Symphony in Flint Hills

The day did not begin to well ... monsoon weather! But the will to "do" took over and we sailed down the highway to Bazaar, Kansas! I think the guys got totally soaked loading the car. Sorry guys. You Rock! (PS I think this is the dust storm close to the site rather than the rain-sorry) but it could of been rain!

As you can see, the Hills were beautiful ... we had a soft breeze the evening ... it was a little cloudy but otherwise a beautiful evening to be sitting on the hillside listening to the Kansas City Symphony (KC Missouri) play and watching the cowboys and cattle. Lyle Lovett sang several songs to go along with the environment.

We had as our host (the Symphony was her idea) Debbie & Len. Howard and Cookie along with Vaughn and myself went along I think for laughs. There were a lot of laughs, fun and barbecue. Sunday morning we had breakfast at a little eating establishment in Burlingham ... the cinnamon rolls were awesome!

The crowd had about 5,000 people. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits. The only setback ... ok there were two ...the first was the governor of Kansas ... he began this wonderful greeting and welcome to the Flint Hills then began slamming on his Missouri neighbors. Really no call for that sort of behavior. His Mother would of been totally embarrassed with the remarks he made. The other problem was the two hours it took to get out of the parking field (field).

We all survived and I think it would be a nice tradition to open the summer with. Apparently this was the fifth year for the Symphony and they use a different "pasture" each year.

Visit from Nancy

Nancy came up for a wedding and we had a great time visiting. She is so special to me. Thank you Jim for letting her come and thank you Paula for sharing her the day with us. Pictured is, of course, Nancy and I ... the other picture is Nancy with Debbie and then Koen ... one of our favorite students (of which there are MANY) is with us too. It was a beautiful weekend. God is sooo good.

Her children arise and call her blessed. Proverbs 31:28

Special weekend for us ... Jerry and I were in town ... helped Mother exercise, took her to get her picture taken for the church directory and we had tacos (her favorite fast food) ... ok she likes Steakn'Shake too.

Linda was out of town visiting her daughter, Annie. It had been a long time since their last visit. They had a wonderful time eating out, staying in a nice hotel, and going to the theatre to watch black n white old movies. All in all they had a good time too. We missed them a lot. Don't know why I didn't get any pictures while we were dressed up for church. Silly me. We truly are blessed to have a wonderful family and a blessed Mother.

Mothers Day

Some of the beautiful flowers in Mother's Garden

Another Sad Day

Yes, my last "Boss" is leaving. Wednesday will be Brett's last day at FBC Raytown as the Student Minister. It seems like an era is gone ... he and Ryan were such a fantastic team. They complimented each other so well. The students loved them unconditionally. I was just beginning to get acquainted with Tyler and Graham. They are amazing children who are a blessing to all. Of course, there is Amy ... the super Mom.
I know their ministry in Augusta (Georgia) will be exciting and awesome. They will certainly be an awesome addition to the staff/team there. May God bless you and your family, Brett, as you seek God's will in Georgia.

Chase's 4th Birthday!

Last Saturday we celeberated the 4th Birthday for Chase. Chase is the son of Angie who is the daughter of Jerry who is my Brother and the son of my precious Mother.

Mother had been home from rehab for one week. She is amazing and doing wonderful! Praising the Lord for His mercy and grace.

Here he is with Aunt Linda. She is the guiding force for the family. She brought the cake, his gift and lots of love and hugs.

Love his new haircut ... short for summer. He seems to like it too which helps.

Robert came too ... Linda's husband ... but avoided the camera. Thank you Uncle Robert for coming to the party. We enjoyed having him too!

Here is PaPa and Judy. Judy was busy from the moment she walked in ... she "volunteered" to fix the phone to say that the mailbox was full ... Mother did not pick up how to find the messages and was frustrating for people who called and left messages. Then she figured out how to put batteries in the Thomas Train that Chase got. Putting batteries in toys is a lot more complicated since some children would swallow them (the batteries)... so that was a good thing. Judy is a blessing to us all.

Of course could not leave out Angie ... the mother of Chase. She has done a good thing with Chase ... taking him to church and teaching him about Jesus. He's enrolled in a Christian School for next Fall. She has had her goals and is meeting them.

Waking up this morning I thought of how wonderful of a husband I have been blessed with. Last night he took me to the Mall ... which he tries to avoid like the plague ... and waited for sometime for me to exchange some clothes. This took more time than he thought because I of course, had to try on other clothing. The skies were very gray and angry with anticipated strong storms headed our way. After the Mall he took me to Penny's which took more time, for me to pick out some really nice house dresses for Mother for when she goes home. He was very thoughtful and didn't complain ... too much. Of course we had Molly with us and the ladies in the shop took out the Topsy's popcorn to him...guess he was directly in front of the store waiting! After the popcorn and the lady telling him I may be awhile, he moved.

My prayer today is to remember to build Vaughn up as it says in 1 Thess 5:11 which says ..."So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing."