LOVE IS WHAT MAKES THAT TOWN GO AROUND!

WE HAD A GREAT VISIT TO D THIS PAST WEEK. WE SAW SO MANY FRIENDS, IT WORKED OUT GREAT THAT WE WERE ABLE TO SEE AS MANY PEOPLE AS WE DID. THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR HUGS AND KIND WORDS AND THE MOMS WHO BROUGHT THEIR KIDS AND BRAVED THE PARK ANDLONG LUNCH LINES IN TOWN AFTER VBS ON THURSDAY. WE HAD A SUPER TIME GETTING TO SEE SO MANY PEOPLE, WISHING WE COULD HAVE SEEN JUST A FEW MORE. THAT LITTLE TOWN AND ESPECIALLY OUR CHURCH HAVE SUCH AN AMAZING CAPACITY TO LOVE PEOPLE. THAT IS THE EMOTION THAT I FELT THE MOST WAS LOVE, GENUINE AND GRACIOUS. THANKS DALHART, YOU DEFINITELY HAVE HEART IN THE RIGHT PLACE! THEY SAY LOVE MAKES THE WORLD GO AROUND, I DON'T SEE THAT TO MUCH IN TODAY'S ENVIRONMENT BUT I CAN FOR SURE SAY THAT ABOUT OUR LITTLE TOWN!

BRIEF VISIT TO DALHART...JUNE 17/18

WE ARE COMING THROUGH DALHART ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17 AND THURSDAY, JUNE 18. NOW, WE DON'T EXPECT A PARADE OR ANYTHING...WELL ACTUALLY WE DO. OK, JUST KIDDING.

WE ARE EXCITED TO SEE EVERYONE. OUR PLAN IS TO GET THERE WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR THE VBS NIGHT AT FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH WE ARE STAYING W/S&K TURNER AND THE KIDS WILL GO TO VBS ON THURSDAY A.M., I WILL BE HANGING OUT IN THE TEACHER'S LOUNGE TO SEE EVERYONE!

TOMMY IS GOING TO LUNCH AT ROTARY, I THINK. THE KIDS WILL OF COURSE WANT PIZZA HUT, BUT I WAS THINKING MAYBE ANYONE WHO WANTED TO COME COULD SACK LUNCH IT AT 7TH STREET PARK AND LET KIDS PLAY BEFORE WE HAVE TO LEAVE AROUND 1:30.

IT'S A PLAN, NO STREAMERS OR FIREWORKS FOR OUR ARRIVAL PLEASE, JUST HUGS AND KISSES!

TRICK RIDING GETS TRICKY

IT IS A LOVELY DAY IN THE BIG CITY, NO WIND, BEAUTIFUL SUN AND GREAT TEMPS - A REGULAR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TYPE OF DAY. THE KIDS WERE OUT RIDING BIKES WITH DADDY . B AND I CAME HOME EARLY - DADDY AND S HEADED OUT FOR SOME MORE. ABOUT HALF AN HOUR LATER DADDY COMES IN, "MOMMY, WE ARE GOING TO NEED YOU."

I, OF COURSE, WAS ON THE PHONE, WHICH MY CHILDREN SAY I DO TO MUCH OF.

SHERIDAN HAD A CUT IN HER FOREHEAD. IT WAS LENGTHWISE, ABOUT 1/4 INCH LONG ABOVE HER EYEBROW. SHE HAD BEEN ZIG-ZAGGING ON HER BIKE AND FELL. SHE WAS WEARING HER HELMET, HOWEVER, WE THINK IT WAS HER SUNGLASSES THAT CAUSED THE CUT. HER SUNGLASSES WERE SHATTERED AND PRAISE GOD, SHE HAD NO OTHER INJURES TO HER EYES, TEETH OR HEAD.

WE WENT TO THE CHILDREN'S ER AND WERE SEEN QUITE QUICKLY (I TOOK PICS ON MY CAMERA PHONE BUT HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO RETRIEVE THEM). THEY NUMBED HER FOREHEAD AND DID LIQUID STITCHES. SHE DID REALLY WELL, SHE WAS MOST UPSET ON THE WAY THERE THINKING SHE WAS GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE SHOTS OR HAVE SURGERY.

WE ARE BACK HOME NOW, THANKFUL FOR LIQUID STITCHES AND FOR NO FURTHER INJURIES - TRICK RIDING CAN BE PRETTY TRICKY....

WORD OF THE DAY

YOU WILL SEE I'VE ADDED A NEW GADGET ON THE BLOG, IT IS WORD OF THE DAY. WHILE MOMMY AND DADDY WERE ON VACATION, GIGI AND PAPA TOOK CARE OF THE PEEPS AT HOME. WORD OF THE DAY IS NOW A REQUIREMENT DUE TO THEIR VISIT.

