I'm writing in purple today in honor of my daughter, Dana. She turned 27 yesterday, and so today we are doing an "Ode to Dana."

Everyone says their daughter is the best, and I say that about both mine at every chance, but today Dana really is. She has spent her whole life giving me things to smile about, think about, worry about, and dream about.

Her birth was a little scary, and so I think that on top of her being my first, when things settled down and we knew she'd be okay, that just did it for me (and her dad). My labor was eternal, and to help me rest, my doctor ordered Demerol. Well, I got it, but then the shift changed, and another nurse also gave it to me. Needless to say, Dana was really relaxed when she was finally born, and things were touch and go for a while until it all got out of her system. Being the novices we were, we had no idea till later how serious it was.

Well, now she is fine; intelligent, beautiful, complex, wise, caring, loving beyond reason, and fiercely independent. I shiver to even consider ever being that independent even at this seasoned age, yet she thrives upon it. I pale in her dust on just about every realm - I just hope I had a little something to do with how amazing she is.

I know, enough is enough - but looking back over her life, I figure she deserves a little glory, and it IS my blog!

So, here's to Dana's 27th year. Let's hope it has all to goodness of last year's, none of the pain, and more happy memories than she can imagine!

Thanks for listening to a proud mom.

Andy and I feel very strongly about dealing with things up front and honestly. I had to adjust to that, since my nature is to run and hide, especially when things get rough. So, Sunday night, after we'd talked to the kids about my upcoming surgery (Feb. 9 - hysterectomy), we "went down front" and Andy told our church family what is ahead for us. People were curious and asking questions, because they knew I'd had a "procedure" in Dec., and were concerned about the outcome. I'd not had a chance to talk to Dana, Erin and Gregg, so very few people knew what was up.

What struck me about the responses I got were just how very tender my brothers in Christ were. I was hugged and kissed by so many wonderful men, who had tender words of encouragement and love. It was almost more than I could handle - some I expected, but others truly surprised me by their openness. I won't ever forget that.

And then there were the ladies! My goodness, you'd think this was the best thing on earth!! Each one who'd been there was so upbeat and full of good advice, and that was good to hear, too. I really hope they are right; and that I feel better and get a clean bill of health soon.

So now you know, too. I hear I have the best guy in SA doing my surgery, and that his people re-coup faster and more completely than other surgeons. There are things I'm certainly dreading, but overall, I'm optimistic and trusting in the Lord.

I'd appreciate your prayers.

I'm a happy mom - all my kids and the grandpuppy are going to be here to celebrate the 27th anniversary of Dana's birth. We're having friends over, the food will be plentiful, and the games hilarious to behold.

Then, Sunday will be the first luncheon of the "new" eldership and their wives at the Hutton home. I hope it's the first of a tradition to help us bond and grow more in love with each other for the betterment of the congregation.

Well, I'm off to visit with Dana - yippee!!

Cool day in the life of a teacher, today. On Thurs., Andy leaves early to meet up with some of his buds for breakfast, so I just toodle on and treat myself, too. Usually, it's a breakfast combo at Sonic - great bacon- but for some reason today, I went to McDonald's. Drove up, ordered, then went up to the window.

As I sat waiting, I notice someone inside RUNNING over to the window toward me. It was Mario from years gone by; now a man. He had this great big smile on his face, and stuck his hand out the window to shake mine. "How are you?" he asks, as I sit grinning ear to ear. It's such fun to see former students who remember you! We visited just a minute, and I notice he has a string of dollar bills pinned end to end from his pocket. When I ask, he tells me it's his birthday, and before I can stop myself, I ask how old he is. 23 !! He looks just like he did, only a little taller; same goofy smile and twinkly eyes. I added a dollar to his stash, wished him happy birthday, and went off to school.

At 9:40, Jimmy comes in. He's the boy with the cartoon voice I've mentioned before. Well, we start class, and he is on a roll. Soon, he has us all laughing - forget reading, Jimmy's on. He's eating up our giggles, and it just feeds him more. I know, I should've been strict, and kept us on track, but so what?? For today, we had fun. Jimmy left feeling like the next great standup comedian of the world, and the kids and I had our highlight of the day.

This was a good day to be a teacher.

Human relationships are fragile at best. You take people, and you build a relationship with them; open your home and lives and vulnerabilities to them and they to you,and for the most part, it works out just fine. We "fit" together with some people better than others, and we choose to knit out lives together and it enriches our time on this earth. Outside of our families, our friends make everything better.

Then, the breach. The hurt and disappointment of human nature tears those threads all to pieces, and you want to give up on making those bonds again. The one place it can be repaired is in the Church.

Last night, I was watching some people that 10 months ago went through a terrible fracture in their relationships. Not only are they Christian brothers and sister, but long time work associates. The depth of hurt and anger was staggering, and yet now they are talking, hugging, fellowshipping and loving each other again. I know things will never be the same, but I am so glad that they've been able to repair what was broken. All I could think was, "only in the Lord" .
Only in Him could these hearts be mended. I am so glad and greatful that these weak humans allowed it to happen, and I hope they continue on their journey. It's a marvelous example to us all.

