Do the Right Thing at Christmas

Think back to your favorite Christmas... the excitement you had... the gift that made it great... the places you visited... the people who were there....the list goes on and on.... Sometimes Christmas is better because of your expectations being far exceeded.  Sometimes Christmas is the "best one" because you did the right thing!

Let's go back to the stable for a minute... and being stable.  The Christmas season is filled with all kinds of traditions unique to your own family... things that you think are the most wonderful, magical thing in the world may never happen at your neighbor's house.... and you might sneak a peek in their windows and think how crazy they are at what they decide to do!  As soon as one of these traditions or fun things are missed... your Christmas isn't the same and you feel off-balance... or unstable wondering if Christmas is going to be ruined because you didn't get to experience ________ this year.

Let's go really far back and think about the first Christmas... the morning/night that Baby Jesus entered the world... I wonder what Mary thought as she held this miracle baby... I wonder if his birthday each year got any better in her eyes or was the first one the best?  What did she think as she held him and watched him grow?  My gut feeling is that this was the best Christmas ever for her.  She had God in her arms...she knew it was a miracle...and that was all she needed.  Honestly, that's all you and I need every day.... that's it!

As a mother/woman, we want things to be stable and perfect.  We want things to be planned... perfect... and punctual.  Nothing has changed much from today to back then... I'm sure Mary had wished this had been a planned pregnancy... a perfect birthplace... and any time but during a census!

So where does this lead us today?  It's simple... DO THE RIGHT THING!  Yep... you read that just right.... that's simple, right?  Plan all the activities for the family, buy the best gifts you have ever given, give money to the poor children, and send out those lovely Christmas cards... isn't that the best thing?  Isn't that the right thing to do? Insert "sarcasm" here!

James 1:22

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

I have looked and looked in the Bible for the part where it says I have to have a meat and three for Christmas Eve lunch, and then an elegant dinner for Christmas Eve night, a huge buffet breakfast for Christmas morning, and prime rib and potatoes for Christmas night... but I can't find that!  Don't get me wrong... I LOVE to eat... I love to open a present... I love to get Christmas cards (I don't take time to send them anymore).... but none of that is in the Bible....

So as I ponder the stability in my house... am I "doing the right thing"?  Am I spreading God's word to those around me?  Am I opening up my home to someone who may not know about that Christmas morning when Jesus was born... am I helping others...am I doing what God wants me to do OR what I think needs to be done? Am I following the commands that God's word tells us about?

It sounds so easy doesn't it?  Do the right thing and things will be great.  Nope... doing the right thing isn't always the easiest thing to do... but it's the right thing to do.  To be "stable" this year... focus on doing the right thing... do what God's word says and spread the love of Christ... we are here to spread His seeds... and He makes them grow! Gain your stability in reading and knowing what God's word says.... and DO THE RIGHT THING!

What do you need to be stable?

At any moment your life can change... a doctor's visit, a call from a family member, a freak accident, anything... things like this cause me to panic for a brief second... or longer... I've gotten much better, but if I didn't have some tools in my box I would never be able to survive some days.

One of my favorite stories from the Bible is David and Goliath.  I encourage you take a few minutes today and read I Samuel 17.  As you read, write down the story and what happened... I love to do a timeline and see how God's hand was at work with every part of His stories.  Once I started doing that, I realize that He is at work in my life too... and yours!

The part of David and Goliath I want to focus on today is I Samuel 17:49.  There are many fascinating parts to this story... David even being chosen is remarkable to me... but this verse...

Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

This verse gets me through some situations that I don't think are possible.  

David had a big problem... a HUGE problem... a giant to fight.  What are you fighting today?  It's something... something is bothering you... something is making you anxious... something is making you nervous.  Allow yourself to be in David's shoes (sandals) for a moment.  

"Reaching into his bag".... Where do you go for trouble in your life?  Do you post it on Facebook and ask for advice, do you burden family members with rambling, do you keep it inside and let it eat at you like cancer?  Where do you reach?  

"Taking out a stone"... David knew where he needed to reach for safety... his bag... he also knew that God was on his side... Do you have confidence that God is on your side?  Do you reach in the right places for a weapon?  Do you grab the right things to "fight" with?  

"He slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead".... When you find yourself in a situation, do you know how to strike back?  Not in a hateful way, but do you know what to do when and what to use to arm yourself with the right weapon?  

