A Precious Time in Life!

Life is amazing!
It has so many parts and times and pieces. There have been many "times" in my life when I thought that surely "these were the best times!" But then there would be other experiences and I would declare that "NO - THESE are truly the best times!"
What I have come to realize is that life brings us many BEST TIMES - and there is no way to categorize them into GOOD BETTER BEST! Instead - each season is PRECIOUS and good in different ways.
I am currently experiencing an incredibly PRECIOUS time in my life - the NENE YEARS! Oh my goodness - it is overwhelming bliss!
It is a time when I get to stand back and watch in AWE as my son's become Daddy's. I have 3 OUTSTANDING son's! It is a humbling experience to see the men that my little boys have become! They make me PROUD - button-popping proud! I had a favorite saying when the boys were little and growing up - I had to say it often - I especially had to remind myself of it when they were in the middle of some sort of mischief or trouble -- "A little boy is all God has with which to make a man." It's true and God made my little boys into remarkable men!
As my son's have become Daddy's - I have become a Nene!
Poppy and I had the 3 oldest grandchildren for a couple of days just prior to Christmas this year. It was so fun!
Lawson - 6, Taylor - 4 and Britain - 3, made our hearts extra happy!
I picked them up between 5 and 6 pm on the 23rd - they went home with their Mommy and Daddy after our family Christmas on Christmas Eve.
We were very busy.
In just over 24 hours we accomplished the following:
* Ordered Pizza and watched Christmas movies until everyone fell asleep
* We stayed in our pajama's until just before the rest of the family arrived on Christmas Eve
* Made beautiful gifts for their parents, Uncle Aaron & Aunt Audrey, Nanny Green
* Made sugar cookies and decorated them
* Lots of singing - Christmas carols and the Razorback Fight Song (numerous times)-each of Nene's babies are Hog fans!
* Made pigs in a blanket
* Helped Nene vacumn, empty trash cans and clean up messes
* Read Christmas stories - I think Olive the Other Reindeer was the favorite
* Talked about Jesus and His birthday
* Built a tent and played in it
* Colored in our new color books
* Practiced a "Program" that we would perform on Christmas Eve
* Jumped on the bed
* Laughed and laughed and laughed
* We tracked Santa Claus all day on Christmas Eve (NORAD has a website for this). We saw that he was in China, Japan, Africa, Ireland, Sweden, Guam, Morocco, and countless other places.
* Sat in Nene's lap and lavished her with countless hugs, kisses and "I love you Nene's"
Whew.... makes me tired just thinking about it. ;-)
Thanks kids for making wonderful memories for your Nene!
You make my heart happy!!!
Here are a few pictures. Not many pictures - not my camera's fault this time - I was too BUSY to take pictures!!!

Christmas 2008!

I LOVE Christmas! I love the way it feels, I love the way it looks and I LOVE THE REASON WE CELEBRATE!
Baby JESUS - the KING of KINGS - Savior - LORD of LORDS - born on Christmas day!
I LOVE spending time with my family and friends during the Christmas season.
I LOVE the beautiful decorations - the festive feel!
I LOVE the delicious food and drinks that only surface at Christmas time!
I LOVE recalling my wonderful memories of years gone by AND creating new memories to have for the future!
I LOVE Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman!
It truly is THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!
Alas - it is time to take the decorations down until next year. ;-(
I will have more pictures to post as soon as Laura downloads her camera and sends me some. Thank you Laura.
We missed Abby at our family Christmas Eve celebration! She had a VERY bad day at work and was too upset to come. We hope you feel better quickly Abby.
Until then - here are a few favorites from Christmas 2008!

It's a Girl!!!!!

Lila Grace Coble is on the way! Her name is pronounced with a long "i" - for those of you who have forgotten first grade phonics - that means the "i" says it's name.
According to the ultra-sound - she is already PERFECT! We aren't surprised - look at her PERFECT parents, Aaron and Audrey - and look at her PERFECT Nene and Nana! Well - maybe slight stretch on Nene and Nana - Nawww.... we're close enough to count! ;-0
Seriously - Audrey and Aaron allowed us to be part of the ultra-sound reveal yesterday! It was awesome!
Lila cooperated and let us see her private parts very clearly - there is absolutely no question about it - she is a she!
Techology (except for my camera) - is amazing. We could clearly see her little spine and fingers and arms - Lila was looking straight into the camera too - it was as if she was looking at us! It was wonderful!
The room was full of excitement, wonder, awe, squeals and a few tears.
As always, I am thankful and humbled and honored that God is blessing our family with another precious child to love.
My heart is full!
Thank you Aaron and Audrey for giving us another grandchild!
I am so excited and proud - I LOVE being a Nene!!

Lots of catching up to do!

I started this blog on Sunday December 14th & finished on Tuesday the 23rd - YIKES! I decided to stop because I was so frustrated about my pictures that it was skewing my great weekend. I have slept on it now and am recovered. The next paragraph is my original blog - you see - I was not in the right frame of mind to blog.
Of course, as I have downloaded the pictures I took - my fun turns to ARRGHHHHHH!!! At one point this weekend I even tried to use my old camera! It takes good pictures but I don't like it because it is HUGE! Anyway - I can't find the cord that allows me to download the pictures I have taken. They are trapped in my camera! ARRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! OK - I have vented - let's move on.
Friday afternoon, Poppy and I went to Taylor's Christmas program at his play-school. It was the BEST! Naturally, Taylor was the star and completely out-shined every other child on the stage. I can say that - I AM his Nene!
I have attached a very cute video of a very small portion of the event. It's just a little video because I SUCK WITH ELECTRONIC DEVICES!!! Ut-oh - sorry - I am venting again!
Saturday afternoon I hosted a girlfriend party - we had a cookie exchange. It was a hoot! We decided that we will make this an annual event. The party was scheduled from 1:30 - 3:30 - but we ended up having fun until after 6! I have included a couple of pics from that.
I am so very blessed - I have the very BEST friends and family possible.

Dirty Santa Party!!!!

I LOVE girlfriends!

I have always been a "girlfriend" kind of a girl!
I am blessed in that I have an abundance of wondeful "girls" in my life - sisters, daughter-in-loves, granddaughters, mother-in-love and my sistah-friends! Each of the women in my life bring me much joy and laughter and mental support. ;-)
Each of them "make my heart happy!"

I was blessed with a new friend this year - Missy, aka Melissa. I met Missy through my friend Carolyn. I was lucky enough this year to be included in the annual Dirty Santa party that Missy so graciously and beautifully hosts.

Here are a few pictures from our fun evening!

I ended up with this beautiful live swag!

Look at these beautiful smiles!




























Missy, Janet and me!

I've been tagged!

Yippeee...... I've been tagged by my daughter-in-love Laura!
You know what that means???? I get to answer questions and folks will read and anticipate my answers!
I LOVE to blog! ;-)

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Definitely HOT CHOCOLATE! I really do NOT like Egg Nog!
2. Does Santa wrap presents or leave them open? Santa doesn't actually stop at our house anymore. He now stops at the homes of our grandchildren. However, Nene and Poppy wrap gifts at our house - it's so much fun to watch little faces eye the gifts all evening long anticipating what is inside. When our boys were little - Santa left the gifts open under the tree. When Ryan was 6, Sean was 5 and Aaron was 3 - the boys and I were cleaning out the toy box to make room for the new toys that Santa would bring. I told them that we would clean up the old toys and make them like new and then give them to poor children that otherwise wouldn't get any toys. I thought that was reasonable. Well, we worked for awhile longer and Sean declared, "I don't like Santa Claus anymore!" What - why don't you like Santa anymore? He says, "because Santa doesn't bring presents to poor children!" Geez..... I never anticipated that!
3. Colored lights or white lights? I love both - growing up we always had colored lights on the tree at my house. Now... it depends on my mood when lights are going up as to what is used.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Usually not - but I think we should. I do LOVE to smooch! Mistletoe would give me yet another opportunity to get even more smooches! I could "take" without asking.....
5. When do you put your decorations up? The day after Thanksgiving. This year it took me 2 full days to get them up. I turned on the Christmas music and put up decorations while John was at work. I have to admit that I doddled a bit more than usual while putting things out. I always enjoy my Christmas memories when decorating - I know - I'm a bit sappy.
6. What is your favorite Holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Hmmm... that is a tough question. Homemade yeast rolls - fresh from the oven. Now you are asking yourself - what is she talking about? There are NEVER homemade yeast rolls at Nene's! Well, I used to make them every year - long ago - and - growing up, my Mom made them every year (actually she made them every Sunday) - SO - they are still my favorite thing even though I don't serve them anymore.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? I loved everything about Christmas as a child! My Mom always made it a magical time. We always had a real Christmas tree - we always went out as a family and chose the perfect one! We decorated it together - and always put lots of "care" into each beautiful ornament. The tree always had icicles! Those horrible silver stringy ones. I thought they were beautiful though. We always went to church on Christmas eve and lite candles and stuff. Christmas was all about family - and being together - baking cookies, decorating, singing, listening to stories, making cards for one another - it was all about making one-another know how special they were. Yep - I loved Christmas as a child.
8. When did you learn the truth about Santa? Oh - I remember that very well. 2nd grade - that fat little boy, David Robb, told me. I remember I called him a LIAR! He told the teacher! I got in trouble. However, my teacher did have compassion and didn't make me sit in the corner - she said that I should discuss it with my parents when I got home from school. I asked my mom as soon as I got home - she deferred me to my dad - so I had to wait for him to come home. I was waiting on the front porch for my dad - as soon as he drove up - I cornered him. He took his time, changed his clothes, we ate dinner and then he told me to come and sit with him. I could tell by the look on his face that this was going to be serious - I started crying before he said a word. I remember clearly he said, "baby-girl, I am not going to lie to you, Santa Claus is really your mother and me." I know this will surprise you (NOT), but even as a child, I was emotional and lived directly from my heart! I started screaming along with the crying and hitting my dad on the arm - I was sad but mostly PISSED-OFF!!!! He let me cry and scream and hit for awhile - then he said - "ENOUGH!" My tirade changed to crying and hugging and he assured me that he would always be Santa for me. And he was - right through his last Christmas on earth.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas eve? We open gifts with our children and grandchildren and my sweet mother-in-law on Christmas eve - John and I share our gifts with each other on Christmas morning.
10. How do you decorate your tree? Over the years, I have collected lots of colors and themes for the tree - so - decorating color depends on the mood of the year. This year, I have used different colors in different areas of the house. Hmmm...... I like it.
11. Snow! Love it or dread it? I have a love/hate relationship with snow. I love to watch it falling and I think it is beautiful. BUT - I only like snow if I can stay home with John and have a good book to read and lots of yummy food to eat!
12. Can you ice skate? That is a great big - "NO!" I have tried several times over the years, my ankles bend - I finally gave up trying somewhere in my 30's.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Growing up we didn't have lots of money. I didn't realize that until I was much older. Did I mention that my mom always made Christmas magical? I think I was in kindergarten the year that I wanted a Toodles doll. I asked Santa everytime I saw him - I told everyone that Santa was going to bring me a Toodles doll. However, there was no money for a Toodles doll. My parents never discouraged me from asking for the Toodles doll and never told me that there wasn't a chance in HECK that Santa was going to bring me one. The really cool thing about Toodles was that she came with LOTS of different clothes to change and her own diapers. I went to bed on Christmas eve declaring that in the morning - there would be a Toodles doll for me under the tree. In retrospect, that had to be a lot of pressure for my parents. Anyway - my mom took my old Tiny Tear's doll and cleaned it up - then she made about 20 beautiful changes of clothes for her, complete with matching shoes and diapers and blankets. The really special thing was that these little outfits matched many of my clothes. In other words, she made them out of scraps left over from clothes she had made me. I never said a word about not getting a Toodles doll because I was so in LOVE with my many doll clothes. I played all day - all year - dressing up my old babydoll. Did I mention that my mom made Christmas magical?
14. What is the most important thing about the Holidays? Hands down - being with the ones you love.
15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? I LOVE sugar cookies, cut into cool shapes-the yummy homemade ones with frosting and decorations. Don't get them very often - but they are my FAVORITE! Maybe I should make some this year.
16. What is your favorite Christmas tradition? Hmm.... since the kids are all grown up, Christmas traditions have sort of fallen by the wayside. My favorite now is Christmas eve when everyone is "home" - home being our house. Christmas eve is our time to celebrate with our children and grandchildren - our family - at our house. I really need to get some memorable traditions going for that evening. I dream that someday all of my siblings can be together on Christmas eve again. We haven't all been together since the Christmas before my brother, Carl, was in Vietnam. That was 1965. I was the youngest of 5 children - late in life for my parents - the older kids starting leaving home when I was very young. Up through 1965, everyone was always able to make it home. After that - no. Ok - I need to stop for a minute and cry.
17. What tops your Christmas tree? An angel is on top of one and sparkly happy stuff on top of the other. Yep - 2 trees this year at Nene and Poppy's house. Better come and see.
18. Which do you prefer - giving or receiving? Definitely giving. It makes my heart happy!
19. What is your favorite Christmas song? It is a song that many may not know - it is an old old song that originated in the pre-civil war era. It was sung by the slaves as they gathered for their family Christmas. It's called "Jesus, Oh What a Wonderful Child." It is always sung without musical instruments and in 4-part harmony! It's beautiful!
Words:
Jesus.....Jesus....
Oh what a wonderful child.
Jesus...Jesus.....
So lowly, meek and mild.
New life!
New hope!
New joy He brings,
Won't you listen.... as the angels sing-
Glory! Glory! Glo---orr----eeee to the new born King!

