Where Have I Been

It has been months months since I have blogged. I have been through planning a wedding, nine months of a foot infection and surgery, bariatric surgery, marrying off a daughter, worrying about a sick father-in-law, the death of a really close niece, and last but not least, sending that newly married daughter off to live in another state while her hubby studies at the seminary etc., etc., etc. It seems there was time to blog but honestly, I don't know if mentally I could have. I found out at age 62, things such as planning and surgeries and moves, hit me a lot harder......yes, I do mean in the brain. Thinking clearly is a rarity these days. Hopefully things have settled down now. I want to get back to writing. I miss putting my thoughts down. Anyway, I am becoming more and more like the cartoon "Maxine". That's how I remember what I have done the day before.

Our family has really changed a lot lately. Chad, Missy, Morgan, Madyson and Ashlyn, along with Karma, the dog, moved to Charleston, SC. They bought a lovely home on Daniel Island. Chad moved with his work. The girls all started brand new schools this week. It has been interesting for them. Two tenth graders and a fourth grader in new schools makes for some jittery nerves. Just last week, Katie and Caleb, along with Storm the dog, moved to Wake Forest, NC for Caleb to begin seminary. They are still settling in. Katie is looking for a job and we are all trusting God to provide something for her. She and Caleb enjoyed a mission trip to Venezuela with Bill and our team from Bethleham. It was a great success. Their lives were changed forever and so were the lives of hundreds of Venezuelans who came to know Christ. Jeff, Amy, McKenna, Bailey, Avery and Quinn are still in Lyman, SC. Jeff still pastors LifeSong Church. They will be going in a brand new building in September. They continue to grow by leaps and bounds. God has blessed over and over again the ministry there. They average over 700 on Sundays. This growth has taken place over a little over three years.

Bill and I are about to complete 7 years at Bethlehem Baptist. It has been a fast and super-sweet time. Bill still enjoys two yearly trips to Venezuela. He also teaches two courses at Truett-McConnell College. I still sing in the choir, teach 1st Grade Sunday School, WMU, and a few other things. There is never a dull moment.
God is still blessing. He provides for our every need. So, Where Have I Been? Right here, that's where!!

Blogging and weddings

I started out so gung-ho on my blogging but as time went on, I stopped. When did life get so busy? About eight months ago when I started planning a wedding. Blogging had to take a backseat. Wedding bell blues took over. I must say that I totally let the wedding planning consume me. That's o.k. That's what it takes, especially at my age. I spent a lot of time trying to think what all was different about planning Katie's wedding in comparison to Amy and Missy's. It's my AGE. At 61, I have a little harder time remembering all there is to remember to do. Its getting there though. October 30th will roll in here in about 3 1/2 weeks. Whether I have everything done or not, it will come. If everyone gets fed at the reception will reflect on me but it has been hard to determine how many will be there. Two churches are involved since Bill is a pastor and Caleb's dad is a pastor. We just have to pretty much hope there will be enough. But you know, that's not what it's all about anyway. The important thing is if those two kids have their license, say their vows, and get pronounced husband and wife. That's the most important. Friends and family are nice and we do appreciate them and won't be able to do enough for them for all they have done for our kids. They still won't make a difference any way at all as to whether Katie and Caleb are married. You know, I could sweat the small stuff and worry my head off, or, I can give it to the Lord. After all, He changed water into wine at the first wedding in Cana. He multiplied the loaves and fishes when He fed the five thousand. He can certainly can take care of a few hundred people at a wedding in Clarkesville, even when the woman who planned the wedding is old!

What's Been Happening?

I haven't blogged in so long, I really don't even know where to start. For a long time time, I had my heart in doing this. I think when this summer came, a friend and I started totally renovating our library at school and I was at Georgia Mountains Christian Academy everyday purging books, checking books for appropriateness,barcoding etc. It consumed me for a few weeks and I totally lost focus. I haven't even been reading my friends blogs and that is unusual. Well, the library got finished and we had a few weeks before school began. I ended up having to go to Emory several days for tests and that with other responsibilities took up the rest of the summer.

School started August 10th. Last year I was Senora Cashion, la maestra de Espanol, but now I am the "Media Specialist" which was known as the librarian in my days of school. I love being in the library. I work with K-3 - 5th grade. I love my K-3 and K-4 classes who come to the library together. They always ask me if they can sit "in my WAP." Of course, I let them. One even got mixed up and called me "Mrs. Fashion" instead of Mrs. Cashion. I liked that a lot and am thinking of making that my official name. I am not sure if Bill will like being Mr. Fashion though. They are just the sweetest children and I have been truly blessed to teach them beginning library skills even at age 3 and 4.

