Another Fun Weekend

This has been another good weekend for us. Hunter and Veronica were both invited over to friends houses to stay over Friday night. Cole and I went over to my moms house to eat and hang out. My mom did my hair and no it is not blue. It actually turned out really nice.

On Saturday Ronnie and Cole went to the local Aquarium for the afternoon. They also went grocery shopping for me. I hung around the house doing some chores. Hunter was again invited over to another friend's house for the night last night. The rest of us just hung around the house for the evening.

Today Ronnie's Uncle Frank and Aunt Rhonda come into town. They live in the Seattle, Washington area. They are in South Carolina because their daughter graduated from Army basic training. They then drove her to her tech school up in Virginia and are stopping by here for a couple of days. I am so excited that they decided to make Myrtle Beach part of their trip. We don't get to see them very often...maybe once every two or three years...if that often. It will be good to see them.

We are so proud of Jenna. Ronnie and I love the military. As a matter of fact he tried to go back in two years ago. I was very sad that they rejected him (due to having only one kidney). I think everyone knows that our daughter, English, is in the Air Force and we are very proud of her as well. She is at the Defense Language Institute studying Korean.

Now please don't leave comments about the war, President Bush, or any other anti-military statement. I am not saying that I agree/disagree with our government or what is going on in the world. The reason that I love the military is the opportunity it gives young people that may or may not know what they want to do when they grow up. It offers them free training and skills that they might not have ever been able to afford or have gotten. The benefits are amazing. If you do it right you can come out of the military and be offered numerous jobs. Ronnie has gotten two jobs that I know of just because he was in the Army. I just offers great opportunities to people.

Well, I must go get ready for family to come into town. This is going to be fun!

Ebby Ray

Cole and Hunter

It has really been fun living near Grandparents. I wish that we could live by them all, but California and South Carolina are a little to far apart. I am grateful though that Ronnie's mom is able to travel and was just able to come and visit us. We don't get to go places very often because of how expensive it is for our family to fly.

Anyway...yesterday was Grandparents Day at Cole's school. He invited my mom and dad to come and have lunch with him. They went and ate with him and said that the food was actually good. There wasn't much else going on except for lunch, but it was the first time one of the kids were able to have grandparents come to school for Grandparents Day. It was great.

Then last night my mom, Cole, Veronica and I went to the middle school football game to listen to Hunter play with the band. My mom seemed to have a great time cheering for the football team as one of her friend's grandson was an offensive lineman. I got to see Hunter play and I must say the band was pretty good. The drums weren't all mushy as some drum lines can be (can you tell that Ronnie has rubbed off on me?) I was very impressed and it was a good night.

We are supposed to get some bad storms today. We will get all the ones that tore through the central states yesterday. My friend Wendi has a tornado come through her part of Florida. I don't ever remember having tornados this close to the coast, but that doesn't mean that it hasn't happened or won't happen.

Well have a great day everyone!

Ebby Ray

Light and Dark

WARNING: Ron Ray story ahead. This could get lengthy.

I worked the Blues Traveler show at HOB last night. It was a really good show. The songs were great. The crowd was mellow. All of the security and servers were in a great mood. Overall it was a great show.

Musically speaking, it was one of the most talented bands to come through since I have worked there. It was very impressive. I actually got to kind of watch the whole show.

I was at a position called "Green Room Right." At this position, you control the flow of who goes backstage. Only people with special wrist bands get to go backstage. Mostly band members and tour managers. Usually no groupies. So it is not really a hard position. You get some curious people but not very many. Because it is kind of a slow position, you can really interact with the guest who are seated on stools nearby. Last night I was cutting up with some firemen who had traveled from Wilmington (one hour north). Toward the end of the show, since they were so cool, I got them some pricier seats in the reserved section that had not been sold. They had a good time.

After the show we did our usual pre-clean up activities. There were several people lingering nearby in the upstairs bar. When you work Green Room Right you cannot leave the position until every single person is gone from the upstairs section. So I stayed put.

About 10 minutes after the band was done, the tour manager came out and asked if we could leave the upstairs bar open because the band wanted to come out and have some drinks. Nick, my manager, said, "Sure!"

I have mixed feelings because it was a late show to begin with. It is 12:30 already and I am ready to go home. BUT...I may get to meet the band, which ,believe it or not, is unusual.

I did get to meet the band...45 minutes later when they were done drinking and completely hammered. Not pretty. They were also enjoying the company of some very intoxicated ladies. Also not pretty.

All of the awesome notes that they had played earlier were starting to get sour. And it got worse.

