbly. I love out-going people. Quiet people make me self conscious. If I have known you for more than five minutes you are no longer an acquaintance but a friend. That's because I love everybody and I'm just a huggy-kissy-lovey kind of gal. Of course this makes me an oddity in my family cause nobody else is like that. I'm sure I bother some people. I hug you when I see you and then I hug you bye. I have lots of friends.., of every size,shape, sex,age and race. The friend that I have had the longest is Gretchen. We met the first day of the 7th grade (40 years ago). The second longest friendship is Carol. We've been friends for 39 years. Of course I have my buddies from church..., just too many to mention. My friendship also includes guys. My brother-in-law David (Pudge) has been my dearest guy friend since 1974. You can even have family members that you count as friends too. This is double huggy-kissy-lovey..., cause we're family. My cousin's wife Amanda and I are really big buddies and my cousin David and I are "kissing cousins." Nothing kinky guys..., he's just the oldest Parris cousin and a pretty neat guy. He tries to keep me straight. Pray for him cause he's got his work cut out. You can have good-loving friendships that last for many years even though you may lose touch. This was very evident a few months back. My friend Wendell and I were the greatest friends back in the early seventies but we lost touch some time in the mid-eighties. Over the years I have thought of him often but wasn't sure where he was. A few months back I made a few inquiries and now we're back in touch..., after 20 years!! My very best and dearest friend in the whole wide world is my hubby..., Ronnie. We will celebrate 16 years of marriage on the 20th of the month. As I've said so many times..., Ronnie is the love of my life and my kids..., Justin and Meredith are the joy. I am so blessed. I thank God for all of my friends. You are very special to me. You bring joy and laughter and good times. Thanks for always being there in the good times and the bad. Thanks for making my days a little brighter and the journey through life a lot easier. God Bless You.

Not my day!!

2007-09-05T10:33:00.000-04:00

Well- since my other favorite color is green..., I'm choosing to write in green today. Green like the grass is suppose to be. Ronnie said something about weed-eating but very little about cutting the grass or mowing the lawn. Funny..., the grass is brown and withered from lack of rain but the weeds are flourishing nicely. I don't have a green thumb really so I don't know weeds from little sprouts. That might be why my suppose to be flower bed is really a weed bed.

Yesterday wasn't a very good day but I tried. Today isn't much better and I'm not sure I want to try!! Whenever Ronnie is out of town everything can and does go wrong. Not that I can't handle it but somehow the decisions I make in a crisis aren't necessarily the decisions Ronnie would make. I don't mean a major crisis..., one dog is in heat (joy-joy) the other dog may have prostate cancer and both of my kids aren't feeling real swift at the moment either. Justin called me earlier and told me to make him a doctor's appointment. This means..., he's sick. I'm suppose to follow Odie around with a cup to get a urine speciman. It seems he didn't give them enough at the vet's office yesterday. Now how am I suppose to do that and try to keep a diaper on Sophia? Which by the way she has lost!! We live on 11 acres and of course the dogs have free run. Odie..., being a male..., runs from bush to tree to blade of withered grass to "tinkle" and I'm suppose to run after him with a cup to catch it!!

Oh Lord!! Give me strength. I'm also suppose to keep Odie and Sophia apart. That's kind of hard when they live in the same house. Oh yea..., according to our breeder..., Sophia wasn't suppose to come into heat or season for a few more weeks. Well Surprise!! Her surgery is scheduled for the end of the month but until then I'm chasing her and Odie around like some crazed lunatic with a cup and a diaper. Well..., that is if I find the diaper.

Okay- I know you're probably laughing hysterically or you're probably even offended at my choice of topics today. Sorry..., that's not really what I intended. I guess I said all that to say this..., "the grrass is not always greener." I may be having a "bad" day today but I know there are so many people who have real crisis and real probalems.

I visited some of my CaringBridge Buddies this morning. My friend..., Susan. She's just lost her soul-mate of 30 years to cancer. My sweetheart..., Nicholas Deyo from Minnesota. He had a spinal stroke at birth. He has lots of problems but he's a cutie and a real tropper. Meredith Grace Dyer is 9 months old and has neuroblastoma. After her chemo treatment the other day she threw up in the hallway but turned around and gave her Mom (Ginger) the biggest grin. She's a beauty too just like my main man Nic. This morning I got an e-mail from my Aunt Jessie. It seems there is a very special young man..., Nick Vujicic..., who was borned with no arms or legs. He has a genuine love for young people and he travels around as a motivational speaker.

WAKE UP CALL!! My little problems seem very insignificant. It's very humbling. I find that if I try to be encouraging to others then it makes my little "bumps" not so very difficult anymore.
Find somebody today to be encouraging to. It may be a phone call or a card or even a hug. It may give them the boost they need to face the day and it will make you feel better too.

Give thanks in all things. Our Lord is a great and mighty God and greatly to be praised.
Have a Jesus-filled day and remember I love you guys.

Thankful

2007-09-04T11:55:00.000-04:00

Since my favorite color is purple and since this is my page..., I'm writing my 'Musings' for the day in purple. I titled today's thoughts Thankful because I am so truly Thankful for all that the Lord has given to me and done for me. In one of my devotions this past week it talked about worship. Worship God with thankfulness and sincerity. Praise Him! Adore Him. All that we are and all that we have comes from Him. I feel so thankful and so blessed. It's been a very busy morning for me. I dropped Ronnie off at the airport at 6:00am. He's flying to Kansas City for the week. By the time I got back home..., it was time to wake up Meredith and Justin. I took Meredith to school and took our 8 year old dachshund Odie to the vet for routine blood work. Odie has seizures and is on Phenobarbitol so he has to have periodic check ups. We may have a major problem. During Odie's exam the doctor detected an enlarged prostate. He had this same problem last year but they never found anything. However..., he was very swollen and the examine was VERY UNCOMFORTABLE to say the least. I had to leave my baby boy so they could do x-rays and get a urine specimen. What we are praying for is inflamation of the prostate but the doctor said that it could be cancer. They are starting him on antibiotics and medication for inflamation. So all of you pet-lovers know where I'm coming from. Please pray that all will be well with Odie. Our pets are just like our babies and most of the time they mind a lot beter than our kids. Anyway..., on the way home I cried and of course I prayed. I'm thankful for the 8 years that we've had this sweet little guy. I'm praying for many more healthy years with him. My cousin sent me an e-mail the other day. It was an intereview with Rick Warren ("The Purpose Driven Life") and he talked about the struggles that he and his family have been facing recently. His wife's cancer. This is what he said in the interview and I'm going to close with this;

In happy moments; Praise God
In difficult moments; Seek God
In quiet moments; Worship God
In painful moments; Trust God
In EVERY moment; Thank God

I'm sure we all are at different 'moments' in our lives. Facing our own struggles..., even the sickness of a beloved pet. No matter the 'moment'..., BE THANKFUL. I love you guys.

I did it!!

2007-09-03T16:07:00.000-04:00

Hey guys! I finally did it. I took the plunge. I bit the bullet. I set up my blog. This is so exciting!!
Now I have my very own page with my name on it. You long time bloggers will have to be patient with me cause I'm new at this and I still don't know what I'm doing. If you have any advice please share it. Eventually I would like to post some pictures of my family and my dogs. If you know me at all you know one of the most important things in my life is my family. I want my 'Musings' to be positive and encouraging. I want you guys to be my accountability partners. Keep me on the straight and narrow. You know how I can get sometimes. Anyway..., here it is!!
Let me know what you think. I love you all dearly. Have a Jesus filled day.