I am looking forward to an early fall vacation the 2nd week in October. That's when we go to our condo at Myrtle Beach. It's a wonderful time of year to go. We always have warm days and cool nights. I love that time of year. I have been blessed to be able to take that time off from school.

We are experiencing a little sadness in our family as we see Bill's dad and mom go downhill health-wise. His dad, especially, is getting weaker and weaker everyday.
We try to see my in laws as much as possible. Bill's mom has macular degeneration and can barely see at all. She tries to take care of Mr. C. and it is hard for her to see. He even has to be fed now.

Also, my niece, Lisa, who had colon cancer, has seen the cancer return as she recently learned it had metastasized in her thorax. She is presently undergoing chemo every two weeks. It is making her terribly sick and she is starting to lose her hair. We are sad to see her go through this. She is only 50 years of age.

So as not to end this on a sad note, I must say that we are so glad we are into football season and are ready for this to be "the SEASON of ALL SEASONS" for the Gamecocks. This week is the USC/GA game. We await that game with fear and trembling.....but with confidence.LOL

Thinking About Family

I am feeling very nostalgic this morning. We had another Mother's day yesterday. My Mom has been gone for 4 1/2 years but I missed her as much yesterday as if she had just passed yesterday. I am so glad I had a mother who was so lovable. She was so funny. We laughed all the time. She could get so tickled at the slightest thing. I could tell story after story of her and how many silly things she did and times we got so tickled we almost wet our pants. My, I loved that woman. Thanks for the wonderful memories, Mom.

Amy, Missy and Katie, the loves of my life, continue to make me so proud. They are all super busy young women. Each one makes me so proud. I don't see Amy and Missy as much as I would like but they are in my heart everyday as I pray for them. God has blessed me with three talented and wonderful daughters. They are also fantastic mothers themselves and live very busy lives.

My seven granddaughters, Morgan, Madyson, Ashlyn, McKenna,Bailey, Avery and Quinn are so precious to me. Morgan and Madyson are doing such "teenage things" and I love reading their Facebook posts as they pass through one crisis after another with the "boy problems' etc. They are so busy with school. McKenna is playing soccer. She is so tall and slender. She is going to be a great athlete. All the rest of the girls are busy with all kinds of things. Avery and Bailey cheered for UPWARD sports. Ashlyn is busy trying to mimic her older sisters. Quinn is potty training and talking her mom's ear off. They are all so unique and I love them dearly.

My sisters, Lib and Martha, are my sounding boards when I need advice and believe me, I call them regularly. We have always been close and have gotten even closer since the death of our Mom. I love them so much. Each of us have gone through our series of health problems this year. It has been good to have each other to lean on.

Family is so important. I hope we never lose that bond.

Rainy Day Blog

We have managed to treat this rainy Saturday just like we would if it were SNOW. I have been lazy. All we have wanted to do is eat. We have eaten SOOO much. I made sausage, biscuits and gravy for breakfast. About 1 p.m. Bill said he was hungry again so I made hamburger steaks with peppers and onions and baked sweet potatoes. Then, as if I needed them, Bill brought me a handful of jelly beans. I don't know what has gotten into us. It has been fun but we will pay for it when we get on the scales.




The DREADED DIET THING has not been getting to my brain lately. I have gained about 8 lbs. of my weight back. It takes so long to lose it and it can be gained back in just a few meals. (okay, well, they were pretty high in calorie.) Anyway, the point is, we better not have many more rainy days. We'll weigh 400 lbs.

Kristy's Book

My niece, Kristy Dempsey, has written a new children's book that will be out on May 14, 2009.
See the trailer on my blog. You can pre-order on Amazon.com. Kristy and her husband, Demps, are missionaries in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The book is precious and would make a good gift for any child. Take a look at the trailer and look at the beautiful artwork. you won't be disappointed.

El Campesino II - the B-day-field trip

Well, we went on the field trip. I made it but looking back on it, I don't know how I did it.
The day started out great. We had a little time before the ninth graders and I left for lunch at El Campesino. We had a nice little conversation about various things. I really enjoyed talking to them and am constantly surprised at how much they know about what's going on in the community. Anyway, 11 a.m. rolled around and they were anxious to go. They were hungry. I was still a little apprehensive about going. I don't know why. I just really wanted someone else with me. Bill was going to go but he ended up going to the evangelism conference in Flowery Branch. Headmaster John Mooneyham was going to go but he ended up in the hospital with a terrible viral infection and pneumonia. Sooooo, I was going into the lions den by myself.

