three years two months

I miss us.

I try to imagine what it would be like living in this house with you.

I think a lot about what you are doing now that you are with Jesus.

I still have moments I would give anything to talk something over with you.

Death and separation are not natural,

they are the result of sin.

They bring suffering and sadness.

There won't be any of that in heaven.

I long for the day when I will see you again.

💙💗

 

back to the wyld

David got home from Romania Monday night.

He taught at a conference on adoption there last week.

Yesterday he invited me to meet the family at The Wyld,

our favorite new outdoor restaurant on the Herb River.

Savannah was under a thunderstorm warning.

I could hear the rumbling but it was far away.

We did get some rain but decided to not change our plans.

We call these dinners after trips "debriefings."

We get to hear all about the local food,

the foreign cities,

the host's home,

the strange customs.

The last night he preached at his friend's church

and noticed that the congregants bring their puppies to service.

He had pictures to share.

The rain held off,

it was cool and breezy,

and the food was delicious.

We didn't want to leave so we ordered Key Lime Pie for dessert.

Such a lovely evening!

We practically had the place to ourselves because of the iffy weather.

The dock was covered with gorgeous plants.

The owners had outdone themselves in creating beauty.

Just a little south of Savannah, 

Richmond Hill had a once-in-a-century hail storm.

So sorry for them,

So glad we were spared!

 

protocol

Jake and Eli are enrolled in Classical Conversations.

They attend class on Monday and then work at home for the rest of the week.

They are taught from a Biblical Worldview rather than a Secular Worldview.

They study logic and rhetoric.

 They learn how to debate.

They have a mock trial in a real courthouse.

They read all of the classics,

study the Bible,

as well as math and chemistry,

real American and world history,

  science etc.

They also have a short course called protocol.

When they graduate they walk away with a very well-rounded education based on the foundation of God's truth.

Protocol...

A system of rules

 that explain the correct conduct and procedures to be followed in formal situations.

aka Etiquette.

For these kids,

 protocol consists of a short course on how to navigate the "finer things of life."

There is a lot to learn.

Just for instance,

what silverware to use when dining at a nice restaurant,

table settings,

 that the man should always walk on the side nearest the street when walking with a lady.

they should dress up,

give the girls flowers,

things like that.

Protocol, the event, happened last Saturday night for Jake and Eli and their classmates.

They got all dressed and went to an afternoon play,

They had dinner at a fancy restaurant.

They had an after-dinner gelato.

They posed for this picture on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach.

Amanda made flowers for the boys to give to the girls and for the boys to wear on their lapels.

It was an amazing evening.

I think they all passed this mini-course with flying colors.

Sorry, the picture is fuzzy.

I got it secondhand.

Amanda made these amazing flower arrangements from the leftover flowers.

 

waffle fry

This little kitty was found in a street drain at the Chick-Fil-A where Lucy works.

The fire-rescue team responded to a call to come to get her out.

She was taken to the Humane Society for an overnight stay.

The people there named her Waffle Fry.

Yesterday Erika and Lucy took her home.

They will be fostering her until she grows big enough to be adopted.

I went over this morning to meet her. 

She is about 4 weeks old...

a tiny, soft, gentle ball of fur.

I fell instantly in love!

💗

I got gutters put on my house on Wednesday.

I've never in my life had to make gutter decisions before.

My neighbors got their gutters last year.

I felt a little pressure to do the same.

They look great.

They match perfectly.

But,

In the back where my gutters meet up with their gutters,

there is a slight mismatch.

Mine are on the left.

The installers said that my neighbor's gutters were installed too low.

They have offered to lower mine,

but if they are too low water can seep into the fascia (?) so they say.

 They come together at all other junctures.

The front and side gutters are perfect.

I don't know what to do.

Any advice?

 

the evolution of a landscaped yard

This all happened yesterday.

In the early morning,

 I peeked out of my front bedroom window.

This grass had been delivered to the house across the street.

Rolled up like bales of hay,

 it was neatly lined up on both sides of the Porta Potty.

Wow!

I hope it doesn't die before they find time to lay it down.

When I looked the next time, this was happening.

Some men work were working, others just standing and watching.

This was about 9:30.

By the end of the day, the yard looked like this.

Fully landscaped.

Grass laid front and back.

Trees planted and shrubbery planted.

Pine straw in place.

Sprinkler system on.

Beautiful!

All of this happened in one day,

And they removed the unsightly Porta Potty.

I cannot believe how fast this took place.

It is almost ready for the new owners to have their move-in day.

