My Daddy

This week was one of the hardest weeks I had in a long, long time. I had to bury my daddy Thursday, August 20. Daddy died in his sleep Tuesday morning at 2:00 am. His body surrendered to cancer at the age of 75. We found out he had cancer April of this year. The doctors found it in his pancreas, kidney and lungs. It was to late for them to treat it. So this week was difficult for me, but I know daddy is in a much, much better place.

When Father's Day came this year, I wanted to give daddy something but had no idea what to do. So I put together the top six favorite memories I have with him.

I remember we would sit on the living room floor and he would teach me how to play solitare and we would play together.

Going to Howies Pizza with daddy on Friday nights was a BIG treat. It was a small convenient store with a pizza parlor in it. We would walk around the store while they cooked the pizza. The smell in there was wonderful. Just walking in the store was a treat.

I would wake up on Saturday morning with the smell of bacon and eggs and the tunes of the Temptations or the Platters on the stereo. Watching him do the wahtosee was the best part. I loved to watch mom and dad dance. I would wish my future husband would dance with me, the way they danced together.

I remember one time while we were at the beach me, daddy and Jimmy were walking on the beach and a sand storm came. Daddy made me walk behind him, so the sand would not blow on me and hurt. I felted so safe, protected and loved that day.

I remember one time on my birthday he gave me a gold bracelet with my name engraved on it. I loved that present, because "he" picked it out. I still have that bracelet, to pass down to my grandchildren.


And last but least, I remember another time when we went to the beach when I was little and couldn't swim. He would carry me in his arms out in the water. When a big wave came he would hold me tighter so I wouldn't get washed away. I always felt safe and secure in daddy's arms and I always will.

I love you daddy and will miss you very much.

From a Boy to a Man

The day has finally come, when my little boy has turned into a man. Sunday we took Trent to Tuscaloosa and moved him into his dorm. I knew the day would come, just didn't think it would come this soon.

The day turned out to be beautiful. Too beautiful for my mood. I had so many emotions rolling inside me I thought I was going to burst. I rode with Trent down there, while Kerry, Missy and Austin rode in the truck. I was going to get every minute that I could with him. As we were traveling, I started to think back from the time he was born all the way through now. I saw his whole life flash before my eyes.


When we arrived at the university, there were a couple of cars in front of us unloading there child's belongings. We only waited a few minutes, than it was our turn.

Trent went and checked in while we unload the truck and his car. In no time we stacked all his stuff in a pile on the grass, waiting for their new home.

Trent calls and tells us to come up to the room, he has checked in. His dorm is more like an apartment. He shares it with 3 other boys. They don't check in until Friday. Today is just for band members.



His living room is pretty big, along with a small kitchen to hold a refrigerator, microwave and sink.


There are two bathrooms (thank goodness), each with a shower and a toilet. The sinks are in a separate area. Trent's room has a twin bed, desk, dresser and a closet. You can look out his window and see a man made lake. The campus is beautiful.



We unpack Trent's stuff, while he registers and starts band camp. For the entire week, from 8:30 am to 10:00 pm he will be in camp, learning the half time show for the football games. This is the day he has been waiting for. To go to the University of Alabama and be in the “Million Dollar Band”.

We go out for dinner before we leave. I feel like it's our last supper together, forever. We don't have long, because he has to be back on the marching field. My mother instincts kick in and can see he is already tired, and didn't feel like he got enough to eat and wonders if he'll get up in time for tomorrows practice .... and did we pack enough clothes?

As we pulled into the parking lot, my throat starts to tighten up and my eyes begin to water. This is it. My job is finished. I hug my little boy for one last time and kiss my son who has turned into a man.

Bama Bound

Well, it has happened. My oldest, first born son is leaving the nest. He is leaving for college this weekend. The University of Alabama. How is "momma" doing? Going through her 5th box of tissues. I knew it would be hard, but not like this.

Spring Break

March definitely came in like a lion this year. We got our first and only snowfall of the year. It was about 1/2 inch, but hey, it was enough to make a snowball. Of course it was gone by 12:00, but we still enjoyed it.