We got to the restaurant and the kids were great. They all took their places and dove into the chips and salsa like they never had a bite of anything in their life. We just had a real good time. A man from our church came in with a friend and we greeted them. We all enjoyed our chicken nachos, cheese dip, chimichangas and there was hardly a morsel of anything left on tanybody's plate. At the end of our meal, I was trying to find out if the kids were going to order dessert.....all of a sudden here came two of the waiters with a gigantic fried ice cream covered in whipped cream and caramel sauce and a great big Mexican sombrero for me to wear. A couple of girls clued them in that it was my birthday (not really til Friday) and they began to sing a LLLOOONNNGGG Spanish birthday tune. All the while one of the waiters was spoon-feeding me whipped cream. They finished that song and started in on the very familar "happy birthday to you" and all of a sudden when it got to the part "happy birthday, dear Kathy, one of the waiters picked up that fried ice cream, dripping with whipped cream and caramel sauce and pushed right into my face. It took me by such surprise that I got hysterical. The man from our church was dying laughing. He said he wished he had brought his camera. I was a mess. The kids had known all along that this is what they do at El Campesino to celebrate birthdays. I had never heard this and we have been to El Camp a gazillion times. Oh well, I tried to be a good sport. The kids loved it. It made it VERY memorable for me. Hope you enjoy these pictures from my most fun birthday/field trip.

Habla Espanol?

As many of you know, I have been teaching Spanish at Georgia Mountains Christian Academy.
I have a great bunch of kids (for the most part) I haven't quite figured out if the middle schoolers are great or not. Right now I just look at them as a bunch of gigglers who get on my nerves a little bit. They are pretty sweet but most days I am one big " class, be quiet now" teacher . (or worse!!) Next week I am celebrating my birthday so we decided to incorporate that with a trip for the high school Spanish class to a Mexican restaurant. Of course, in my mind, I am thinking it will be an all Spanish speaking trip. They will "pedir" in Spanish. We will "hablar" in Spanish at the "mesa". They will throw tacos shells a "mi"! I will duck under the "mesa". They won't have enough "dinero", and I will have to "pagar". They will tear "mi Carro" apart on the way there and back. I will return to the school never "hacer un viaje" like this again. Oh well, it probably won't be this bad. The worse thing that will probably happen is the Mexican waiters will come out and "sing" feliz cumpleanos" to me in "Espanol autentico." EEEWWW!! I will post later and let you know how it went. !Ojala que pueda reportar un buen viaje!!!

Love - An everyday thing

Bill and I were talking this morning about Valentine's Day. I commented that it seemed like the media had taken over this day too. It has become so commercial. I can remember the days when it was a simple day to exchange valentine cards at school, giving your favorite valentine to the one you had a crush on. Husbands doted on wives and gave them candy and flowers. It was a sweet, loving day that would sometime jumpstart relationships of school friends and make a day extra special for husbands and wives. It's nice to have a special day set aside for paying a little extra attention to one another. It's true. Everyday should be special if you are with the one you love.

It's nice, though, to have one day to do something special or receive a special gift from the one you love. The media has made it a day that thrives on selling, selling, selling! I loved the simpleness of the old Valentine's Day. This morning we are having a simple Valentine's Day. Bill gave me a huge basket of flowers, we are watching (his favorite) a Sci-fi movie and tonight I will fix a special dinner for him. (We chose not to go out and fight the crowds) We are going to keep it simple! It really isn't that much different from any other Saturday. We just enjoy doing things together. Well, I don't particularly love the blood and guts of the sci-fi movie but long story short, I do it because I love being with Bill. I love doing some of the things he loves and he loves doing the things I love.....or at least making the sacrifice for each other even if it isn't our favorite. I am sure when I drag him shopping that he isn't always happy about it but I would never know it. He sacrifices for me. That's the way it is with relationships. It's a give and take. I am going to make this day as special as possible for the one I love. You know what,
I am going to do it Sunday through next Saturday too. I am not saying that life is always a bed of roses. Even though there may be spats and differences to deal with, it's fun making up with the one you love.

