Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Excellent Advice on how to Live Your Life

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

How far you go in life
depends on your being
Tender with the young
Compassionate with the aged
Sympathetic with the striving
and
Tolerant with the weak and strong
because
Someday you will have been all of these

George Washington Carver

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Minor High School

Class of 72


Carlynn was one of my closest childhood and school friends
We went to the same church
We attended Crumly Chapel Elementary
Dixie Junior High
and
Minor High School
and
Carlynn was in my wedding

I remember when she told me that the knot on her
neck would not go away
That knot turned out to be
Hodgkin's Disease

Carlynn had the most beautiful
thick Auburn hair
I have never seen a prettier color hair...ever

She was loved and is remembered

Friday, July 23, 2010

A Life Most Ordinary

I have updated my blog again.

It only took a week this time

I laughed as I was doing the posts

How absolutely boring we must seem to people

But

One thing life has taught me is that

Ordinary

is a very good thing

I love being

Ordinary

even

Boring

So

beware of some very

ordinary and boring posts

of an

ordinary and boring life

Just the way I like it!

Just Another Day In (Our) Paradise

Tuesdays With MeMe
was on Thursday this week
The kids spent about 3 hours in
the pool






John
aka
Pops
swims laps while the
Emma, Abby and
John Brady play

Bet you can't Guess

We're go'in to the
Zoo Zoo Zoo
How about
You You You
Yes, we went to the Zoo Monday
Dave had workers for the fence staining
so Lawson and I headed out to the Zoo
He sang the Zoo song all the way to the Zoo
and I have had it stuck in my head since

I thought this was a cute picture
but there is a story behind it
I have as my screen saver on my lap top
a picture of a bamboo forest
When Lawson saw this bamboo
close to the monkey house
he began telling me that it was just like my computer
So
we had to get a picturePlaying in the water at the Zoo



Monkey High Jinks at the Zoo

Lawson loves the Monkey House
He loves running from window to window
and looking at the different monkeys
sometimes the monkeys just don't pay you any attention
this day
this monkey
just seemed to love Lawson
So
the little man wanted his picture made
in front of this monkey
I gladly got out my camera and started shooting
that was when the
high jinks beganYou can tell by the expression on Lawson's
face that he was not sure why the people
around us were laughing
And here I managed to capture the look
on his face when he saw that the monkey
was gladly giving everyone a really good
view of his bottom
AND
finally
Lawson is telling everyone what the
monkey was doing
Oh, yeah
life with a 3 year old!

Where Is Huck Finn When You Need Him?

John and I headed to Birmingham this past Friday to visit with
Courtney and Dave and to help them do some things around the house.
The original plan was to put Lawson's play gym together but due to the ground not being ready
we made a quick change of plans. Courtney had been wanting to weather treat and stain
the fence they put in this time last year. John and I brought our golf cart with us because
we have a big sprayer that we can put on the back.
We started early Saturday morning. We used wood cleaner and
eventually we went to Clorox.
As usual it took so much longer than we expected. You know the way it goes - plan how long it will take and then double it - well, we made the saying true!
Little rain showers weren't helping but, I am not going to complain about rain.
Sunday, after church, we started staining the fence.....
really slow going.
It has to be paint brushed on.
All four of us worked for about a total of 5 hours in between rain showers
and we didn't get but half of one side finished.
John headed home and I stayed to watch Lawson.
Monday and Tuesday, Dave hired some workers and they got almost through Tuesday when
the bottom dropped out and they called it quits.
The fence cleaned and the panel next to it is weatherproofed and stained