And here's my favorite part... "The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell FACEDOWN on the ground".... OH MY!  David knew where to hit this giant... and when you think about it... if you stand in front of someone and hit them in the head... they most likely will fall backwards.... but not this big giant!  He fell facedown.... that problem of David's was done!  FACEDOWN.  

I have a lot of things in my purse... my children think the kitchen sink is in there, but I don't have a stone...or a slingshot... when I reach to fight back at my demons, I reach to the BIBLE.... that's the best place.  Any problem you are having today... or facing in the future... an answer can be found in the Bible.  YES... there's your answer for stability.... use your Bible as your weapon.  Learn some verses to fight back with... google your problem and ask for verses.... it's there!  

This morning I pray that each of you who read this... reach into your Bible and know in your heart that God will take care of your giant.  Ask him, pray to him, and have faith that He can do it!  

Prepare  your "stable" for Him by making a strong foundation in your heart!  Use the Bible as your tool and you can't be destroyed!  

 

Fresh Coat of Paint

I love to smell paint, I love to walk into a home that smells fresh and clean, and I love to see lines on the carpet.... I like things to look in order!  I'll be the first to admit that I don't want you in my closets or my "more than one" junk drawer in the my kitchen though.... Those are my hiding places for all the times I'm trying to make the outside look good.... but I can't rest easy because I know those drawers and closets are always there.  Every once in awhile I break down and clean them out, and it feels SO GOOD!  That takes a little time, a little extra effort, and a mood to throw things away.  I have to be willing to part with things!

So what does this have to do with Christmas?  Well... in order for us to be able to have a "stable" foundation, we have to work from the inside out....

Matthew 23:27-28 says, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.  In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness." 

GUILTY!  I've spent a lot of my life trying to make others happy... trying to make others like me... trying to make others think that life is perfect.  But... what I've come to realize is it isn't.  There is no amount of paint, or money, or work that is going to clean my insides.  Sure, we all want to look like we have it together and are doing life just fine, but in all honesty, God doesn't use those people to make a big difference in someone else's life.  I believe that God wants us to talk about our struggles, our fears, our anxieties with others to show them that they can rely on him.  It's hard to sit across from someone and listen to a discussion about how perfect everything is in their life... part of me immediately thinks about all their faults that I know about... and part of me feels sorry for them because they aren't being truthful.  In my old age... of 47....I've found that there isn't one family who doesn't struggle... there isn't one parent who hasn't been disappointed in their children... there isn't one wife who hasn't wanted to choke her husband at one point or another... there isn't one friend who hasn't been hurt by words of another friend... and there isn't one churchgoer who hasn't been upset at another churchgoer!  I could go on and on about all the things in life that hurt us on the inside... and how we continue to smile and act like things are great on the outside.

In the early years of Facebook, I have Timehop to remind me of this, I think I posted about every hour of my day.... I guess I wanted to share my every thought and what was going on in my life with others... as I look back, I realized that I was posting about what I wanted my life to be like.  As the years have gone by, I have used my blog to post about my real feelings.  I have used my words to show my thoughts... good and bad.... my feelings.... happy and disappointed... my actions... appropriate and inappropriate to show the true me.  I think we all want to appear one way... but if something is bothering us... we need to be honest and open about it.  Unfortunately, some people think Facebook is the place to be honest and open about it.  My view on that has changed.

Find that one person to be honest and open about what is going on in your life.... it is cleansing and renewing... I have several good friends that I can call at the drop of a hat and just have "diarrhea of the mouth"... when I get finished spewing and saying my peace.... it's over.  They listen... they give advice... they disagree with me... they pray for me... whatever the case... I don't advertise on Facebook what it is!

Today- your outside may be as clean and straight as the whitewashed board in the picture above, but what do your insides look like?  Do you have healthy thoughts coming from your mouth... or negative?  Do you have jealousy and anger inside, or are you at peace because you have prayed for those things to go away?  Do you have something you probably need to get out of / off your heart... do you need to tell someone you are sorry for something?  Do you need to confess a sin to someone?

The reality is this... if you don't work on the insides of your life before you paint the outsides... you aren't doing any good at all.  You won't be "stable"... you won't be ready for Jesus to be inside you because you don't have "room in the inn" for him.  In order to be "stable"... you are going to have to make some changes.