Well, I need to add a little addendum to this blog. Bill just asked me if I wanted to go out for a late lunch. he said, "what would you call a late lunch? A DUNCH? It is such a joy living with this man. We laugh so much. But see, this is another little surprise he has for me. That's the way it should be. I can't help loving that man of mine.

Taxes

Bill did our taxes today. I love that day believe it or not. I love watching all the moods Bill goes through while doing them. Sometimes I see him rubbing his brow in a very pensive type of pose. Other times he has his head in his hands trying to think of just one more deduction. Sometimes, though, he's very vocal.......as in......where is that other electric bill? can you believe we had this much medical expense! can you understand now where our money goes? Oh my goodness, do you know how much we spent on food???? He muddles through everything, puts every cent down, adds and subtracts and multiplies and then does it all over again. He always stops short of snorting and spitting. The last few years have been a little better than other years. At least we have been getting some refund. Of course, that has to be my favorite part, hearing that world famous declaration, "Guess what? we're getting ______ back from Federal and ____ back from the State." Yay!!!!yay, i say!!!! Refunds are nice because it allows to do a little something special that we have wanted to do. Nobody has asked us if we needed a bailout. Nobody has asked us about stimulous packages. We just have to fare for ourselves. I kinda like that. Our God has always met our needs. He hasn't let us have everything we want but we are very well taken care of. He "bailed" us out a long time ago. We don't have to worry for tomorrow because we know He has us in the palm of His hands.

My youngest Granddaughter

Our youngest granddaughter, Quinn, will be 2 on February 3. She is the cutest little thing. I remember when she first said Meme. It made me so happy...especially, since she had been saying Papa forever. It is so neat watching them develop their personality. Quinn has three older sisters so she has had some "role models" with her daily. They have all taught her a thing or two. She is learning to be a little deceptive, even at age 2. Amy, our daughter, said that every time something goes wrong or she gets hurt, she says Avery did it. Avery is next in line to Quinn's age. Avery was sick the other day and was lying on the sofa with a fever. Quinn came into the living room and said, MAAAMAAA, Avery hit me! Well, it was very evident to Amy that Avery hadn't done anything. She was really sick. Quinn just had to have attention at that moment so she fabricated a story. She is still the cutest thing I know of. She is growing up all too fast. I guess I have to wait around for Katie to have a baby one day so that we can watch another baby grow up. I wonder how long that will be???????

Life's hard, ain't it Ms. Cashion?

Wouldn't it be great to have a day that you didn't have to take care of any kind of problem, didn't have anyone complaining, didn't have any kind of heartache at all? It seems an impossibility. Maybe that's not the way it is supposed to be? God is as much in control of one day as He is another. He is never going to let anything happen to us that we can't learn from . These things are brought into our lives to make us stronger. I don't always "get the message" that I am supposed to get from difficult times. A very long time ago a little girl taught me something. I was substitute teaching at an elementary school in our area. It was the type of area where everybody knew most everybody else. Bill was pastor of a church and we were well-acquainted with most of the members in a neighboring church. We had been praying for a member of the neighboring church, a young married man who struggling with health issues. Long story short, this young man in his 30's passed away. The day after the young man was buried, I went to substitute teach for the kindergarten at the school. As soon as I walked in I realized that the man's daughter who had died was in that class. I thought, "well, maybe she won't come." Secretly, I wished she wouldn't. I guess I thought I might have to deal with a child who was distraught and maybe would end up crying during the class. As I was preparing for the class, I looked up briefly as some kids came in the room consoling the little girl whose Dad had died. She wasn't crying, though. She was being very receptive the child-like love the other kids were giving her. It was a sweet time to see kindergartners give love in the only way they knew how----making her smile. As she walked toward me, I took her by the hand and said, "honey, I am so sorry about your daddy." She said, "that's o.k. Ms. Cashion. Life's hard, ain't it?" You know, she was repeating something that, I am sure, someone had said to her. It's the truth. LIFE IS HARD sometimes. How we handle it comes from how closely we are walking with the Lord. We can blame God or someone else for our problems but in the long run that resolves nothing. We just have to face those hard times and say "Lord, I cannot do this without you." We DON't have to do anything. He has said that he will bear our burdens for us.
I am at this moment giving Him something that is on my heart. He wants it. I know He does.
I have felt Him tug at my heart all day. Life's hard, ain't it? Oh yes, it can be! Praise His holy name He takes our burdens. It AIN'T nearly as hard after that.

