Riverbend Ramblings

Labels: Daily Life, Family Life, Special Days, The Kiddos, Travel

Labels: Family Life, Weekly Photo Challenge

Labels: Family Life, Special Days

Labels: Church Family, Family Life, Special Days

Steven turned 40 on Friday the 13th. We celebrated as a family by going out to supper at an amazing Brazilian steakhouse in Orlando where the servers bring platter after platter of lamb, fillet, sirloin, prime rib-- you name it-- to your table. There is also a sixty item buffet with everything from imported olives to goat cheese to lobster bisque. I think Case at twice the meat as the rest of us combined. You know how teenage boys are. I wish I would have taken a picture of his plate. We had a great time together. Steven's big gift from me was a beautiful Mont Blanc pen. The kids gave him an iTunes gift card and a ton of his favorite snacks.

Our church family had a fellowship for Steven's birthday after the Sunday evening service with food and a delicious cake. I think he had the best best birthday ever, and he was told by a few men that life gets even better after 40. Happy Birthday to my handsome man!

 

Labels: Family Life, Special Days

Last Friday after school Hope begged to bring the class pet home for the weekend. I was hesitant to agree, but her teacher insisted that there was no way on earth we could possibly kill a betta fish. So, "Gilly" the betta fish spent the weekend at our house.

How hard could it possibly be to take care Gilly? All we had to do was leave him in his bowl on the kitchen counter and feed him three pellets of betta fish food each day. Sounds easy enough, right?

All was well until we got home from church Sunday night. I glanced at Gilly as I passed through the kitchen and noticed that he was perfectly still and floating on top of the water. I don't know much about fish, but I do know that when they are floating on top of the water, it is a very bad thing.

I frantically texted Hope's teacher and informed her that Gilly would not be returning to school. I was worried that maybe Hope's teacher had a sentimental attachment to Gilly, but she wasn't upset, just amazed that we had somehow managed to kill a pet fish in just forty-eight hours. Hope was worried that the kids in her sixth grade class would call her "fish-killer", but her teacher promised to help keep Gilly's demise a secret.

Steven drove to the pet store as soon as it opened this morning and purchased a replacement fish that was as close to Gilly's dark blue with green coloring as he could find. Then he drove to another pet store just to make sure that he had one that looked as much like Gilly as possible. (Isn't he awesome?) He felt pretty good about the fish he had purchased, so he headed to the school to drop off the *new* Gilly. Hope's classmates just thought that Gilly came to school late and didn't notice anything was different.

So, everything turned out fine in the end, though I don't think Hope will be bringing the class pet home again any time soon.

 

Labels: Family Life, Pets, The Kiddos

We've been staying at a resort at Pensacola Beach this week. It's the most beautiful, relaxing spot. I'm missing the rest of our family like crazy. Steven and I haven't spent this long apart since we started dating twenty years ago. I can't wait to see him (and Case) again in just a few more days. In the meantime, the girls and I will soak up a little more sun and surf.

 

Labels: Family Life, Fun Stuff, The Kiddos, Travel

I mentioned in my last post that I had some trouble getting our reservation confirmed prior to our arrival at the resort we were staying at for the first week of our trip. Thankfully, our check-in was smooth, and we were soon unpacked and ready to relax. We were very pleased with our condo unit, and Hope and Bryn were super excited about the bunk beds. I thought that was funny since they sleep in bunk beds all the time. I guess it's the novelty of sleeping in bunk beds on vacation.

Apparently the Panama City Beach area had rain for the two weeks prior to our visit. In fact, one of the resort staff members said that they had over 20 inches in 72 hours last week. Some of the streets were closed due to flooding. It rained the first day we were here, but it's been mostly sunny since then. We found a good church to attend on Sunday and spent some time at the pool relaxing that afternoon. It was overcast, but Shay and I were still able to take a walk on the beach. She wanted to enjoy it as long as possible since it was the last day she would be with us.

Monday we drove about 2 hours west to Pensacola. Shay is attending a two week music camp at Pensacola Christian College. She's had a goal for several months to attend the camp and worked really hard on the piano this year. She received the highest score at a huge competition back in April and was awarded a scholarship. The scholarship didn't cover the entire cost of music camp, but it was still a help. Shay is having a great time at camp. Her days are crammed full of music lessons and classes in hymn play, theory, music appreciation, performance, and chamber music. She's in the choir as well and has two practices for that each day. She has been placed in a chamber duet and is also accompanying for a strings group. She's preparing for a recital and concert at the end of camp. It's exhausting, but she's in her element and having a fantastic time. She's also getting her first taste of college campus life. Good stuff.

My mom and I drove back to Panama City Beach with the little girls late Monday, and we've spent the last few days relaxing. I could get used to this.

 

Labels: Family Life, The Kiddos, Travel

 

Labels: Family Life, Friday's Favorites

I was a bad mom on Father' Day. I completely forgot to take pictures of the kids with their dad and his dad. I actually did remember, but it was in the middle of the 11:00 service while my husband was preaching. Not such a good time for a photo op, and then it never crossed my mind again.