After they were done drinking at the bar and making their way back to the green room, one band member--which will remain un-named--looked at me and asked if I knew where they could find some "party favors", and tapped his right nostril. After I gave him my dealer's number, I..............wait for it................ JUST KIDDING!!

Seriously, the guy asked me if I knew where to get him some cocaine. I was mildly shocked. I really have never had to respond to that question or one like it. It's not like responding to, "Dude...what time is it?" Or maybe,"Hey man, where's the bathroom?" Or, "How do I get to the beach from here?" So, I just shook my head and said, "Man, I have no idea." They thanked me, shook my hand, and were on their way.

Once they were gone, I was able to leave my post. I went downstairs and told my manager what had just happened. He just shook his head and told me that the lady on "un-named band member's" arm--who he escorted backstage--was also a married woman. Unreal.

Seeing people at their best and at their worst all in one night was really epic and visceral to me. It stirred up some emotions deep inside of me. The battle between good and evil was playing out right in front of my eyes.

The whole thing just got me thinking about light and darkness, and the consequences of sin, and how if the Lord hadn't rescued me from sin and darkness that same scene could have played out in my life. At first I was judging all of the characters in that story. Thinking to myself, "How could they be so sinful?!" Then it's like the Lord whispered to my heart, "You are a sinner too. But I saved you from that darkness." Immediately my heart turned from judgement to pity for them. Because they are lost in their sin right now...like I was.

The whole situation made me glad that I have found The Light . It also affirmed to me that I don't want to live outside of that Light. I don't want to live in darkness. I want to do what's right, because it's right. I want to live in a way that directs glory and honor toward the Lord. I want to be light in this dark world.

Now it's Ebby's turn!

I realized a few years ago something that truly set me free. I learned that not everyone CAN like me. Just the same for me...I CAN'T like everyone. Too many personalities! Everyone is just so different that there is no way that everyone CAN like me. I haven't worried about someone liking me in about 4 years. Now I am still hung up on someone being mad at me. I would much rather someone just come right out and let me know if they are mad at me than walking around on egg shells trying to guess just what in the world I have done to this person. I may not like what I hear, but at least it gives me the opportunity to say I am sorry or to explain my actions.

Next! Why on earth would the media tell women to tweeze their eyebrows all their life, and then let a woman know that at my age (YES I AM 40 AND PROUD OF IT....Wendi) you shouldn't tweeze your eyebrows anymore? Thin eyebrows make you look older, more harsh and angry.

Also, I should be covering my grey with hair color, BUT I should use a lighter color because dark hair color (like my natural color...right now I have some high lights) makes you look older and harsher. Isn't grey a lighter color? Shouldn't I just go ahead and let my grey come on through? OH NO! Grey hair is old, too.

Here is another one. At my age (once again I am 40) I shouldn't let my hair grow past my shoulders....like it is now. Below shoulder length hair is not for women in their 40's. When I reach my 50's I should then cut my hair again and keep it above chin level.

Here is what I am going to do. I am going to tweeze my eyebrows pencil thin. Then I am going to go back to my natural hair color which is very dark brown. While coloring my hair back to it's natural color I am going to NOT color the grey hairs. Then I am going to continue letting my hair grow down to my butt. After I accomplish all of that I am going to see if people like me for it anymore and if they will actually tell me how wrong I am in the world of eyebrows and hair color and length.

That is what I am going to do!

Nothing to Blog About...

As the title implies, I have nothing to blog about today. So I won't go blathering on about nothing.

I hope you have an awesome day. Be thankful and enjoy what you have in front of you. Since I do not have anything to say I will let someone else do the talking for me. Here is a quote:

I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.
Martha Washington (1732 - 1802)

The Anatomy of a Perfect Day.

Here is my idea of a day that is as close to perfect as you can get. Some people may have a different idea of a perfect day, but here is mine.

• No work.
• Sleeping in.
• Near perfect weather. You know, 78 deg., sunny, dry, and no clouds.
• Two cups of coffee.
• Good church service with good worship.
• Picking up something for lunch at the grocery store.
• Dropping the kids off at Grandma's house.
• Driving to The Point at Cherry Grove Beach with my awesome wife.
• Enjoying the company of said wife without interruption for an entire afternoon and a picnic lunch.
• Activities would include: talking, laughing, game of cribbage, walking hand and hand along the beach, wading in the Atlantic Ocean, etc.
• Picking up the kids and hanging out with them for a while.
• Eating dinner at the dining room table with said kids.
• Talking to good friends on the phone.
• Relaxing the rest of the evening until it is time to go to bed.

Crazy thing is...that is the day I had today. Perfect days like this do not come along very often. I was totally soaking up and savoring the whole thing. I am thankful for it. It was awesome.

Fall is finally here!