25 Random Things About Me

25 Random Things About Me.

My Daughter, Amy, tagged me to come up with 25 random things about myself that not many people know.
So, Here goes:
1. I ate dirt when I was a little girl.......out of the flowerpots.....with a spoon. I got lots of spankings for it.
2. I thought my middle name was spelled D-i-a-n-e- until not too many years ago when I looked at my birth certificate and it was D-i-a-n-n-e.
3. I have sung alto since I was in the sixth grade and was in Mrs. CLeveland's class.
4. I thought you pronounced navel like nable and chimney like chimley until I was almost a teenager.
5. When Bill was six years old, he told his Uncle Bob that he was going to marry me.
6. I grabbed the nurse and choked her and threatened to kill her when I was about to deliver Missy and they turned off the anesthesia and I immediately dilated to 10 and she said she couldn't turn it back on without an authorization from the doctor. NOT THE RIGHT THING TO SAY!!
7. The first time Amy brought Jeff to our house before they were married, I was sitting in the floor playing with Katie and I "tooted" in Jeff's face. OOOH!!!!
8. Also, I ran out of the bathroom (we only had one bathroom )dressed only in my slip and just as I did, Jeff came walking in to go in the bathroom. He still married Amy, even though she has a looney mom.
9. I walked out of the The Summit in Houston one time, which is located on a hill, lost my footing, fell and rolled ALLLLL TTTHHHEE WWWAAAYYY down the hill and landed under a gigantic marquis at the feet of the Japanese President of the Baptist World Alliance who was there taking pictures. Embarrassing!!
10. Speaking of falling, I fell out the door of our second church the first Sunday Bill was there to preach a "trial sermon". It was raining......you know the rest.
11.I saw a UFO many times in North Carolina and my little neighbor called the radio station and told them and the whole news department, camera crew, lights...bright lights etc. showed up on my front lawn.
12.When we took Amy to visit her college, Katie was a baby and as we entered the financial aid office Katie did in her diaper what babies do, and I went to change her since it stunk up the whole room. I stood up from my chair, stepped on my slip and it hit the floor and I waddled to the restroom with it around my ankles.
13. I caused my sister, Martha, to burn her arm badly when I pushed her and she laid her arm on a hot burner.
14. I went to Girl's State when I was in High School.
15. Bill and I were voted Top Teenagers our senior year in High School.
16. My mama and I went to a sports store and bought my brother-in-law some wadding to make bullets and we were so tickled having to ask for wads that we couldn't even say it.
17. I had REALLY green hair one time.
18. I once went on a blind date with the son of the President of Phillips Petroleum....he was a jerk.
19. I once cried out to a pharmacist when we adopted Katie, that I had just had a baby and didn't know I was going to have one.
20. I once had a lady in Venezuela squirt breast milk in my face (with her breast) to prove to me that she was a breast-feeding mother because she wanted some free powdered milk that only went to lactating mothers.....not nice!!
21. I once sat on a lounge chair WITH Frankie Valli of the group The Four Seasons on which The Jersey Boys is based. We had our picture made together. Tee Hee! I had my arm on his leg.
22. My junior year in high school, I was a cheerleader. I had a brand new white corduroy skirt and jacket on and as we ran in front of the football team as the game was going to start, I fell in the mud...red mud...head to toe.
23. I designed and crosstitched an outline of the country of Costa Rica and many replicas of things found in COsta Rica to present to the Baptist Mission when left there and went to Venezuela.
24. I took care of Maggie and Charlie for five weeks when they were 9 years old while they waited on Martha and Tim to come adopt them.
25. I married Bill after having been in all 12 grades together and being in love with him for most of my life. Really. That's True.

Why is it so Hard? and Other Random Stuff

Why is it so hard for me to take my Christmas decorations down? I love putting them up, but I hate taking them down. Do you think I secretly have a desire for Christmas to last year around?
It's possible. It could be that I hate taking them downstairs or having Bill do it for me. I can't hardly do it. I am not steady on my feet these days because of the neuropothy. Bill has suffered with back pains for days now and won't go to the doctor. So, the stuff still sits in the kitchen waiting for the good fairy to take it down to storage. I really need to go down to storage and weed out a lot of decorations that I no longer need or are broken. That is just not fun to me. Maybe one day I will get a burst of energy and do it. I don't even know why I am saying all this. I felt like rattling on about something and this was a topic that I chose. Just humor me and read it and say to yourself, "Self, Kathy Cashion has lost her nutty mind."