ONE DAY ON THE WAY HOME FROM SCHOOL, MISTER B WAS BEING MISTER B, AND KICKING THE BACK OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT. MY DAD SAID, "B, STOP KICKING THE BACK OF MY SEAT, YOU ARE BEING OBTUSE."

B ASKED, "HEY PAPA WHAT IS OBTUSE?"

"IT MEANS DIFFICULT."

B RETORTED, "GREAT! I'M OBTUSE AND LOVING IT!"

OUR SON THEN DECIDED THAT HE WANTED TO LEARN A NEW WORD EVERYDAY AND SO NOT HAVING THE VAST VOCAB/DICTIONARY KNOWLEDGE THAT PAPA HAS (OR UNCLE ASHLEY FOR THAT MATTER, AS WE HAVE ACCUSED HIM OF READING THE SCRABBLE DICTIONARY DURING HIS FREE TIME), I OPTED FOR THE DICTIONARY.COM GADGET!

TODAY'S WORD IS FITTING, TYRO - A BEGINNER IN LEARNING.

AND THEY ARE OFF...

I MENTIONED BRIEFLY BEFORE IN MY BLOG THAT OUR DEAR DADDY IS MARATHON TRAINING. AT CHRISTMAS, MY BROTHER-IN-LAW ANNOUNCED THAT ON JANUARY 5TH, 2009 HE WAS GOING TO START MARATHON TRAINING.

WE ALL LAUGHED, AT THE TIME, HE WAS HOLDING A COOKIE OR SOMETHING. WELL, JANUARY 5TH CAME AND LANCE STARTED HIS TRAINING PROGRAM FOR THE NEW YORK CITY MARATHON WHICH IS IN EARLY NOVEMBER.

SINCE WE ALL THOUGHT HE WAS JOKING, TOMMY WAS VERY INTERESTED WHEN HE BEGAN HIS QUEST. IN TYPICAL LANCE FASHION, HE READ A BOOK, (LANCE ALWAYS READS BOOKS ON HOW TO DO STUFF FROM SKINNING A DEER TO INSTALLING CROWN MOLDING!), THE NON-RUNNERS GUIDE TO MARATHON TRAINING AND TOMMY GOT A COPY OF THE BOOK ALSO AND THEY MADE A PACT TO ENTER THE LOTTERY DRAWING FOR THE MARATHON.

TOMMY STARTED HIS TRAINING ABOUT 1 MONTH BEHIND LANCE, THEY ARE NOW OUTFITTED WITH FANCY GPS WATCHES THAT TRACK THEIR HEART RATE, PACE, TIME, ETC. THEY ENTERED THE LOTTERY DRAWING FOR THE NEW YORK MARATHON.

THE LOTTERY WILL BE DRAWN IN THE SUMMER AND YOU HAVE A ONE IN THREE CHANCE OF MAKING IT BY LOTTERY DRAW. YOU CAN ALSO APPLY TO RUN ON SOMEONE'S TEAM. LANCE RESEARCHED AND HE AND TOMMY ENTERED TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THE LANCE ARMSTRONG LIVE STRONG MARATHON TEAM. OUR LANCE'S BEST FRIEND, ROBERT CUDD DIED OF CANCER IN THE LAST YEAR AND LIVESTRONG WAS AN ORGANIZATION THAT OUR LANCE KNEW HELPS WITH CANCER RESEARCH.

SURPRISE OF ALL SURPRISES, TODAY, THE LIVESTRONG MARATHON TEAM EMAILED TOMMY AND LANCE AND THEY BOTH WILL BE RUNNING WITH TEAM LIVESTRONG IN THE NYC MARATHON THIS YEAR! ISN'T THAT INCREDIBLE!!! THE TEAM CONSISTS OF 250 RUNNERS. MORE INFO TO COME - YOU KNOW FUNDRAISING FOR THE ENTRY FEE, ETC.

PLEASE PRAY AGAINST INJURY FOR TOMMY AND LANCE AS THEY CONTINUE TO TRAIN FOR THIS GREAT ADVENTURE!

A GOOD MORNING...

IT IS GOOD FRIDAY TODAY AND THE PEEPS ARE OUT OF SCHOOL. OUR LITTLE GIRL HAS STREPAND THAT SET THE WHEELS IN MOTION FOR A QUIET MORNING. YESTERDAY, I PICKED UP DONUTS KNOWING THE KIDS WOULD BE OUT OF SCHOOL AND WHO WANTS TO COOK BREAKFAST!