I think my grandbabies need to learn that one this year!
20. Candy Canes - Yum or Yuck! That would be a BIG YUCK!!!
21. What do you want for Christmas??? That's easy - I want everyone in my family and each of my friends to be "Happy, healthy and completely WHOLE in every area of their life: body - soul - and spirit!"
22. Do you attend an annual Christmas party? Annual parties have changed over the years. Currently, the only for sure parties are Dirty Santa with some of my home-girls and the office party. I am trying to rekindle a Christmas cookie exchange party. I did them every year when we lived in Jonesboro. I'll let you know if it becomes a new "annual" or not.
23. Do you dress-up or wear PJ's on Christmas? I guess Poppy and I had better dress-up! We no longer own any PJ's! Sorry boys - but now that you're all on your own - well - heck - we even walk around in our underwear at home now!!!! ;-) It's probably best if you don't try to get a visual on this.
24. Do you own a Santa hat? No - but I think Poppy needs one! The whole Santa hat thing would mess up my "do!"
25. Who do you normally spend Christmas with? Christmas Eve with all of the kids and grandkids. Christmas day - usually just John and I - chillin, going to a movie, or helping feed the homeless someplace. Sometimes a combination of all 3!

That was fun! Thanks for inviting me to particpate Laura!

The 2 that I tag are Missy and Abby! You girls better not disppoint me.......

Merry Christmas!

These babies LOVE their Poppy!

I am so far behind on blogging.
I am still struggling with my new camera - I am a really bad picture taker!!
Most of my Thanksgiving pictures didn't turn out.
I am going to enroll in some photography classes.
I am so frustrated!
Anyhow - despite the fact that the quality of the photo's SUCK, these few show how much our grandchildren love their Poppy - and he them!

Spoil Me Rotten-Taylor

This past weekend we took Taylor on his Spoil-me-Rotten weekend for his 4th birthday. His 4th birthday was in March - so we are really late on his special weekend. Sorry Taylor!
Poppy and I love one-on-one time with each of our grandchildren - they are so much fun!
Each of our grandchildren are equally special and each of them have very different personalities, likes and dislikes.
This weekend was Taylor's time to choose the activitites!
On his agenda were visits to the Titanic museum, riding the Duck boats and Silver Dollar City. Although it isn't even Thanksgiving yet - SDC had all of their Christmas lights up and on - it is a beautiful sight. We even got to see the Christmas light parade.
We got to see the "REAL" Santa twice this weekend. Once at Bass Pro Shop and also during the Christmas light parade. Amazingly enough - it was the same Santa both places!
When Santa asked Taylor if he had been good or bad - there was a pause, and then Taylor very matter-of-factly answered, "well Santa, I have been a little bit bad and a little bit good." I thought Santa was going to crack up! He thanked Taylor for being honest and told him that if he would be really good for the rest of the year - then he thought he would be able to bring Taylor the weapons he wants. Yep - Taylor only wants weapons for Christmas! He is so funny!
Taylor - you are smart, sweet, handsome and have a very kind and tender heart. Poppy and I love you very much and enjoy every minute that we spend together.
Following are a few pictures from our very special weekend!

Don't look in this hole!!!

All packed up and heading home!