Herb River Bluff is almost completely done.

There are only a few lots left.

It is amazing in spite of all the setbacks they have been able to get these houses built.

It takes about a year, but they get it done!

I 💗 living here.

 

the wyld

This amazing restaurant is very close to my house.

If you go you won't be disappointed.

You can get there by car.

Or you can take your boat right up to the dock.

You order outside and then find a seat.

The weather was delightful.

I got fried shrimp,

so did Walter.

We shared a strawberry shortcake for dessert.

I highly recommend.

Can't wait to go back.

🦐

My Easter Beanie Baby collection.

There was a time in my life when I collected Beanie Babies.

Amanda spurred me on with thoughts of getting rich one day from these cute little bean stuffed animals.

We were always on the lookout for them.

It became the "thrill of the hunt."

The "rare" ones were the most sought-after.

 Needless to say, we never got rich from them.

It was a scam.

They were never more than cute little toys.

I have three bins full in the attic.

I pull them out to decorate for each holiday.

The grandkids have loved them through the years.

That's what makes them special to me.

 

One Nation Under God

While reading through my Bible this morning,

I came across these verses...

23. God makes the nations great,

Then destroys them;

He enlarges the nations,

Then leads them away.

24. He deprives of intelligence the chiefs of the earth's people,

And makes them wander in a pathless waste.

25. They grope in darkness with no light,

And He makes them stagger like a drunken man."

Job 12: 23 - 25

"It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible."

George Washington

God have mercy on YOUR people 

And may YOUR will be done in our nation.

 

Congratulations Lucy!

My Lu has been working at Chick Fil A for over a year now.

She applied for and received one of four scholarships 

to go toward her college aspirations.

She is dual-enrolled in both high school and college right now.

She will be a senior next year.

My how time flies!

She is such a hard worker.

I couldn't be any prouder of her!

These are the gorgeous pink roses she brought me on Easter Sunday.

I have enjoyed them sitting on my island all week.

Yesterday she came to pick me up in a rainstorm

to take me to get blood drawn for the second time in a few hours.

She took off her sweater for me to wear because I didn't have an umbrella.

She stood by me with her hand on my shoulder

when it was time to stick the needle in.

She offered to go get milkshakes for me before she brought me home.

Lucy is one of my most cherished blessings.

I 💗 Lucy!

 

the things I have to do

This morning as I was leaving to go to the dentist,

I saw a rather large (fat) spider.

Since I no longer have a man handy to call in this situation,

 I realized I needed to handle this myself.

I am not scared of spiders.

I have an irrational fear of lizards,

but spiders don't make my blood run cold.

Feeling brave,

I went out to the garage and grabbed a fly swatter.

As I was walking back in I noticed that the spider was not moving.

She was an easy target.

One quick swat took her out.

But, oh my goodness,

out of her squashed body flew an army of these tiny black things you see in the picture.

Evidently, she was fat and not moving very fast because she was with child,

a whole nursery full of them.

They flew up and started dropping to the floor.

I started swatting them,

Then I ran to get the bug spray and quieted them down permanently.

 I had to leave them there and get to the dentist.

When I came home they were right where I left them.

I know many got away before I took drastic measures.

There will undoubtedly be hundreds of baby spiders in my house soon.

All I could think of was Charlotte's Web, my favorite children's book.

I had killed Charlotte's babies.

I'm racked with guilt.

But I did what I had to do.

😢

 

it would have been 53 years today

I am so thankful for the life we made together.

We almost got to 50 years.

The moment captured in this photograph was almost 53 years ago to the very hour...

4:30 on a beautiful, spring afternoon in April.

We had just been pronounced husband and wife,

Bubba had kissed his bride,

We were heading back down to the aisle to start our life together.

This is my favorite of all of the pictures that were taken that day.

The look on his face...You're finally mine!

The look on my face...

We pulled it off!

I miss him. 

I always feel like we had so much more to do, to talk about.

So much more love to give each other and our children and grandchildren.

We missed those years of getting really old together,

of slowing down and taking care of each other.

Bubba left me with everything I could possibly need.

He loved me so well and taught me so much.

He was devoted to me.

Yes, I am very grateful for the life we had together.

💗💙

 

huge celebration

Yesterday we celebrated our Lord's Resurrection.

We also celebrated Archie's 15th birthday.

We had the Master's Golf Tournament thrown in the midst as well.

Easter Sunday worship is just the best.

The Spirit of God was present as we sang, prayed, and heard God's Word proclaimed.