On to another subject. We went to Longhorn tonight and the people were standing outside, in the rain, waiting to go in so we didn't stay. We ate Chinese. Both of us have not been sticking to our diet. Oh well, maybe we will diet again tomorrow. (Procrastination Big Time!!!)
THOSE WHO GET TOO BIG FOR THEIR BRITCHES, WILL BE EXPOSED IN THE END.
(That is the motto I live by daily.)

I want it to snow so badly. I just want ONE really good snow. I want it to be on a school day and I want to have all the fixings for some good Shrimp Chowder on hand. I love looking out my back windows on a snow covered yard. I could stare at it for hours.

A snowflake is one of God's most fragile creations, but look what they can do when they stick together! ~Author Unknown

Snowmen fall from heaven... unassembled. ~Author Unknown

Katie's car is waiting to go to the car doctor. It needs $650.00 worth of work. The wheel bearing is bad and it leaks power steering fluid, so Dr. Mechanic Steve will get it next week when the part comes in and fix it. I am pretty sure, being the Ziggy that I am, something else will breakdown soon. It always does. :( If you need cheering up, you better call someone else.

Well, that's about all of the gloom and doom that I can muster up. Actually, I have more but I don't want to overwhelm my readers. LOL :)

Crazy Songs

I have been thinking today of crazy songs and songs in general. We have always been singers in our family. Now, this doesn't mean we can sing but we didn't care. We sang anyway. When Amy and Missy were young we always enjoyed singing and watching tapes of people singing. We especially enjoyed singing at night when the girls first went to bed. It was kind of a ritual that we would sing Bill Gaither's kids song "I am a Promise." My favorite time, though, was when I would start to leave their bedroom, They would demand that I sing every song that we knew about "goodnight". There was one that was famous from the Lawrence Welk Show. (I know, you don't know who Lawrence Welk is) It said, "Good night, sleep tight and pleasant dreams to you, Here's a wish and a prayer that every dream comes true, So now til we meet again, Adios, Au Revoir, Auf wie dersehn......Goodnight!" They loved that song. I even choreographed a little dance to it. Then there was the standards "Lullaby and Goodnight" and "Angels Watching Over You". But this one was the kicker. It was an old Perry Como song, "I Love You and Don't You Forget it." Do you know that my girls are teaching my grandchildren these same songs? They sang "I Love you a Bushel and a Peck" when they were wee little things. How many of you know this one? Mareseatoatsanddoeseatoatsandlittlelambseativy?Wow, if you say it fast it comes out like that. If you say it slow, it comes out like: Mares eat oats and does (long "o") eat oats and little lambs eat ivy, a kid'll eat ivy too, wouldn't you? They always laughed so loud when we sang that one. I love silly songs. I love even more that they are being carried down to another generation? Amy, our oldest daughter, always loved the song Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, there's just something about that name. That wasn't a silly song but it was a wonderful song that taught her "Jesus" is the sweetest name you'll ever know. Singing was such a vital part of our girls growing up. It created happy times to sit around and sing, make up songs, learn to keep time to music etc. Our girls have told me that they never forgot those times. After we adopted Katie, we carried on that tradition every night. She had about five favorite silly songs she loved for me to sing as I left her bedroom at night. She loves those songs even now. Happy memories.

The Day Amy was Born

Today is our first-born daughters birthday. October 8, 1973, Amy Denise Cashion was born to us. We were only 24 years old when she came into the world. Bill was pastoring his first church in New Hill, North Carolina. We were so young, so scared and inexperienced. I can remember the first few days after we came home from the hospital we handled her like she was a fragile doll (the doll part was right) We didn't want to break her. It wasn't long before we realized that she wasn't breakable. Amy was only two weeks old. I was in the kitchen cooking dinner. Bill was lying on the sofa with a terrible headache. We still were in the mindset that SOMEBODY had to be watching Amy at all times. Bill said, "just put her in her stroller beside the sofa and I will keep an eye on her." We were such novices. It wasn't that she was going to get up and run away. Well, actually, she almost did. Even at two weeks old, Amy could have some really good temper tantrums. She was long in body length and she could stretch that body out stiff as a board when she was mad. That particular night when I was cooking and Bill had the headache, she chose to pitch a fit. Strollers weren't like they are today-all enclosed. You could let the back of the seat down and it was open behind. All of a sudden as she stiffened those little legs out and screamed bloody murder, I heard Bill yell real loud and she had done a backflip out the back of that stroller.
She wasn't hurt at all. Of course were devastated that it had happened. It certainly taught us one thing - she wasn't as fragile as we thought. She was a tough cookie. From that time on we made sure she couldn't flip out the back of that stroller but we sure had to let her scream a lot.