November 18th

Every year on November 18th - I stop for a moment to just reflect on the woman that God blessed me with as Mother/Mom - Blanche Edith Knowles Crane.
She left this world on November 18, 1994 - hard to believe, that today, - it has been 14 years!.
I miss you Mom.
I was a "late in life" baby for my parents - SURPRISE! I am #5 - the last of the Crane clan. I learned when I was older that my Mom freaked out the entire time she was pregnant with me because: she was OLD, already had 4 kids that she sometimes couldn't feed and really wasn't up for starting again with an infant. All REALLY good reasons to freak out!
I am actually named after her friend, Charolette, (that is where the funny spelling came from) who helped my Mom "cope" and get through the whole pregnancy thing and come to terms with the reality of ANOTHER BABY AT HER AGE!
I couldn't really appreciate any of this until I arrived at my current age and realized that at this point - my mom was dealing with a child - a little girl that was very opinionated, definitely had a mind of her own, was very busy and didn't take answers like "no" and "I don't know" - very well. YIKES - I am thankful that there weren't alternatives in the 1950's! Aw - she wouldn't have done that. ;-)
My mom taught first grade for 40+ years. That's a long time. She loved it - she loved the children and she was really good at it. In addition she ran a household, June Cleaver style, made all of my clothes so that I could have what everyone else had, cooked real meals every evening and even made all of our bread and stuff each week. A true wonder-woman.
Many of my friends had my mom as thier 1st grade teacher - everyone loved her! Even as an adult, I became friends with someone that had my mom for first grade in Oklahoma, before I was even born! He thought my mom was the greatest - he still remembered her by name and talked about what a huge impact that very loving kind woman had on his life.
My mom was "spent" most of the time - understandably so. As a result, my older sister Caryol, took on the roll as my mommy. Caryol did everything for me that a mother should do for a child - well, as much as she could. Caryol got married when I was 6 years old - there went my mommy.
As a result, my mom and I had a very strained relationship - we loved each other - but both of us resented the other for very different reasons.
For all of the good and the bad - we don't get to pick our parents - we get the ones that God gives us - the ones that He knows will be the right ones for us. Everything in life happens for a reason - every hand that we are dealt helps to make us the people that we become.
For this I am very thankful, that Blanche Edith Knowles Crane was my mom! She truly was a remarkable woman - I'll tell you more about her in another blog entry.

These are just a few of the things in my life that came from my mother:

• I know and love the Lord
• I was a stay-at-home mom
• I tried with all my being to insure my children knew I loved them unconditionally
• Beauty is not a pretty face but a pretty heart
• Always try to see the best in people (even though sometimes I don't see it right away)
• Everyone deserves a 2nd, 3rd, 4th..... chance
• Be thankful and appreciate the material things you have
• I got her love for sewing and for making beautiful things
• Be content in times of lean and in times of plenty
• One can face adversity and know that you will be ok
• I am thankful for my health and don't take it for granted
• I LOVE shoes - so did my mom. ;-)
• I know that if a lady does not have on her lipstick & a pair of ear-bob's, she may as well be naked!
• Pretty is as pretty does.
• When leaving the house - one should always "smile and be pleasant"
• Treat all people equally because "folks are folks"

I know that no matter what your relationship was like with your mother - when she is gone - you will miss her. You WILL wish that you could tell her that you love her - and wrap your arms around her, just one more time.

Love you Mom.

The Warrior is ONLY a child

Have you missed me?

I haven't had time to put my thoughts down into words lately. We have been in the middle of another sales contest at work. You know what that means - I can't stand to lose so I've been going full blast! I have been putting all - well a lot - of my energy into that.

I have had lots of thoughts though - nothing earth shattering for the masses - but things that make me reflect and think and be thankful and remember. You know - old people stuff. ;-)

One of the blogs I have found and chosen to follow is a young couple with a new baby boy that is critically ill.

Anyway - Laine and Rich and Leighton have touched my heart in a big way. They are living in the middle of what could be the biggest battle of their lives. Their 2 1/2 month old son has never left the hospital since his birth - his parents have only held him in their arms 2 times - everyday they watch other babies/children that have the same heart problem that their firstborn has, get sicker and weaker and some of them go home to be with Jesus. As one reads this young couple's journal - one can feel their emotional pain and fear - hear their frustration - listen as they beg for prayers - watch them cling to hope - they are crying out for someone to make their baby whole and well. They are doing all they know to do - If they could heal him themselves - they already would have! It's one of those situations in life where we have NO choice but to trust God and lean on Him.