We did something special this year at our church to honor dads. Each person was asked to bring a picture of their dad to display on the walls around the back of the auditorium. It was so much fun to look at all of the pictures and try to figure out who was related to whom. Here are a couple of the displays along with some grainy copies of the pictures I put up.

This is my dad holding me when I was a chubby little baby. I've always called him Papa. He's 79 years old now and lives in northern Florida. The kids and I got to talk with him on the phone on Father's Day.

My Grandpa Smith (my dad's dad) passed away a few months after I graduated high school. I spent a lot of time with him during my teenage years. He would let me drive his Jeep around the pasture while he put out hay for the cows. This picture was taken in front of the cow pens on our property. (Where is my shirt??!!) He was a sweet, sweet man.

My Grandad Hartt (my mom's dad) battled cancer and passed away in 1983 when I was seven. He trusted Christ as his Saviour not too long before that. I wasn't around him very often, but I remember watching wrestling or boxing on T.V. with him when we would visit him.

I don't think that most dads get the same attention showered on them for Father's Day that we ladies get on Mother's Day. I have to admit that I am guilty in this area and need to do a better job letting our family's special men know how much we love and appreciate them. I am very thankful for the great men who have had an influence on my life, and my kids are blessed to have a dad who loves them and takes such good care of them.
June 2012

Labels: Church Family, Family Life, Special Days

Last weekend our family traveled back to our "old" church in Eatonton, Georgia, to be part of its 25th Anniversary service. This was such an exciting trip for us, especially for the kids since it had been almost three years since our last visit. We had such a good time visiting with all of our friends at Grace Baptist, and we're thrilled with what the Lord is continuing to there through their faithfulness.
I sure do miss the beautiful views of the land and Lake Oconee.



The current pastor and the three previous pastors (including my hubby) all had a part in the service. The auditorium's renovation was recently completed, and I loved the new look!

Evangelist Kurt LeBouve sang several songs and preached the afternoon service. He and Mrs. Dale are such sweet people! I heard a little rumor that they just might be with us next month at our church.

This is what the kids looked like when we moved back to Florida in 2008.
And just look at them now!

Labels: Family Life, Special Days, The Kiddos

The kids have made through their first week back to school. Bryn is now in third grade, Hope is in fifth, Case is in seventh, and Shay is a freshman (or freshWOMAN) in high school!!! My, how the time is flyin' by! Just look at this picture from the first day of school five years ago. Makes me want to cry!

Labels: Family Life, Special Days, The Kiddos

Bookworm treated her little sisters to a "Spa Day" complete with bubble baths, fuzzy bathrobes, and new hairdos. They really enjoyed being pampered.

Labels: Family Life, The Kiddos

Siesta Key

It's been a little while since I've posted, so I thought I'd give a quick update. We've had a great summer. The kids have enjoyed staying up late and sleeping in. They all went to our church's summer camp out in the woods. We spent the most relaxing week ever at a condo on the Gulf coast. I could have stayed there forever.

I think my friends up north have over a month left of summer break. We start back to school on August 20, so the kids have just over two weeks left to be lazy. I actually won't be going back to school with them. I officially hung up my principal hat at the end of July. I'm sure I'll still have plenty to keep me busy, but I am looking forward to the change of pace.

There are some really good back-to-school sales right now during Florida's tax-free weekend on clothes and shoes. I have some $10 off coupons for Ko*hl's and hope to find the tennis shoes for all of the kids there. Wish me luck!

Labels: Daily Life, Family Life, This N That

Labels: Family Life

Just a quick post to let you know that all is well at our house. We've been staying busy with school, church, and various activities.

Bookworm is captain of the J.V. cheerleading squad, and Mickey plays guard on his Pop Warner football team. Curly Girl and Bookworm both take piano lessons, and Lil Nut will be joining them soon. I think we're going to need another piano in the house to accommodate the many hours they each spend practicing each week.

We've had a number of visitors at our church recently. It's always encouraging to see new faces! Yesterday morning a visiting family filled the pew in front of me. I was able to spend a few minutes talking to the lady after the service. It turns out that her two teenaged girls who ride one of our buses to church each week recently trusted Christ as their Saviour and were both baptized yesterday. The whole family came to church to see them get baptized! Hopefully the parents will come back again next Sunday.

Now that we're a month into the school year things are more manageable for me, but the month of August was just absolutely insane! There were some nights right before school started that I was in my office until 10:00! Thankfully, I have a very understanding husband who honestly never complains. I don't know what I would do without him! Hopefully I'll never have to find out.

Well, that's my update for now. Happy fall, y'all! Maybe I'll get around to posting again next month. You never know; one day at a time.

Labels: Church Family, Family Life, The Kiddos

Shay ~ 8th grade
Case ~ 6th grade
Hope ~ 4th grade
Bryn ~ 2nd grade

Labels: Family Life, Special Days, The Kiddos