Almost finished
It looks great

I Have A Phobia

Yes
I have a Phobia
In my first tell all post
I am admitting to the fact that I have a full blown case of
CLAUSTROPHOBIA
It all began years ago
I always would have that feeling in tight places
I would think to myself
I really don't like this
but it never really affected me
until
I was on an elevator that
FELL
Yes, it fell about 12 floors before the brakes caught
I was in New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl
The Berry cheerleaders
of which Courtney was a member
were a part of the half time show
We were staying on the 18th floor of a hotel
When I got on the elevator it was empty
I went down 2 floors and a security guard got on
We went down a few more floors and around 15 band members got on
I was pushed to the back wall
I remember someone asking the security guard if we were over loaded
he replied
YES
About that time the elevator just started dropping
The doors would slam open and shut at every floor
and
we were going so fast that it was just a continual open and shut
That part is a blur
Everyone was screaming
as the brakes started trying to catch
The elevator stopped about a foot below the lobby floor
The lights went out and everyone was still screaming
It seemed like all the air was sucked out of that elevator
The guard yelled for everyone to be quiet so he could call for help
I really don't remember a lot after that
except
that I reached through all those kids
grabbed the arm of the guard
and
told him to get me off now
He must have believed me
because after begging me not to
he lifted me up where I could climb through that small space to the lobby
I remember a friend that saw me right afterwards said my face was beet red
I climbed the 18 flights of steps after that everyday
AND
I have been climbing the steps everywhere we went since then
BUT
last October I decided I was tired of the Phobia ruling my life
it was getting worse and was affecting me in other parts of my life
I was tired of my friends having to change things because of my Phobia
So
I, luckily, found a great doctor in Tuscaloosa
he helped me get over my Phobia
Now
it is still there
But
I have it under control
and it is a great feeling
So
while
I was on the church youth beach trip
one activity was a message on the refrigerator everyday
the kids (and us) responded to whatever the question was
It did my heart good to see this written on the frig that day
I Love You Central kids!


Thursday, July 15, 2010

I'm Back

After a 24 day absence. I am back.


There are times in my life when I just would rather not talk


20 days ago my Mother took her last breath
and I have been quiet


But

I am ready to talk again

So

What follows are several very long catch-up blog posts

June 25, 2010

My Mother


Tressie Kathleen Black Wood

went to heaven

Friday the 25th


I am sure she joyfully joined the rest of my family

My sweet sister, Patsy, who died in a car wreck when she was 18

My handsome brother, Johnny, who also died in a car wreck 20 years later

and my Daddy


My Mother moved to Berry from her home in Birmingham

in 1995


We buried her Monday the 28th

at Elmwood Cemetary

beside my Daddy and Sister


My son, Brady, gave the most sweet and wonderful tribute

I know she was beaming from heaven

and

I was beaming down here

You made me so proud, Son!


After the funeral

we met at Courtney's house

at
Oak Mountain to eat and have fellowship together


Mother - Grandmother - G Mama

She lived a long life

Rest In Peace, Mother

I will miss you

Happily and Sadly.....Playing Catch-Up



John and I celebrated

another Wedding Anniversary on Wednesday, June 23rd

We had planned to celebrate that Friday. Sadly, we didn't get to celebrate


So


Look for the Anniversary celebration post in the next couple of weeks

The ocean was calling.....



We have always taken a 4th of July family trip to

Gulf Shores

It has to be during the 4th so that Josh can vacation with us

during the summer college break

We really agonized over this trip because of my Mother's

health and the oil spill

We actually called to cancel a month before

and we were going to lose $850.00!

So, we finally just decided to go and make the best of it

Brady, Kim, Emma, Abby and John Brady were already in Panama City

with Kim's parents

and

Courtney, Dave and Lawson were also in PCB with Dave's parents
I so dreaded calling them to give them the news about


G-Mama

News like that needs to be given when you can easily all get together

but sometimes it just can't be helped
They all came back home
I know it was a long hard trip


After the funeral we decided to go on down to the beach since we were already paying for 3 days that we weren't there
We stayed in a 4 bedroom condo at Phoenix West. It was beautiful and the pools and Lazy River were fantastic



This was the weather the 2nd day we were there


Weather and Oil


But, the beach was what we needed as a family


It is calming and healing







Big Blob of Oil


After a walk on the beach









The boys playing on my iPhone




Uncle Josh and Erin playing with Lawson




Zero entrance pool

(I wish I could make my pool zero entrance!)


Lobby of the Phoenix West


Playing at The Hang Out


The great water slide at the condo
I think this is Emma

and this is Abby


MeMe's Electronics Central

computer, iPhone and Nintendo DS


The second day when it was so cloudy and rainy

during the morning

We decided to take the kids to the

Gulf Coast Zoo

or if you saw it on the TV special

The Little Zoo That Could

We all loved it

All the animals loved Kim that day


Dave and Lawson feeding the goats


Playing with the Kangaroos



Holding a baby






once again, they all loved Kim

We stopped by the State Pier after the Zoo

The water was too brown to see anything


Walking on the beach

It seemed like the sea gulls were desperate for food


Abby in the lazy river

We grilled steaks one night


The kitchen bar in our condo


Look how empty the parking lot next door to our condo

was on July 3rd


nobody on the beach