It's one of those times in life that we just have to lay it all at the feet of Jesus. I mean really lay it down - like Abraham had to lay his only son on the alter - the whole time not knowing if God would provide another sacrifice or if he would have to kill his only son. I mean really lay it down - and trust God and His plan for us.

Whoa...... that's big!

I love Mercy and Grace and God's goodness! It is abundant and it abounds! But sometimes life is hard - and He is there for us during those times too.

This story is not in anyway comparable to what Laine and Rich are facing - but it is one (trust me - in life you will have many opportunities to experience laying it all down)of this mother's experience of laying one of my children at the feet of Jesus - lifting him into the Father's arms. Giving up complete control - because I didn't have any control anyway - but I knew that God loved my child, Aaron, even more than me - and He was truly the only one that could protect Aaron and keep him safe. I knew that God loved my child even more then I loved him. That kind of love is totally unimaginable because a mother's love is so HUGE and strong. But - it's true - God's love is even bigger.

In 2003 when the US first invaded Iraq - my youngest son was a Marine - deployed to that area - and I knew that he would be one of the first troops to go in. I knew that he was going into hostile territory - unknown territory and the only thing I knew for certain was that there would be "enemies" that wanted to kill him. If you recall-the reporters embedded with our troops did a GREAT job of sending video and pictures of the day-to-day happenings in Iraq. I saw the bombs exploding everywhere - the guns being fired-the daily reports of troops dying and the live battles. About 4 days into the invasion-I got a letter from Aaron that let me know that he was going into Iraq (he went on the night he had written the letter) and he told me that he loved me and said "good-bye", just in case he didn't come home. Needless to say - I was an emotional mess. I could follow his unit via the news - and I knew that Aaron was in the thick of the battle - fighting for his life.

As I was praying one day - I heard that still quiet voice of God on the inside of me say - "give Aaron to me." I tried to ignore it-I mean - I was his MOTHER-I couldn't just let him go! If I didn't pray 24/7 - and stay constantly before God on Aaron's behalf - who would??? Anyway - I had already given all 3 of my sons to God. One of my favorite verses of scripture is "For these sons we have prayed, and God has granted our petition. Therefore they are given to Him, and as long as they live, they are given to Him." I had cross-stitched that scripture and framed it - it hung on the wall in the middle of their pictures! Yep - in my mind I had ALREADY given my sons to God!

That still quiet voice wouldn't go away - I remember one morning just screaming to God - "OK!" "If you want me to trust You-if You are going to MAKE me give this to You - then I will!" I did this intially because I was angry and scared! Angry because I couldn't be there to protect my child, angry because Aaron was 'there' and I couldn't bring him home to safety. Scared because I knew that laying him at the feet of Jesus meant I agreed to totally trust the Father with my precious son and totally trust Him no matter what the outcome.
I got on my knees and spoke the words - and with my heart and through many tears - laid my son at the feet of Jesus. I knew that God had a plan for my life and for Aaron's - and it was God's plan - so it was good and perfect. I had to come to terms with the outcome - what if God's perfect plan didn't include Aaron coming home? It was hard.
In my anger and fear - God was able to minister to me - once I let go and gave Aaron to Him. The peace of God enveloped me that day - and I was able to rest in Him. Who better to give control to than the Maker of Heaven and Earth!

Next I heard that still quiet voice say to me "quit watching the battle." What? I thought I had to watch and see what was going on. But - I did it - I turned off the TV and quit reading the newspapers - I didn't need to SEE the fight.

I know that the battle is all around Laine and Rich - and they can't turn it off. I know that it would be hard for them not to watch. But I am praying that somehow they will be able to lay it all at the feet of Jesus and then just look up - look up to the Father who is holding Leighton in the palm of His hand. When people around them are losing the battle - just look up - don't look at the fight - and know that God is in control and that He has a plan and He loves them and their precious baby.

I know that God's peace can break through to them - that peace that passes all understanding and comprehension. I pray that it envelopes them.

