Peaceful vacation

We returned from Glen Cove yesterday. I spent 10 days there, and it wasn't nearly enough. The kids and I spent the first week with my parents, and our friend, Irene. Then, I came home for the women's meeting, and to get John. Jim, Laura, and Carlie Thompson came up for the last weekend. It was all so peaceful and wonderful. I love that place. Minnehaha Falls is right next to the cabin, so the kids spent most of their time playing in the creek. I grew up playing in this same waterfall, so it holds alot of great memories for me. We went to the county fair, watched WallE at the drive-in in Tiger, picked enormous blackberries at Orchard Farms, got fresh veggies from Osagee Farms and had them for dinner, had fabulous hot dogs and hot fudge sundaes at the Clayton Pharmacy, and went to the flea market, among other things. I wish we could have stayed longer!
But, alas, I only have one week left in my internship. I have to concentrate on getting the last of my assignments turned in. Hopefully, we will be able to go again soon!

That was so much fun!!

I just returned from an awesome women's meeting! We had about half an hour of worship, then everyone went off to various areas to play board games, do crafts, or exercise. My Jazzercise instructor, Loralee, came from North Augusta to do a demo Jazzercise class for us. It was wonderful! We had the room we were in packed from end to end, and, God bless those Alleluia ladies, they all were gung-ho about it. Not only did they join in the exercises, but they whooped and yelled at the top of their lungs. I think the best part for me was watching Loralee's face when she realized that every woman in the room was thrilled to be there. She said this was the best class she has ever taught in 20 years of teaching! I think we blessed her almost as much as she blessed us by coming. I have loved Jazz from the beginning, but I don't think I have ever left a class as energized as I did tonight. Thanks, Loralee! What a great night!

Fr. Ted

I haven't posted lately because our dear friend, Fr. Ted, was here visiting from Africa. He stayed with us for two weeks, which was a wonderful blessing for us. He is such a precious man, and everyone who knows him loves him dearly. He is a true servant of God. It was truly a pleasure for me to be able to serve him in little ways when he needed things; whether it be in doing laundry, cooking for him, or whatever other little task he set me to. He is always very concerned that he not put anyone out. I only hope that our home provided a place of much needed rest for him. Where he lives is very dangerous, and he doesn't ge alot of rest. Please keep him in your prayers.
He just left this morning, and the kids have already mentioned several times that they miss him. I understand what they mean. He's never stayed with us for that long before, and the house seems somewhat empty now without him.

George and Sophie

Here we have George and Sophie. They are, by far, the most entertaining pets I have ever had. We have had George for about a year now, and thought he might like a companion, so we got Sophie about a month ago. They have become fast friends, and spend most of their time chasing each other around the house, wrestling, and play fightning.
They definitely have their quirks. George can't leave a glass alone; he has to knock it over to see if something is in it. This also applies to vases, bowls, and anything else that can be tipped over. He also likes to see just how high up he can get, so he's constantly looking for new high places to conquer. Like the top of my china cabinet. His favorite seems to be the top of the entertainment center.
Sophie will eat until she's sick. I've never had a cat who's done that before. She will eat all her food as fast as she can, then go stick her face in George's bowl, and still follow you around crying for more. She also likes to watch tv. She seems to be enthralled with anything on the screen, watching every move.
I'm glad we decided to get Sophie. I was a little worried that George wouldn't like her, or that he would hurt her, since she was just a baby when we got her. But he adapted to her much faster than we expected, and now he actually bathes her when he thinks no one is paying attention. That's what he was doing in this chair with her, until we took out the camera. Then he quickly found something else to do.
It may seem a little weird to say that cats are jewels from heaven, but they are to me. They give me alot of joy. They are so much fun to have around, and I think God arranged for me to have THESE particular cats, just when I needed their antics.

Robby's 9!

I can't believe I haven't written about my handsome boy's birthday yet! Robby turned 9 on June 13. His birthday was drawn out a bit, since we had Father's Day the same weekend.
We took Robby to Harbor Inn for crab legs (his favorite) on Friday.
By Friday afternoon, we were on our way out to Mistletoe State Park to go camping. I must say, I was a little wary because of the heat, but God blessed us with fairly mild weather and low humidity. The kids had a great time swimming, playing on the playground, fishing, cooking over the campfire, and, of course, making smores.
We got up early Sunday morning to pack up and head back for church. After mass was lunch under our carport with John's family (FABULOUS steak).
Saturday was my brother, Rob's birthday, so we headed out to his house Sunday evening for a birthday/Father's Day party. We had a cookout and Rob, my Robby, and Dad exchanged gifts amid cake and ice cream.
It was an incredibly busy weekend, but I think after all was said and done, everyone had a good time.
I'm so proud of you, Robert! You have such a loving, kind spirit. You are growing up so fast. I love that you still go out of your way to come give me a hug. I love you!

Thank God for Mom!

Today, I will be going to Charlotte to pick up Fr. Ted, a missionary priest who currently lives in Africa. He has become a very dear friend, and a part of our family. He will be staying with us for the next two weeks (I'm so excited!).

The thing is, since school let out, I have been having an incredibly hard time keeping up with things. Having the kids home brings a whole new dynamic to the whole internship area, not to mention just daily tasks. I barely have time to buy groceries, much less finish my school work and clean the house.

This is where MOM comes in. Also known as Evelyn and Petie, but Nana to most. This is one incredible woman! She spends most of her time taking care of others, and those others include me. She saw that I had a need, and she came and took care of it. My house was a disaster area, and she took three different days this week to come help me. In fact, she ended up doing most of it because I was out running my kids all over town. And my house isn't exactly small, either.

Mom, Nana, wonderful woman that you are, I simply cannot thank you enough for all that you are and do for me. You aren't just my mom, you are one of my best friends. I love you so much! You are a jewel from heaven.

This has been a very interesting week so far. I had noticed recently that, every now and again, I would get a whiff of gasoline when close to my van. I could not figure out where it was coming from, and it concerned me, but I just couldn't pinpoint anything. On Monday, after having lunch with my mom, she smelled it too, and was trying to help me figure out where it was coming from. When I cranked up the van, she said she could see it dripping on the ground. So, I promptly called Rick, our local mechanic and all around wonderful Christian friend, who told me to bring it to him right away. He replaced the fuel filter, which was cracked, and all seemed well until the next day.
Tuesday, the plan was to take Mom's car to Rick to have the air conditioner charged, and I was going to pick her up there, at which time we would head out to the new Aqueduct park for a swim. As soon as I pulled up at the Peach Orchard Tire and Auto, gas started gushing out from under my van. And I mean gallons. I quickly cut the engine and got the kids out while Mom ran in to tell Rick. He and several of his mechanics piled out the front door in a hurry to make sure no one was in danger and get the mess cleaned up. The young man who had actually fixed it the day before was apologizing profusely. He was completely astounded at this development.
Well, it turned out to be something pretty simple. The clip that held the fuel lines into the gas tank had gotten stretched somehow, and the line popped out just when I pulled up in the parking lot. Thank God it happened right there, and not when we were at the Aqueduct park! It could have been a much worse situation, possibly very dangerous. God really protected us. Sometimes His guardian angels are in the form of mechanically inclined friends.