It is hard for us to believe that today - October 8, 2008, she has matured. She no longer kicks and screams when she doesn't get her way. (I don't think she does!) She has matured into a beautiful Christian woman and pastor's wife. She is a Bible teacher and loves the Lord with all heart. God is so good. Amy is the mother of four of our grandchildren, McKenna, Bailey, Avery and Quinn, and wife to Jeffery. Jeffery is pastor at Life Song Church in Lyman, SC. God is blessing their ministry and their church with growth.

I hope that this is a very special day for you, Amy. It has been a fast 35 years. Continue serving God. Continue being a blessing to those you serve. Continue loving the Lord God with all your heart.

Why is Meme so silly?

I am just grandchild crazy. I think after all these years, I just suddenly realized what a nut I am when my grandchildren do the least little neat thing.

I can remember when my kids were growing up that we called my Mom and told her everything they did because we loved to hear her cackle. She was a laugh-er.
O.K., this is all making sense to me now. I am a cackler. It's Mom's fault.

Yesterday, Amy and I talked on the phone and she shared with me that one and half year old Quinn had finally started saying "Meme". I said, "uh-uh!!!" She said, "yes, she does, LISTEN. Oh yeah, she said it. I screamed bloody murder and Bill came running in here to see if I had a cardio-infarction. (tee-hee) She is saying (or at least trying to say everything that everybody tells her to now. She loves getting chuckles. "Little Miss Show-Off!! She even tries to say GAMECOCKS! (cock-cocks) Anyway, I got to thinking how much I have loved the little advancements my grandchildren make and I am going to scream every time. They think I am super silly and I think they like it.

I love that Morgan , my oldest grandchild is excelling at Volleyball. She's tall and beautiful and likes BOYS!! NO, that can't be!










I love that Madyson, is a cheerleader at her school. You Go Madyson! She's a beautiful girl too. She is a blondie with a cute figure.






I love that Ashlyn is such a good singer and is so loving to me. She is my beauty who I often call "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" with her cute freckles. She just recently accepted Christ as her SAVIOR.





I love that McKenna is doing great in her all female class at school. She is gorgeous and is such a helpful girl. She can cook, clean and take care of Quinn.









I love that Bailey always cares about how she looks. She is destined for the fashion world. She is beautiful too, inside and out.










I love that Avery is so mischievous and can do anything she tries to do. She is so funny. I have laughed at her all her life. She is such a cutie with her perky personality. One little side note- McKenna, Bailey and Avery led one of their neighbor girls to the Lord. That made me so happy.








Then lastly, there is Quinn. She is full of life, exploring all around the house.
She is a teaser and really knows how, at one and 1/2 years, to totally wrap you around her finger. That's o.k. I love it. Hey, Have I told you she can say Meme?

What is it about fall?

What is it about fall that even on the warm days that there is still a hint of autumn in the air? You can just feel it. There is nothing better than the colors of autumn and the smells of autumn. It is my favorite season. As hot natured as I am, the coolness of autumn gives me hope that I MAY BE COOL AGAIN.

One of the things I missed when we left in the states in 1985 to go to the mission field was the changing of the leaves. We got to Costa Rica in December of 1985 to study Spanish for a year before we went to our country of service - Venezuela. After completing the intense year of study, we were anxious to go on to Caracas, Venezuela. We were ready to settle down and begin our missions career. Little did we know that suddenly the doors to Venezuela closed to missionaries and it took another year and 3 months to get our visas cleared to go in. Needless to say, it was devastating to us. We had, however, a wonderful ministry while we continued living there to thousands of refugees who had fled Nicaragua because of the war. The time was not lost.

Back to fall and my reason for this post. When our visas weren't granted and we ended up staying so long in CR, I found myself really missing the fall weather that we had in South Carolina. I especially missed the changing of the leaves. Hailing from the upstate of South Carolina, I grew up loving fall with its smells and colors.
My Mom must have sensed that I was homesick or, actually, I probably told her a dozen times. You can imagine my surprise when I went to our post office box one day and pulled out a package from home. In it, my Mom had sent us fall leaves - beautiful reds, yellows, and oranges all neatly between waxed paper and ironed out in a beautiful collage. I cried. It made my day. I kept those leaves for the longest time. A little bit of home and a little bit of fall all in one envelope. What could be better?

