Camp Victory

This weekend Veronica is at camp Victory with the high school youth group. I am sure that she is having fun. I took some pictures of the camp, but they are a little "grey". It was dusk and cloudy. The camp is so beautiful. They have completely renovated the whole camp. I could move out there it is so nice.

These are some of the cabins. They even have heated floors!!

This is the drive up to the cabins or back down to the lodge. Doesn't seem very big until you have to hike back up it.The view from behind the cabins.

This is the side of the lodge.

The fence running behind the cabins.

Random Pics of the kids

Veronica

VeronicaVeronica and Emily at the big John Marshall vs. Century game. V goes to Century.

Hunt Cole, Hunt and Phil. Phil is a youth leader at CCC
Phil and Cole. Cole actually looks scared.
V-Ray
V dressed up like the boy with the tuba during homecoming week.

Little Drummer Boy

I can't really call him that anymore. He is now drummer, acoustic and electric guitar, and goofing around with the bass guitar boy. Hunter is really growing up to be a musician like his dad, which makes me very proud of him. I can barely play the radio.

Since we have returned to Rochester, Hunter has made the Youth Group Worship Team, Last in Line. He wasn't sure that he was going to make it since he is in 8th grade, but was very excited when he got the news. He gets to play two or three weekends a month. The weekend of November 2nd Last In Line is playing in the main sanctuary. We aren't sure if Hunter is going to get to play in there, but I sure do hope do. That would be fun. If he does I will be sure to take a video.

Welcome to the Jungle!!

I feel so bad that Ronnie's birthday was spent the way it was. He was so great to get tickets to a Twins game (they were free which made it even better) for my birthday. All he got was yard work.

This was our back yard before Ronnie got a hold of it.Cole up on the hill in our back yard. This is where all the deer walk through. It was really pretty in the spring when all the wild flowers were in bloom.
Cole coming down the stairs. You couldn't walk up and down these before. There were vines growing all over them.
Ronnie...the manly man. He pulled and cut all the weeds, vines and little tress off of the wall.
Ronnie did all of this on his birthday. We still have a lot to go, but boy does it look a lot better.
Ronnie enjoying the fire. Cole is up on the hill.
Making sure he doesn't burn the house down. :)
I am sorry, Hunky, that you worked on the yard for you birthday. Thank you very much for sacrificing your day to do it. I really do appreciate it.

I Filled Up Today!

My gas light came on this morning letting me know that it was time to fill up for the next two weeks. I hate spending $55.00 each time I need to fill up. Even though it will last me two weeks (as long as I stay in town) it is still way to much to spend.

To my surprise the gas prices had gone down. I was very happy to see that the price had dipped below $3.00. I even took a picture as proof.

When we were moving from Kentucky to Minnesota 5 years ago someone told me that our gas prices would always be so much higher than the prices in Kentucky. I have to say that we have always been below the national average, and now we seem to be WAY below. Something else we were told was that our cars would freeze and not start. That is something else that hasn't happened. We asked around and found out that you need to keep at least 1/2 a tank of gas in your car at all times so that the gas doesn't freeze.

Well that is all for now. I have lots of pictures to share about 1) Hunter playing with the worship team 2) the retreat Hunter went on 3) Ronnie's birthday day and a couple of other things. I will try to get that done this week.

Happy Birthday, Ronnie!!

Today is Ronnie's birthday! I hope that it is very special. We love you very much!

Calling all Doctors!

I know that my doctor friends can’t give me a diagnosis over the Internet, but I am hoping you can tell me whether or not I should see my doctor about this. I can’t afford to just run to the doctor every time I “think” something is wrong.

The other day I was lying in bed watching TV. As I was lying there it was as if someone pulled a dark grey window shade over my left eye. You know that kind that you pull down at the bottom and when you want them to go back up you gust pull down and then let go and they roll back up. It was like that. I closed my left eye and could see out of my right eye perfectly. I closed my right eye and couldn’t see a thing. It was completely dark. I was blind in the left eye. This lasted for about 10 minutes and then the shade was lifted and I could see again.

So can anyone answer my question? Should I go to the doctor or was another part of my body just being freaky like other parts of my body (and brain)? If you think you know what caused this feel free to let me know. Did I have a mini-stroke? Did I strain my eye some how? Am I just falling apart? Or is it all of the above?

Thanks in advance to those who feel like weighing in.

Tagged - I'm It

I was tagged…TWICE! What is up with that? I am not that interesting, people. Here goes anyway.

Attached or Single? Attached to Ron. It will be 17 years in November.

Best Friend? My husband!!

Cake or Pie? Pie..cake…pie…cake…I can’t decide.

Day of Choice? Saturdays.

Essential Item? A book. I love to read.

Flavor of Ice Cream? Vanilla, chocolate chip or Moose Tracks.

Gummy Bears or Worms? Gummy Bears!!

Hometown? I have moved so much that I don’t really have one main place, but I consider North Myrtle Beach, SC to be my hometown.

Indulgences? A new book.

January or July? January

Kids? We have 4 kids…English (20), Veronica (16), Hunter (13) and Cole (9).

Last Movie I saw in a Theater? I went to a movie with English while she was here, but I don’t remember the name of it.