The words to the song 'The Warrior is a Child' always ministers to me. I know that because we belong to HIM - we are strong - fighters - warriors - we are protected by our Father - we wear His armor - but deep inside - in our hearts - we are just a child. We look really strong - but in reality - we are nothing without Him - and it's ok to run to Him.

I am so incredibly thankful that I have my heavenly Father to run to - to pick me up when I fall down - to make me strong when I am weak - to love me.

I pray that Laine and Rich are running to Him and know Him in all of His glory and goodness -

I'm signing out for now -

Bless you my friends - remember to pray for this sweet family,

Char

"The Warrior is a Child' - words and music by Twila Paris

Lately I've been winning battles left and right
But even winners can get wounded in the fight
People say that I'm amazing
Strong beyond my years
But they don't see inside of me
I'm hiding all the tears

They don't know that I go running home when I fall down
They don't know who picks me up when no one is around
I drop my sword and cry for just a while
'Cause deep inside this armor
The warrior is a child

Unafraid because His armor is the best
But even soldiers need a quiet place to rest
People say that I'm amazing
Never face retreat
But they don't see the enemies
That lay me at His feet

They don't know that I go running home when I fall down
They don't know who picks me up when no one is around
I drop my sword and and cry for just a while
'Cause deep inside this armor
the warrior is a child

They don't know that I go running home when I fall down
They don't know who picks me up when no one is around
I drop my sword and look up for a smile
'Cause deep inside this armor
Deep inside this armor
Deep inside this armor
The Warrior is a Child

Woooo Pig!

Saturday the Razorbacks played Tulsa - and I got to go!
I won 2 tickets (top sales for the week) - the seats were in the MSI skybox!
John was stuck at work again - that month-end junk - so he missed all of the fun!
My very good friend Carolyn, went with me - we had a GREAT time!
Carolyn and I got there early and didn't have anyone to tailgate with - so - we crashed the P&G tailgate party! I know - but what can you say???
I guess getting older makes one more courageous or just bolder and unashamed!
Carolyn had been before with her daughter Payton, who works for P&G and I had heard Audrey and Aaron (Audrey works for them) talk about going to the P&G tailgate party. We knew that the food would be good and the drinks would flow!
It was just as we anticipated! No one knew we didn't belong and we had a GREAT time. We met some very nice people and NOT one of them asked what we did at P&G. We think we might tailgate there another time. ;-)
Just before the game started we made our way across the street to our seats with the spectacular view!
The food and drinks flowed in the skybox too - we got a little tipsy - ate too much -and laughed until we cried.

It is always an experience going into crowds with Carolyn - for there among the masses - are always many people that recognize her from her television days and feel the need to stop and introduce themselves. Carolyn, being the gracious one that she is, always takes time to shake their hand and make their day. She is always very polite and introduces me. It's my temporary moment of "fame" - as I am looked upon as someone of "worth" by these fans because I am accompanying Arkansas's Television goddess, Carolyn Long!

We always laugh about that - because we have been friends since we were 15 years old! Oh baby - if only they knew!!!!!! ;-)

Just kidding - I love my dear friend - and she is precious and wonderful - but not for the reasons these captivated fans think.

div>By the way - my beloved RAZORBACKS won! That always makes attending the game even more fun!

I made a video!

When I downloaded my camera today - I discovered that I took some video with my new very cool camera. I didn't even know I was using the video feature. Quite honestly - I didn't even know it had a video feature!
I am so technically challenged!
The video turned out pretty good - considering the circumstances.
If you turn on the sound - you will hear me discussing my lack of technical ability with Taylor! I was trying to take pictures and couldn't get it to work!
I'm glad I didn't vocalize any "ugly" words - because I was definitely THINKING less than nice words. ;-)

A Dinosaur & A Princess/Fairy/Ballerina

Taylor and Emma Grace invited Nene and Poppy to "Trunk or Treat" with them on Halloween evening. Too bad for Poppy - he got stuck at work due to month-end reports. He missed all of the fun!
Taylor was the scariest dinosaur I have ever seen! And - he had a VERY big growl!!!!
Emma Grace was beautiful - not sure if she was a princess or a fairy or a ballerina - whichever - she was precious!
I had the honor of taking Taylor around to play all of the games and "trick or treat" at each of the cars parked on their church parking lot!
Here are a few pictures of the evening. Just look at those little faces....

I LOVE being a Nene!