Where Does Time Go?

I used to hear my Mom say, "Don't wait to do that. Time passes so fast" She often said that after she turned 50, time seemed to fly by. I can relate to that. Today our middle daughter, Missy, turned 33. I can remember so vividly when she was born. But, let me back up a little. I became pregnant with Missy in 1975. Even though this pregnancy wasn't planned, it had gone great. I had no morning sickness. Actually, I used both my pregnancies as an excuse to eat. (for which I am still paying for until this day.) Remembering back to one particular day of that pregnancy this comes to mind: I had worked at the NC Dept. of Revenue and returned to work for about 3 months after our first daughter, Amy, was born. I had made lots of friends at the Revenue Dept. and one Saturday decided to go up and visit one of my revenue friends for the day. We had a great visit but toward the end of it, I began to cramp so much but only in one side of my stomach. I told my friend that I had better go because I felt like I was going to be sick. It was only about 5 miles back to my house. When I got home and pulled in the carport, I could not even get out of the car. I was in horrific pain. I literally leaned over the horn and blew it to get Bill's attention to come out and get me. Being 3 months pregnant brought so much to mind that the pain could be. I thought about tubal pregnancy. "Was I miscarrying?" I told Bill that I had to go to the hospital. By then, I had begun to vomit and was in such pain that I could not even stand straight. When we got to the hospital, the doctors did blood work and examinations to try to determine the source.
The doctor came in looking pretty somber and said the blood work showed elevated white count but that even still, with my being pregnant, they were not able to determine exactly what the problem was. He told Bill I was going to have to undergo exploratory surgery to determine the exact cause. Well, that scared me to death.
He said they were going to have to cut me longways down the middle of my stomach.
I was living in the "old days" when they hadn't even heard of laparoscopic surgery.
Long story short, when they got in there, they found that everything was fine with the baby, but my appendix were about to rupture and that was the problem all along.
You know, they took those appendix out sewed my tummy back up. The doctor came in and told us that I more than likely would have some bleeding and there was a slim chance that I would lose the baby. BUT I DIDN'T!! She's 33 today. Can you believe they can cut you open so near to your unborn and take something out and your baby never be harmed? God must have really wanted me to have her, right? (Jer. 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart for my holy purpose. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.") Jer 29:11 (NIV) "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Let's fast forward to September 5, 1975, the DAY Missy was born. I had been in hard labor but had only dilated to a 3 after several hours of being in the hospital. Finally, though, I reached a point that they said they could give me my epidural.
Well, wouldn't you know it? As soon as the epidural started, the CONTRACTIONS STOPPED!!! STOPPED, I SAY!!! The doctor came in and said,(as he rubbed his head lamely) "I guess I will go on home for dinner and be back in a while to check on you."
About that time I wanted to start screaming "don't leave me." I DON'T WANT TO HAVE THIS BABY BY MYSELF. Actually, I wanted to call him some names.....some BBBAAAADDDD names. Next he said, "I believe while I am gone we will just turn the anesthesia to the epidural off and see if your labor will start back. And with that, he walked out the door. It took about as long as it took for him to get to the elevator to go to his car and I started hurting. He didn't even hear me yell. His stomach was growling. Guess what, it took long enough for him to get to his car and "I DILATED TO A 10....10 I say!!! That's a 10 without anesthesia. The nurse sent someone to try and catch the doctor. I was screaming bloody murder with pain. I hadn't had Lamaze. I didn't know how to breathe. In fact, I held my breath. I screamed for the nurse to TURN THAT ANESTHESIA BACK ON. In her nice little "nursey" voice she informed me that she could not do that without a doctor's order. At that point, the beast came out in me...! I grabbed that NURSEY by the nurses uniform and told her in no uncertain terms that I could care less about orders and that I WAS GOING TO KILL HER IF SHE DIDN"T TURN THAT JUICE BACK ON. Bill was there with me and he even had a hard time holding me back. I guess I wasn't really going to kill her. I just felt like I could. This is a Christian who is a preacher's wife shouting "kill,kill!!!
You know, I don't remember much after that. She was born; I didn't have to hurt anybody. Thirty-three years later, she makes me laugh, makes me cry, blesses me in every way. I am so glad I didn't have to go to prison after she was born. It would have been awful for someone else to get to raise her. I love you Melissa Diane Cashion Bryant.

He Knows My Name by Maranatha Singers

What a joy to know...He Knows My Name.