Spring break this year fell in the middle of the month. Kerry and I could not
take off work, so that Friday, right after school, Kerry, me and the boys celebrated by going to Movie Gallery and picking out a couple movies and games . You have to get there early to get a good selection. Sometimes it's the little things that make them happy. We watched The Incredible Hulk and Horton Hears a Hoo. I really liked The Incredible Hulk. It was better than I thought. You have to watch after the credits, so you can see a sneek look at "Captain America".

Kerry and I decided to take off Friday and do something as a family for the weekend. So Missy and the boys had the week to do whatever. Missy went down to her grandmothers' and stayed until Wednesday. The boys mowed grandma and grandpa's yard and our yard. It was that first spring mowing of the year, type of job. We played cards a couple nights with our friends Cheryl and Daryl and their two boys, Dillon and Dalton. We like to play Progressive Rummy and Rook. So that was pretty much our week up until Friday.

The weather was warm and pretty Friday, so we decide to go to Southern Adventures and play putt, putt golf. All six of us playing, needless to say, we held up alot of people, but they didn't seem to mind. We had a great time. Trent won, with "two" hole in one. He was quite proud of himself. I came in second and then.... Kerry third. I beat him by one stroke. I tried not to rub it in. Jordan came in fourth, Missy fifth, and Austin last. Missy also got a hole in one. She was smiling from ear to ear. Did I tell you I beat Kerry by one stroke??? The course was in excellent condition.

After golf, me, Jordan and Austin rode the go-karts. We raced each other. Jordan came in first and Austin second. They were both thrilled that they beat mom. Kerry, Trent and Missy went to the batting cages. They thought the go-karts would be to slow. They had fun just hitting a few balls.

After our fun time at Southern Adventures, we went to Outback to eat. We had three gift cards there. That is the only way all six of us would have been able to eat there. The food was delicious. We were starving. Everyone's favorite is the cheese fries (with extra cheese). We decided after eating to go to the movies. We saw "Knowing", staring Nichols Cage. It wasn't too bad. I would wait until it came out on DVD. Jordan, Missy and Austin really liked it. So it was a split vote with all of us. We went home after that. We,(me) was exhausted.

Saturday was another beautiful day, so we played badminton and grilled hamburgers. Our first of many this year. Nothing like that first grilling of the year. We "love" to play badminton. We even had a badminton trophy made just for tournaments when we play with family and friends. Kerry and I have played it since we've dated and have passed on the sport to our kids. The boys are "almost" as good as me and Kerry. On my bad days, they can whoop me easily. Missy is getting there. We go through at least 50 birdies a year. I think we're at 5 now.

Skillet, our cat, had a good time outside too, as you can see. He loves being in the dirt and grass. He was a mess when we decided to come in. I couldn't get all the grass off of him. Austin said he had his camoflage gear on.


Saturday afternoon we decided to go ice skating. What were we (I) thinking. The last time I went was before Kerry and I started dating, over 20 years ago. I didn't want to attempt it after I got Fibromyalgia, because I knew I would pay for it. I thought, hey, I'm going to hurt pretty good after this weekend, I might as well go for it. I did and I had fun. I fell as soon as I got on the ice. I thought I cracked the ice, with my big butt. Kerry and Jordan had to help me up, after laughing of course. All together I fell 5 times. Not too bad. Kerry tried to keep me up. It was a very difficult task. Everyone else did pretty good. Austin fell 6 times, Jordan fell once. Kerry did not fall at all. He made sure I knew, several times. Did I tell you I beat Kerry in putt putt golf???

Well, that was our spring break. We didn't go to the beach, like alot of our friends did, nor go to the mountains. We stayed home, learned a little bit more about each other and had a fun time doing it. Whether we liked it or not.

Love is in the Air

When you think of February what's the first thing that comes to your mind? Red, 2nd month of the year, Valentine's Day, love .....?? Those are the first things that popped into Austin's mind when I asked him. Love being the last one he mentioned. Well, love is the first thing that enters my mind when February rolls around the corner, besides Ground Hog Day. The second best day of the year. (If spring is coming early).