Pray that hatred, anger, jealousy, disappointment, anxiety, regret, etc out of your heart.  Ask God daily to remove it... confess what you are feeling... sometimes it helps to find a confidant to confess what's on your heart and her praying with you makes it all better.  Today, pray for your insides... that you will be clean and refreshed... and the secret to all this...your outsides will naturally fall into place when the inside is clean!

What's Your Foundation Built On?

There is nothing I love more than being at the beach.  It's my favorite place... it's where I'd love to live... it's where I hope to retire one day... but I'm already worried about where I will live.  Sure, I'd love to live oceanfront with a big screened-in porch, rocking chairs, huge sofas for relaxing, and possibly a porch swing, but I also know that the weather is not your friend when you have an oceanfront house.  I'd rather be safe than sorry... I have thought a lot about what structure would be best... most affordable... suitable.  I change my mind a lot... but without a doubt, I know that I don't want my house built of sand.  I mean how many sand castles did I build as a child to find them swept away as soon as the tide came!  

Stability is something we all need and want.  Jesus talks about this in Matthew 7:24-29.

The Wise and Foolish Builders

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

 From what I've read, I believe that Jesus was most likely born in a cave... a rock possibly hollowed out... so when I read the story of the wise and foolish builders, I can't help but think that because there was no room in the inn... the best place for Jesus to enter this world was on a strong foundation.  I think God chose that place for many reasons... Nothing about the Christmas story is elegant or fancy... neither is where Jesus was born!  We can all agree that a cave would be pretty safe and stable though!  My nativity scene isn't the traditional one made of wood... it looks like rock, stone, or the "Aztec" theme.  When I look at it, I think about what people see when they look at my own house.  The house, the foundation, the structure of my every day life... sand or stone?

The structure I live in is strong, but is the foundation that I'm giving my children and family truly strong.  Am I giving them a "stable" living environment.  Later in the week I'll talk more about that, but today I want to ask a few questions... Do you know the Bible?  Do you know His words?  Are you putting them into practice?  When... not if... storms arise in your life, are you weathering the storm or are you falling apart?  

That last question hits home for me... when Daddy died, I made a BIG decision not to sit in self-pity and make my children miserable and worried about their mama.  I wanted to show them that death is not final, death is not the worst thing in the world, and death wasn't going to define me and make me a horrible person full of anger and hate because Daddy wasn't here anymore.  I wanted them to see that life goes on... and death is a part of life!  We celebrate Easter... the death of Christ... sure those three days were sad in between the death and resurrection, but we wouldn't have the resurrection without the death... we have to have bad sometimes to enjoy the good!  

I've been lucky in my life, I really haven't had many things go terribly wrong considering what some other people have been through in their lives.  I've been hurt by friends, I've been disappointed by decisions my children made, I've been upset about situations at work, I've been attacked personally... the list goes on and on.... but when I look at others who are dealing with health, divorce, deceit, neglect, addiction...  my life really isn't that bad.  Through each of the trials I've been through in my life, I've tried my best to weather the storm.  I always comment at work when things get crazy that "The old redneck Britt would have done this... but the new Britt is going to sit back and settle because I know it's in God's hands"... 

Where are you today?  If a storm comes up in your life, are you going to wash away with the winds and rain... or are you going to stand strong in your faith until the storm stops?  It's YOUR choice.  You get to make that choice EVERY DAY.  Be like the stable that Jesus was born in... be Strong... prepare your home for Christmas this year by being settled on a strong foundation!  It may be a holiday you are dreading... don't dread it though... God's word tells us that we are to put into practice His words.  I can't find anywhere in the Bible that tells me to sit and sulk and be miserable.  I do find verses of hope and comfort during storms and trials in my life though!  

So today... work on the structure of your house!  Figuratively, ask yourself if you are "stable"... if you lean on His word you can be!  Some of you may ask, "How, Britt?  How can I become more stable?"  I don't have all the answers, but I do know that there is no other comfort to me than sitting down with Jesus every morning before I start my day and having a cup of coffee with Him.  I write down my prayer requests, pray for those I love and YES I pray for those who disappoint me and hurt me!  I have some Bible apps on my phone to help guide me through devotionals... and at the suggestion of a friend, I am constantly reading my way through the Bible.  I'm learning so many things daily!   If you can just start with spending time with Him each day... your foundation will become stronger and stronger... and you will have a STABLE life!  Let me know if you have a specific prayer request... I'd love to add you to my list!  