AFTER WE HAD OUR DONUTS AND MILK, WE ALL THREE SAT ON THE COUCH AND CUDDLED AND WATCHED A MOVIE. I GOT TO BE IN THE MIDDLE OF THESE TWO DARLINGS AND WE WERE UNDER A BIG BLANKIE AND IT REMINDED ME OF BEFORE THEY WERE IN SCHOOL AND THAT IS SOMETHING WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO A LOT OF.

IT WAS SO NICE TO JUST SIT THERE AND CUDDLE UP WITH THESE BIG KIDS AND IN MY MIND PRETEND THAT THEY WERE 2 AND 4 AGAIN! THEY ARE A BLAST AT THIS AGE AND WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HAVE THE FIERCE UNO MARATHONS BEFORE BED THAT WE ARE HAVING ALMOST NIGHTLY NOW, BUT THOSE DAYS BEFORE SCHOOL, HOMEWORK AND ACTIVITES WERE PRICELESS AND I GOT TO HAVE A GLIMPSE OF ONE TODAY. THANK YOU LORD.

IN OTHER NEWS, BEFORE WE GOT GOING THIS MORNING, (OK AFTER THE SWEET AND SAPPY POST ABOVE, YOU WILL WONDER WHERE IN THE WORLD THIS IS GOING). HAVE YOU SEEN THE NEW SPONGE BOB/BURGER KING AD? IT IS ABSOLUTELY ABHORRENT AND LEWD.

NOW, I'VE SEEN PLENTY OF BAD AND TASTELESS ADVERTISING IN MY DAY, HOWEVER, THIS PARTICULAR CAMPAIGN IS TARGETED AT CHILDREN. BEFORE OUR QUIET AND SERENE MORNING, I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE BK COMPANY IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THEIR PHONE NUMBER TO COMPLAIN. DID YOU KNOW THE PARENT COMPANY OWNS MG ENTERTAINMENT, BURGER KING AND LITTLE TYKES BRAND?

I CALLED FOR THE CEO AND WAS THWARTED AND SCREENED BY A SAVVY SECRETARY. I THOUGHT FOR HALF A SECOND ABOUT PULLING OUT MY OLD DALHART TEXAN PRESS CREDENTIALS AND THEN DECIDED AGAINST IT.

I WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE CUSTOMER RELATIONS LINE AND I MADE MY STANCE KNOWN, PULL THE AD BEFORE I BUY ANOTHER CHICKEN FRY, WHOPPER, JR. OR ANYTHING PLASTIC WITH THE NAME LITTLE TYKES ON IT!

NOW, I PROBABLY DON'T MATTER TOO MUCH, BUT SHE DID SAY THEY WERE GETTING A LOT OF CALLS ABOUT THE AD. IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT, I'M GLAD, IF YOU HAVE - YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. THE WORST PART IS THAT IT IS TIED INTO THE KIDS MEAL AND THAT IS QUITE UNACCEPTABLE IN MY OPINION.

OK, AGAIN, THANK YOU LORD FOR MY OPINION, MY OPINION ALONE AND A FORMAT AND NATION IN WHICH I CAN EXPRESS IT!

MORE NEWS...

DID YOU KNOW TOMMY IS TRAINING FOR A MARATHON WITH HIS BROTHER? YES, OUR SWEET DADDY GETS UP WAY TO EARLY MOST MORNINGS AND IS RUNNING IN HOPES OF HE AND HIS BROTHER GETTING TO RUN IN THE NEW YORK MARATHON IN NOVEMBER. WE ARE ALL VERY PROUD OF THEIR EFFORTS AND SHOULD THEY GET PICKED IN THE LOTTERY AND HAVE A CHANCE TO RUN WILL BE QUITE AN ADVENTURE.

ALL FOR NOW, OUR QUIET AND SWEET MORNING HAS TURNED INTO SOME POINT OF CONTENTION IN THE HALLWAY. APPARANTLY, OUR DAUGHTER HAS SET UP SHOP AS A PET STORE, WHILE OUR SON IS RUNNING PAST HER DOOR ON HIS WAY TO A BATTLE OF SOME SORT.

I THINK I'LL SUGGEST THAT THE REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIER BUY A HORSE AT THE PET STORE AND HE CAN RIDE IT OUTSIDE TO THE BATTLE - DOES THAT SOUND FAIR?

WAFFLES FOR DINNER!

UNPACKING TODAY WE FOUND THE MUCH ANTICIPATED TOASTER, THE KIDS COULDN'T WAIT FOR BREAKFAST SO THEY ARE HAVING WAFFLES FOR DINNER. OUR DAUGHTER LIKES THEM CRISPY ALMOST TO BURNED WITH BUTTER. OUR SON LIKES THEM THE SAME WAY BUT CUT UP TO DUNK IN SYRUP - YUM!