This month, Kerry and I went to a marriage conference, hosted by our church. February, known as the month of love, was the perfect time of year to have one. We've never really went to one, so we thought we would try this year. A couple from North Carolina led it. I honestly couldn't tell you their names.

I am going to try and share with you some of the things I learned. The first night (Friday), we watched the movie "Fireproof". Kerry and I had never seen the movie and had been wanting to. For those of you, who have not seen it, and are married or are planning on getting married sometime, it is definitely worth watching.
I won't go into detail about the movie, but in short, a married couple drifts apart from each other and blames the other for their failing marriage. It is definitely worth watching. We had to go home that night with homework. We had to say to the other, one habit that bothered us and that we would like for them to change. It actually took me a while to think, (there are so many). No, just kidding. But it did take a little time to think. Kerry said he had to think also. I'm not going to tell you what the other was, so stop thinking it. It was a great assignment to say the least.

The couple had pulled their material, from several books. One of them was called "Men are Like Waffles, Women are Like Spaghetti". I could stop there, but I shall continue. Men process life in boxes while women process life through connections. Women connect everything in life to everything else, hence spaghetti. Success is such a strong motivation for men that they seek out boxes that work and ignore boxes that confuse them or make them feel like a failure. Most men have blank boxes with no words or thoughts. After I heard that, I remember shaking my head and thinking, now it all makes sense and at the same time thinking, I wonder what the boys are doing? Are they behaving? Is Missy home yet. Am I going to get up in the morning? I wonder what should I wear? Where are we going to eat tomorrow night? Should I say more.....????

We also had to fill out little, question and answer pages about our spouse. What we knew about them and what we would like to learn from them. We filled out this one profile called "The five love languages". You had to circle either A, B, C, D or E. Than you add all the columns and whatever letter you have the most, that indicates your primary love language. No, I'm not going to tell you that one either. If anyone wants a copy of any of the questionaires, let me know and I'll send it to you.

Kerry and I will be married for 20 years this August. I can honestly say, I learned a lot. We left this conference with our marriage a little bit stronger. God has truely blessed me with a wonderful man. I hope everyone will some day be as blessed and happy as I am.

January 2009 is here and almost gone

January is here... and almost gone. Where does the time go??? It seems like yesterday it was Christmas. If I could stop time I would do it. If only to keep my family here at home and within reach.


I measured Austin the other day. He grew an inch and a half in 6 months. Five more inches and he would be my height. I'm not a short woman measuring in at 5'6". Of course he was very excited. I smiled, trying to share his excitement, but inside, my heart was gasping for air. My baby was growing and I couldn't stop it. The jeans he had on were only three months old and they came up past his ankles. I wish our wallet grew as much as our kids. Austin has grown not just physically, but has also (dare I say it?)... matured. He's in the seventh grade and in middle school. He has seven classes with science being his favorite. This is his second year in band. He plays the alto saxophone and is actually pretty good. I love to hear him practice. He's taking piano lessons also. This is his fourth year. He said he would like to one day give lessons. I hope that one day comes. That won't be his only job though. His career changes every week. I believe this week is an artist. My favorite is ... "a worker at Burger King". With his grades I don't picture him working there, but owning one. He has made all A's this year. This is a great achievement. He has worked so hard for this. I am so, so proud of him.


Austin isn't the only one with a growing spurt. I measured Jordan also and he has grown another inch. He passed Kerry a long time ago. He likes to stand next to me and look down at me. He is on the soccer team, so I guess it is causing another spurt. When we're at the dinner table he is almost, always the last one eating. I'm sure you can image our food bill. Well, triple that. Jordan started high school this year and adjusting quite well. I knew he would. He is so easy going. He is also in the band. He plays the trumpet and is very good. He got his driving learners permit in October. I believe it was on his birthday. We haven't hit the major roads yet. We're still working on the country roads. Haven't hit a mailbox yet. Maybe a few cows, but nothing that can't run. He does have his big brother, Trent helping him and giving him pointers.