The Stable

The Nativity Scene   

     In an effort to help my focus, over the next few weeks I'd like to spend some time looking at  the nativity scene.  In fact, the nativity scene pictured has become my favorite Christmas decoration.  I'll admit it... it hasn't always been the focus of our house... the tree got up... the presents were under the tree... the wreaths hung on the windows and door... the parties.... the elves... all that..... and I would sometimes turn on my nativity scene... and sometimes not.   This year I'll be looking at this decoration a little differently.
      The Christmas before I got married, I saw this Department 56 Nativity Scene in Gatlinburg, and I begged Mama for it... I thought she'd say no because of cost... but somehow I ended up with it.  Little did I know then I'd love it even more some twenty two years later... it was there our first Christmas... when I wanted to be in Lincolnton... and I was in Greenville all alone until Christmas Eve when Mark got home.  It was there the year that KB was born... and we brought her home from the hospital on Christmas Eve... and it was there last year when I thought it would be a terrible Christmas without Daddy... but it was one of the best ever.   It has been here even when it wasn't really the focus... right up under my nose!
     For the past two years I have had the opportunity to teach a Christmas Bible study at the church.  I have to start earlier in the season preparing... so my heart has gotten into Christmas a little earlier this year again.... that and the fact that all my friends here are thinking I'm crazy that I'm just putting out pilgrims instead of being like them and putting out Christmas trees!
      The next few weeks leading up to Christmas I'll be writing about the characters, the structure, and parts of the Nativity scene.
      I'd like to start with the "stable".  Until recently, I used my childhood perception of the manger being in a barn... like Pa Ingalls had... I didn't know it was most likely a cave or a lower room of someone's residence.  There are many suggestions... just google them... but I do know that whatever Jesus was born in was STABLE... whether it looked like Pa Ingalls's barn, or a cave, or a basement area... it was stable.  I think the play on words there is not irony... it is truly stable.
     Using the word "stable"... I think it's important for me to have a stable foundation of what the true story of Christmas is... where I should focus... I can put up decorations, make homemade gifts, bake cookies for neighbors, and plan the best parties ever, but if I don't have a foundation... a stable home... none of those things will truly bring me joy.  I've been there... I've tried to buy happiness for my children, I've tried to buy happiness for myself... and I've tried to find happiness in friends, or trips, or Hallmark channel activities that make those actors smile... but I really don't need to look anywhere except the stable... where the manger was.
      I recently finished a Bible study where we discussed making our bodies vessels for Christ... is He welcome there... are we creating a healthy vessel... are we using our vessels to do what Christ is asking us to do... I picture the stable as the vessel that Christ was born in... the foundation... and I think about our house... are we doing everything we can to prepare a stable foundation for what life has to offer and bring?  I sure hope so... we aren't perfect, but I believe with all my heart if we focus on the real reason of Christmas we will be just fine.
    As I prepare for this Christmas season, I pray my heart focuses on the stability of a life with the foundation being Jesus Christ... I pray my heart focuses on the parts of the nativity scene and remembers that not one part of the Christmas Story was just added for excitement or enhancement... everything... down to the animals was there for a reason...
     Maybe Christmas is hard for you... maybe you act like you really love it, but you don't... maybe you openly dread every second of it... maybe you need to renew that Christmas spirit and renew a relationship with Jesus that you haven't worked on lately... maybe you need to work on the "stable"... your body, your heart, your mind to welcome Him inside... I hope you will be willing to open up and share with us during this season as we prepare to celebrate his birth.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy 75th Birthday Butchie!

 Last year I chose to remember Daddy's first birthday without him here by keeping my thoughts and emotions to myself... this year... life is different... and I want to write!  I've been scolded for making people cry with my blogs... it's okay though... a good cry makes you feel better! 

I have no doubt that God's timing is perfect.  While I'd give my right and left arm to have Daddy back, I know that circumstances leading us to move, Daddy dying, KB going to Clemson, and life now has been perfectly timed.  I mean who really doubts God??? Honestly, I do... sometimes!  But I know that things have happened for a reason... and I've never believed that more than now!