I think that fall is finally here. The air conditioning is off, the windows are open, and it is nice and crisp in the mornings. Crisp enough for a light jacket. Then the days are beautiful. Just the right temp. Now I could live without snow if everyday had temps and sunshine like yesterday. PERFECT!

There actually hasn't been much going on here at the Ray house. Yesterday I finished painting the second office where I work. Looks so much better with a fresh coat of paint. I did it by myself this time, which wasn't nearly as much fun as when I painted with my mom, but it also took me about five hours. There was so much cutting in. I think that it was worth all the soreness I feel this morning. My kneees are making some crazy noises now. Lots of crackling and other sounds.

After painting Ronnie, Hunter, Cole and I went to the point to take a walk on the beach. Last time it was just Ronnie and I. The boys really seemed to enjoy it up there. They had fun looking at all the hermit crabs. We saw a sand bar that went way out and around a big "pool" so we decided to see if we could make it around by taking the sand bar route. Most of the time the water was at our ankels, but once it got up to our calves (Cole's knees). Probably doesn't sound fun, but it was an adventure for the boys.

The other thing we saw were tons of fishing boats coming in to weigh their catches for the King Maceral fishing contest. They were going so fast up the coast to the jetties and then down the Intracoastal Waterway to the weighin station.

After that we came home, I collapsed, Ronnie went to work at the House of Blues, I made Salmon for dinner and then hit the sack. This morning we are going to church and then packing a picnic lunch. We are going to go eat on the beach up in Ocean Isle Beach in North Carolina, which is only about 20 minutes away. Hopefully it will be a nice relaxing day.

I hope you have a wonderful day, too!
Ebby Ray

It's Going to be a Long One!

Let me whine for just a second. I have to work both pizza and HOB today. It is going to be a long day. Since I slept in this morning from last nights show, I will not see my family all day. Kind of a bummer. There...whining's done. Good thing I like both of my jobs or today could be some kind of evil torture.

On another note, most of you have knowledge of my extreme affinity for all things coffee. I recently found a product at our grocery store that rocked my coffee world. Not because of how innovative and different it is, but because it is so simple, yet so ingenious. We all know about the various flavors of creamer that are out there. For instance there is French Vanilla, Irish Creme, Cinnamon Hazelnut, etc,. Those are all very tasty. But what I found is a carton of Half & Half with the sugar right in it!! INGENIOUS!! I KNOW!! No fancy flavors. Just the cream and the sugar mixed together in ONE container--beautiful.

For those of you coffee drinkers who enjoy your coffee creamy AND sweet, like I do, this is a must-try. It is so yummy! AND you get everything you like in your coffee in one easy step. I am SO excited about this.

Soon I will do a post about coffee. Some things you know and some things you may not know. Be looking for that one.

Have an awesome sweet and creamy day!

Listen...

Everytime I click on our blog and see that picture of Ebby, I think--and sometimes say-- "Man...she is so HOT!!" I love that picture. And the real thing too.

You are SMOKIN' HOT, Lovey!

Here's My Beef

Aren't you all very lucky to have two posts in one day!

Today at the church where I work they had a Red Cross Blood Drive. I talked my boss into going with me to give blood. She said she wasn't going to go due to some bad dizziness she experienced the last couple of times she gave. Anyway, I went over to give blood and it took 1 hour and 15 minutes for them to decide that I couldn't give blood.

The first nurse tried to find a vein on the left arm, then the right arm,and then back to the left arm. No dice. She then called another nurse over to see if she could find one. She tried the left arm, then the right arm, and then back to the left arm. No dice. She then called her supervisor over to see if she could find one. She tried the left arm, then the right arm, and then back to the left arm. On the second try at the left arm she said that she thought she could feel one. She then asked me what I thought. What I thought?? How would I know? I told her to do what ever they wanted. Wrong answer!!

The first nurse marked my arm, swabbed my arm down and put the needle in. Oops...no blood. She called the second nurse over again to see if she could get it in the vein. After a couple of times of moving the needle around in my arm she then called over the third nurse again. The thrid nurse then tried to move it around in my arm to see if she could get it. After all of this she said I can't get it and I promptly asked them to take the needle out. After all of that I had a hard time getting my arm to stop bleeding.

I apologized for wasting all their time, got my cookie and went back to work.

NOW HERE IS MY BEEF: I have a wonderful bruise in the crease of my arm and IT HURTS! I wouldn't mind so much that it hurts if I could have given blood. Then it would have been worth it. All this pain and absolutely no one benefits. I am O+ for pete's sake...anyone could have used my blood.

The little lady asked in the commercial years ago, "Where's the beef"...well lady there it is.