We worshipped Him who became Sin for us.

I cooked especially with Archie in mind.

We had Honey Baked Ham.

Red Rice,

Green Beans.

Mac and cheese,

Pineapple Bake,

 Yeast Rolls,

& 

Broccoli Salad.

I made an Angel Food Cake served with Strawberries and Fresh Whipped Cream.

The Birthday Boy was well pleased!

After dinner, we hunted Easter Eggs.

Archie found both of the cash-filled Golden Eggs.

He paid attention to details and hit the jackpot.

Gus found the most eggs which netted him a cash prize also.

I hid 60 eggs total on Saturday in the rain and wind and cold.

Smiley faces ~ Happy kids!

After the Egg Hunt, there were gifts to open...

And Strawberry Shortcake to eat.

This fifteen-year-old loves to eat!!!

I 💙 him!

 

He has Risen Indeed

Full of thanksgiving this morning knowing that Jesus did not stay in the grave.

He is alive!

He rules and reigns in the heart of all believers.

He is coming again.

"He who testifies to these things says,

 'Yes, I am coming quickly.'

 Amen, Come, Lord Jesus."

Revelation 22:20

 

It is Finished ~

It is Finished.

"It was the briefest and yet the fullest of Jesus' utterances from the cross.

Eternity will be needed to make manifest all it contains.

All things had been done which the law of God required;

All things established which prophecy predicted;

All things brought to pass which the types foreshadowed;

All things accomplished which the Father had given Him to do;

All things performed which were needed for our redemption.

Nothing was left wanting.

The costly ransom was given,

The great conflict had been endured,

Sins wages had been paid.,

Divine justice satisfied.

True, there was the committal of His Spirit into the hands of His Father,

which immediately followed His word here;

There was His resurrection and ascension,

but these are the fruit and reward of that work which He completed.

Nothing more remained for Him to do:

Nothing more awaited its fulfillment;

His work on earth was consummated.

It is Finished.

This was not the despairing cry of a helpless martyr.

It was the declaration on the part of the Divine Redeemer 

that all for which He came from heaven to earth to do was now done."

Hallelujah!

What a Saviour!

Thank You, Jesus!

Exposition of the Gospel of John

Arthur Pink

Page245

Christ Laying Down His Life

 

Maundy Thursday

Breakfast on Sunday morning at 9:00.

Come celebrate Resurrection Sunday with us.

Worship begins at 10:15.

Today I am thinking about Jesus' disciples.

They were only a little bit older than most of my grand boys.

 

night at the theater #2

Saturday night we made our way to Tybee Island's Post Theater to watch Harry in

Tom Sawyer.

He played Mr. Dobbins, the teacher at the schoolhouse.

He did an excellent job!

That's Millie Donaldson playing Becky Thatcher.

He wielded his rod quite well when the students got out of hand.

We had two theater nights in one weekend.

This time we went to eat at our favorite Taco place at the beach...

Chamacos Tacos & Surf.

They have delicious chips and salsa,

guacamole,

tacos, 

(I love the shrimp tacos)

and charros fresh out of the fryer with chocolate and caramel dipping sauces.

It's really laid back so don't expect fine dining,

kinda crowded,

loud sometimes,

but a fun place to eat!

The cast!

Proud Mom and Dad after the show.

The Tybee Post Theater has been at the beach since the early 1940's.

It has recently been renovated and has lots of character.

They stay booked up all the time with great shows.

What a wonderful weekend!

Somehow when you see your kids on stage acting their hearts out it makes you very proud!

 

a night at the theater

Friday night we all went to downtown Savannah for a play.

We ate at the Crystal Beer Parlor.

I got crab stew.

Then we made our way over to see Gus perform. 

He was George in...

Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars

After the show, which was wonderful, 

we headed outside for a breath of fresh air.

Gus goes to school at Veritas Academy.

Independent Presbyterian Church is the host.

It is a breathtakingly beautiful facility.

The steeple can be seen for miles.

When I looked up and saw it shining in the night sky,

I grabbed my phone and took this pic.

It ended up being an amazing shot.

I got the steeple, of course, which was what I was aiming for.

But on top of that,

I got a shot of the moon,

Lucy pointing to the moon,

and an unidentified object above the steeple that disappeared after the picture was taken.

The street light put on quite a show as well.

I 💗 taking pictures,

going to see my grandkids act,

eating out,

walking through downtown Savannah at night,

going to bed later and thinking of what a wonderful evening I had.

Blessed beyond measure!