I'll never forget his funeral and the lady who said, "You left town and he couldn't make it without you!  I don't know how you did that to him!"... I've forgiven her for hurting my feelings, but I haven't forgotten it.  More and more, I know I had to move to make my life more bearable because I am not real sure I could have survived being in Lincolnton every day with so many memories of him.  I still don't love to come home because walking in Mama's house is just not the same.  Even the smell of the best food in the world can't take away the hole in my heart.  I was told that it would never be the same after I married to go back home... that wasn' t true... it was just perfect... but now... not so much.  This past year has been a whirlwind... the past 16 months without him here have flown by...

My life couldn't be better now... I have been blessed beyond measure... given things that I do not deserve... and been placed in an area that I'm surrounded by love from my school family, my church family, and my family.  I can't thank the man upstairs enough for where I am in my life, so when I miss Daddy... I quickly change my thoughts to happy and fun times with him.  So this birthday... he was old as dirt, 75, I choose to remember him with a smile, a laugh, and some great memories. 

This picture is from a McCormick yearbook.... the center... is Daddy... not looking all proper like everyone else... that was Daddy... the center of everything... and making people laugh even when he shouldn't.  He wanted everyone to be as happy as he was!  The pictures from McCormick in this blog are beyond special to me... for you see.... as I look at them... I see the 14 year old that is living in the house with me.  I see Ben.  Numerous people have sent me messages and looked at Daddy's pictures and see the resemblance... I see it too.  But what most don't know... is that I am pretty sure Daddy has come back from the dead and is right here with me... I don't really believe in reincarnation... or people coming back from the dead... but Ben couldn't be any more like Daddy if he tried.... 

I hope I don't lose my job posting this picture... YES... IT WAS IN THE YEARBOOK... but that's Daddy... front row... second from right... grinning... devilish grin... that I see every day in my house... literally... that is like a duplicate of Ben when he is doing everything he can to drive me nuts!  I showed this to Ben and he didn't notice Daddy's hands... but after he did... I could see the wheels spinning... I pray he doesn't do this in a group picture... and I am pretty sure Daddy started smoking at 14... I'm praying for that not to happen too! 

This has been a big week for Ben... while he didn't shoot what he wanted to this weekend in the tournament... my goal for him wasn't to be last place... and he met that goal!  We are thankful he was in the middle of the pack... I'm not the parent that pushes him to win anything... I want him to always love golf... I love being on the course to follow him around... it reminds me so much of Daddy... The video above shows something that Daddy would have loved and probably been a little jealous of... Ben was invited by friends to play at Sage Valley Golf Course in Aiken yesterday... and he got there by helicopter.  I'm thinking that was a sign from Daddy for his birthday... a once in lifetime opportunity... Daddy wasn't too big on school, so he would have been approving this without even thinking!  He would have taken the entire week off to prepare and rest from the trip! 

Daddy is on the far right in this picture... I'm sure he was receiving some kind of basketball award... and this week happened to be Ben's last week of Fall Ball... while we only won one game all season... Ben ran up and down the court like he was winning.... his attitude was wonderful... except one night when a boy called him a really ugly name and he balled his fist up (looked just like Guille when he did) .... He played his best game this week... I don't know how many points he scored... I don't keep up with that... but I know he scored multiple times!  Daddy loved basketball... and he loved to watch his grandsons play any sport. 

This picture is one I had never seen... that is Ben... I mean Daddy standing on the left... on the floor facing the camera... it's all Ben... right up in the middle of a bunch of girls... older girls... and grinning like he  might be doing something he shouldn't.   Ben has always had a girlfriend... sometimes more than one when he was real little... but lately... he doesn't seem to share that information with me... I have a cutie picked out for him, but he is so hard-headed... and of course I know all about not liking who my parents picked out!  As we ride to school each day, we call Mama and talk to her, he has started reading a devotion for us, and then the last few minutes I get to pick on him about who he is Snapping or talking to on Instagram... it drives him crazy... and he is such a smart aleck... just like Daddy... if Daddy didn't want you to know something... you wouldn't get it out of him... but just like Ben... if he had a little piece of gossip... he would tell it in a minute.  I miss Daddy's daily phone calls to me at lunch telling me what he knew... but Ben catching me up on the latest in middle school is filling in that void...