Trent's graduating this year from high school. Ask me how many times I have cried. It seems like yesterday I was holding him in my arms and rocking him to sleep. In May, he is going to turn 18 and be a high school graduate. He's planning to go to college in the fall. We think he is going to go to Alabama if all goes well. He received a full tuition scholarship and an engineering scholarship from there. And can you believe that still doesn't cover all the costs. We went to the university in September to tour and walk around. Trent was in "heaven". The Honors Dorms are really nice. He gets his own bedroom but shares a living room and kitchen with either one other person or three. And did I say it was already furnished. I though sure we would have to bye him a bedroom suite. Here I am talking like he is going to go there, but like I said, we're not sure yet.


Missy is planning on transferring to another college this fall also. She hasn't decided where yet. She has it narrowed down to three colleges. She still has time to decide. She has done so good in school. I'm so proud of her. She wants to be a teacher. I don't know what grade. She would like to do some missionary work some day. Whatever she decides to do, she'll be great at it. She gets along with people so well. She has such a kind and caring nature. I wish we all could be like her. We would not have so much war going on.


Well, that's my bragging post. I'm sure you'll be seeing more of them, since I have started this blogging thing. I can't help but brag. I'm a mom.

"Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone". God is so good!

My children have been wanting me to do a blog for the longest time, so I said change is good. Show me what to do. It's kind of sad that your own kids have to show you how to do stuff like this.

What a year 2008 has been. We got to take our kids and youth at church to Mobile, Alabama for an inner city mission trip in June. Wow! What an eye opener it was. We don't need to go overseas to do God's work. It's in our own backyard.

We had around 23 kids to go. There were several other churches that were there. Everyone worked so hard. By the end of the work day, I was exhausted.

How I made it through the week, I have no idea. I loved every moment though. On the last night, we had team relay races. Some of us got more into it than others.

We took a poll on the way home, asking the kids if they would do it again. It was a unamous vote. Everyone wanted too. Even me.

In July our church family finally got to move into the Phase II building of our church. We love it. It's nice to be able to move around and not bump into people. We use the old santuary for the youth room. They were meeting in a building down the road for about 6 months, because we had no room for them. Now we have a nice big place for them to hang out and worship in during the week. This has took alot of stress off of Kerry. For those who do not know, Kerry is the student minister at our church. God placed our family there just at the right time.

The kids started school in August. Trent is a senior this year. Jordan is a freshman, Austin is in the 7th grade and Missy is starting her second year in college. Where has the time gone?

For fall break in October we went to Gulf Shores for the week. Grandma and Grandpa Webb went too, along with Aunt Frances and Uncle Brent. Our friends Daryl and Cheryl and their boys went also for the week.

We all stayed in a 4 bedroom condo, except our friends. They stayed in a condo down the road. We had a great time. It was so nice to get away and spend time with family and friends. We dressed in t-shirts and blue jeans one evening and took pictures down at the beach. We visited an old fort, walked on the beach, played in the sand or just caught up on some much needed rest. That was a very memorable week.

We came home and got back into the normal routine of school and work. Trent and Jordan finished marching band season Nov. 7. This was Jordan's first year and Trent's last. Austin is in the band at his school. He got to play with the High school band one night. He really liked that. He can't wait until he can march like his brothers. All the bands put on a Christmas concert the first week in December. It was a great feeling to see and hear my boys play.

Thanksgiving, we spent a quiet day at Grandma and Grandpa Webb's for lunch. The food was delicious as usual. Christmas got here before we knew it, and now it is over. You spend so much time preparing for it, and it comes and goes in a blink of an eye. Even Skillet, our cat tries to do his part. He had a ball climbing up the tree. Thank goodness we had no trees to fall this year. At the end of the day, I sit back and I thank God for his Son and my family.

So now New Year's is here and 2009 is knocking at our door. I run to the door with anticipation. I don't know what the future holds for us. We might have several storms that we might have to go through. We shouldn't ask for God to take the storms away, but to teach us to dance in the rain. I pray we all have a sunny forecast, but if you see clouds coming your way, get out your dancing shoes and turn up the music.