Middle Name? Edwards…Mom! Why would you give your daughter a middle name like this? Not that yours is any better.

Number of Siblings? My mom saw me when I was born and said, “Please no more!!” I am an only child.

Oranges or Apples? Apples

Phobia or Fear? Which one do you want to know about? I don’t like spiders or snakes and I just found out that I get creeped out by drains in the floor or shower.

Quote? Call unto me and I will tell you great and mighty things that you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3

Reason to Smile? Listening to my children laugh makes me smile.

Season? Late fall and winter.

Tag five more: I am sorry ladies… I tag Jenny M., Kristi E., Missy E., Sarah C., and Jen E.

Unknown Fact About Me? I am an open book so I don’t know if there is a little known fact about me. I didn’t go to college.

Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals? Give me a steak!

Worst Habit? Being lazy.

Xrays or Ultrasounds? Ultrasounds. You can see stuff moving around on an ultrasound.

Your favorite Food? Steak and sushi/sashimi

Zodiac? Leo

Stride for Fitness

Tomorrow I have to get up at 3:30 a.m. to go help set up and register people for the Stride for Fitness run (5 and 10K) and walk. Olmsted Medical Center has had this event for 26 years, and I am excited that I get to help out with it. I won’t be walking or running, but I will be there.

Today we had a final planning meeting for volunteers and I got two movie theater tickets, a long sleeve t-shirt, and a couple of other things. It was nice to get a few goodies for volunteering. Ronnie and I will have to have a date now and go to the movies. Too bad they didn’t give us a gift certificate to a resturant, too. :)

If you would like to participate come to the OMC Physical Therapy, which is on the corner of Broadway and Elton Hills. It is right down from Dunn Bros. Coffee. Registration begins around 7:00 (I think). Call OMC 288-3443 for more or better information.

Hope to see some of you there.

Laughing vs. Not Laughing

Laughing vs. not laughing. Some things aren’t making me laugh right now, but I really do love to laugh.

For instance…last night I was dropping Hunter off at church for worship practice. (He gets to play drums with Ronnie and the Singles Ministry worship team Sunday night. Very cool!) I had Smalls with me and decided to walk him around the outside of the church so that he could take care of business. As we were walking along a huge toad jumped and startled Smalls. Smalls jumped back and then promptly pounced on the toad. All I said was, “No! You lick my face! You can’t eat the toad!” I grabbed him up and he was really wiggling to get out of my arms and back to that toad. Something so simple as that really made me laugh.

What doesn’t make me laugh is our upcoming schedule for each night of the week.

Monday – Ronnie and I are home.
Tuesday – Ronnie singles worship team practice, every other Tuesday for Ebby is Teen MOPS
Wednesday – Ebby and Cole have AWANA’s and Hunter and Veronica youth group
Thursday – Ronnie and I are home.
Friday – Ronnie worship for Celebrate Recovery
Saturday – Ronnie worship practice and then church
Sunday – Ronnie church in the morning and then singles ministry in the evening.

We are only home together two nights out of the week. Throw in Veronica’s work schedule and it is going to be crazy.

Something that made me smile today is the gift card I got for Home Depot from my friend Missy. (Thanks again!!) I am in the process of a couple of projects around the house and this will really come in handy. The first project is making our dining room table. I have it all planned out and now I just need the supplies.

Something that didn’t make me smile today was realizing that I might be doing some damage with Veronica. I am told all the time (with or without her around) how beautiful she is. People come and seek me out to let me know that they saw her and how beautiful she is and that we look alike (I am not in any way trying to say that people think I am beautiful!!). My response is usually along the lines of “Oh, thank you. She looks just like my mother-in-law who is so beautiful. If she were standing here you would actually think she looks just like her.”

The damage I think that I have done is projecting to Veronica that I don’t think that we look alike or that I don’t want us to look alike. I myself think Veronica is beautiful (actually I think all my children are beautiful) and that she gets her good looks from her grandmother. The dark hair and eyes along with the darker complexion comes from Ronnie’s side of the family. My side is lighter eyes and a complexion that tans easily, but is lighter. I have to quit saying this and just stick with “Thank you”.

Something else that made me laugh this week was Ronnie planning a date for us tonight. Going so far as getting tickets to a play that a friend is in and seeing if we could swing dinner. Two nights ago he was on the phone with another friend, Jennifer, when he realized that he is part of the worship team tonight for the Women’s’ Ministry fall kick off. There is a national speaker coming in from Proverbs 31 Ministry. I am thinking that we can’t be in two places at once. Seeing as how worship is part of his job I said that I would help out tonight at church and we will just forgo the play. It just made me smile that he forgot about his work needs in all the excitement of dating me tonight. :)

Something else that doesn’t make me smile or laugh…when pregnant women come up to my desk and let out one of those “silent but deadly” farts. They won’t look at me and then slink away leaving the smell behind. Please don’t come up to my desk and fart. Go to another desk and leave it with them. That would make me laugh out loud.

One more thing that doesn’t make me laugh or smile. I have to get a part-time job. That doesn’t make me smile at all, but it is necessary for a while. Thankfully Ronnie has a willing wife and not one that doesn’t want to pitch in. I would much rather be the unwilling wife who insists on staying home and being a housewife. That would make me smile.