And this picture... it's one of my favorites too... it has three men in it that I've had the opportunity to love.... and all three loved me unconditionally and most importantly, loved Ben... I'd like to think that Ben is graced with a little of all three of them... Bobby's smarts, Jennings's political views, and Daddy's athleticism and personality... and now... his looks.  I look over at Ben every morning in the car and think of Daddy... I see a smaller version of him... and I smile... he'd be so proud of Ben actually listening to the news and being able to talk a little bit about what is going on in the world... I'm sure he is going to be just like me keeping a news channel on all the time now! I learned that from Daddy!

So on Daddy's birthday... I choose happiness... happiness for where we are... happiness for the memories... happiness for the little boy growing into a man right before my eyes that is just like Daddy... and happiness to know that he would be so proud of KB, Ben, Mark, and me! 

He would probably do a little better at getting KB to share with him about recruits at Clemson that she is privy to than what we have done, and he would love to tell people all about the opportunity she has been a part of for Clemson.. he would have loved when I called him this week to tell him Mark was being ordained as a deacon... "the heck you say" would have been his response... he would have wanted to know how Ben played in golf, and be mad I didn't keep up with the points he scored in basketball.... and I'm not real sure proud is the word for me  right now, but I'd like to think that he was extremely glad that I'm trying not to sit around and sulk that he is gone...

I remember him numerous times throughout the day... when I see an old man hobbling around... I giggle and shouldn't... I remember him when I see a red bird... they are in abundance on the golf course as I'm walking... and I remember him when I see salt all over the counter... that Ben has left... when Mark burps loud I think of Daddy... and when I cook food on Saturdays during football season I think of him...

I miss you Butchie... I'm so glad that I have Ben to remind me of you every day... I'm not real sure I deserve to have him acting like you did though... but I'll take it!  We all miss you and talk about you all the time!  You'd be so happy to know that Mama has been going to the chiropractor... she is hurting all over and we are all telling her "just get up and move and you'll feel better"... and she is burning that road up to Augusta to doctors' appointments!  If I didn't see so much of you in Ben, I'd swear you were haunting her!  HA!  I'm thrilled to have so many memories of you... so many memories that allow you to live on forever in our hearts and minds... and I'm so thankful that for the special bond I got to have with you.  I try not to brag too much... but I know you loved me better than anyone else!  I'm sure of that...and for that reason... I have a peace knowing you are like an angel watching over me always.  Love, Buh!

Georgia Southern vs. Clemson

 These boys were happy to meet up even though they were pulling for the opposite teams. 

 I'm not real sure what the temperature was in Death Valley today, but it was H O T in our seats... almost as hot as the Furman game, but not quite! 

 Forest and Forest Jr. watching the game.... We were all saying a little prayer that Mitch would get in for the Georgia Southern side! 

 After the game, we were able to meet up with Sis.  She had to work before the game, so we didn't get to see her until it was over... and when she saw what Jane had on... she was shocked!

 These two are wondering if she really knows was GATA means... HA!  She says she did... the lady sitting beside me wanted to know about "that lady" with the shirt on....

 Cousins representing their schools...

 Jane and four of her grands!

 Daddy always said that Mark had one thing wrong with him... "He went to Clemson"... but today, I think he was probably smiling pretty big watching his two grandchildren cheer on their schools they are attending... and for the rest of sitting through that entire game in the heat and pulling for our teams!   

 Three generations... I am getting shorter and fatter! 

 My Sis... I'm so happy for her.  I love her smile... and no tears! 

 She still loves her "Jane" even though she had on the wrong shirt! 

 And of course... these two have to spend a little time together...

 And we had to stop at our favorite place on the way home... Smokin Pig didn't disappoint! 

 The Mattisons in the top, top deck!  I think they liked it though! 

We left her in Clemson this weekend.... I think she might have had a tear... but no one saw it but me... or maybe she didn't... and I just wanted her to cry... she is adjusting so well.... I'm thankful for the memories we are making! 

It's only 7 here... I've had my bath... in my jamas... watching football... and STILL waiting on Flo to get to us.  I'm looking forward to my Sunday afternoon nap tomorrow... I haven't had one in several weeks.... praying for no power loss... and the water to stay in the creek!