Hospital waiting rooms have to be some of the most depressing places on earth. Today, Andy and I were visiting with some friends whose sister was having a procedure done, and as we walked around, we came up on several waiting rooms, each full of family and friends waiting. Some were talking, some in their own world of worry and fear. Some were watching the t.v. that had CNN scrolling the same sound bites every 10 minutes, not even paying attention to it. A few were eating, some read. Not many made eye contact beyond the initial recognition that we were not who they were expecting, then the head went down again.

Once we found our friends, it was chit-chat. We got caught up on what was going on with their sister, and briefly spoke to her husband. I could tell he didn't want to listen to us - he soon went behind the door to see if he could be with his wife. His eyes showed tiredness and worry - eyes that I have seen twinkle in laughter pretty much all my life. That's the look of a hospital waiting room.

It made me aware that people just need someone there to sit and wait with them - to help the long hours pass by until the doctor pops in for two minutes to give you an update. It's not much to do - but so important. I hope we were able to comfort and give a little cheer to my friends today; such a small thing that can mean so much.

"Thy will be done."

So simple to say, and yet so pivotal in our lives. RIght now, it seems like lots of people I know and love are at turning points in their lives, as am I, and I want to pray for them. At 2:30 this morning, as I sat on my bed and listened to Andy sleep, I prayed so specifically for people and circumstances; and when all was said and done, all I could end with was that phrase - "Thy will be done." It seemed to give me peace to just hand it up to the Father, and I lay down and slept the rest of the night full of the knowledge that He IS in control and that all my worries and desires to be the one in control are now in the hands of my God.

Now comes the wait. What will His will be, and how will my loved ones fare in the process? Like the old song we sang on Sunday night says, "There's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey."

A plumber just left my house. One of our showers was busted, and we needed an expert to come and look at it before the kids come next weekend :). So, my being off today was just perfect.

He was here less than an hour, and his labor was $80.00. He fixed my shower, so he did what I needed, but $80.00?!?! I do not begrudge anyone who works hard, and he told me he is about to go out and dig a sewer line in the cold drizzle, but still. I don't earn that an hour and how LONG have I been teaching the youth of America?!? Please - let me rant just a minute.

Well. I feel better; he's a nice young man (boy, that sounds OLD) and I wish him well. I'll get over it. It's a teacher-thing.

Have a good day!

A brother as President? I'm intrigued by Barak Obama. I know, he's a Democrat, but he really has two big things going for him; he's running AGAINST Hillary, and he is a member of the church!! He's someone I plan to learn more about - I'm not above crossing party lines if the guy is right.
Wouldn't it be wonderful to have someone of like mind running the place when Bush is finished with his term? I know, he's young and inexperienced, but you gotta gamble sometime.

I found an article about his spiritual awakening when I googled him today. It's from Time magazine, and I found it pretty interesting.

Of course, I'd vote for Elvis before I voted for Hillary!!

Have a good evening.

Today was a nice, quiet day; naps interspersed with phone calls from my lovely daughters and 4 hours of "24" season premier. No fire - Andy even got the wood out for me last night - but still a lovely day under a light blanket. I don't relish the idea of making the day up, but seeing the ice sculptures on my trees and bushes made up for the cable being out.

I hope everyone was warm and safe; able to stay in and be happy. It does remind us of how lucky we are not to live where this is not months long.

Have a great evening!

This was supposed to be an easy week at school; Monday off for MLK Day, then school 3 days, then Friday off for the county Stock Show. Lots of kids here show animals for scholorship money and it's a big deal around here. Then, the weather changed. Today, we had 178 kids out, and the weather got worse as the day went on. We dismissed early and then came home to wait and see. Now, we find out we will not have school tomorrow. My guess is we will now go back for classes Thursday and Friday.

I already had Friday planned. I was going to head to San Marcos mid-morning and meet up at Dana's school. Have lunch in the cafeteria, meet her co-workers, spend a little time with her kids, and head back. Really was looking forward to the time over there, but now I guess those plans will be delayed. I hope I have another chance before the year is up.

Our oleanders in the back yard look like Donald Trump's bad comb-over! The ice on them has caused part to lay over to the right, and the rest to fall over to the left. Funny what you think of, isn't it??

Andy doesn't have to go in until 9:30, so we're up a little later than usual. He's already brought in wood for a good fire tomorrow, so I"m set. I've got the season premiere (4 hrs.!!) of "24" to watch and bar-be-que chicken strips for lunch, so I"m good to go. I just hope the power stays on!!

Well, stay warm, and drive safely. This global warming weather is pretty dangerous out there!!

So much on my heart today; to talk about it all would take too long and too much space, but I'll go with the one most pressing on my mind.

I've never believed in reincarnation; always figured you get this one shot, and what happens, you live with. But being in my 50s and having grown daughters makes you look back on what it is you HAVE learned, and how you'd like another chance. Now, Dana and Erin could not have "turned out" better, whether it's due to me or in spite of me I cannot tell, but I have no, none, zip regrets there. I do wish I'd done a few things differently, but how much of a change those things would cause I don't know.

I do know I wish I'd had more children. I didn't fight Andy enough on that; and we probably would've gone bankrupt if we had, but the more I see families with lots of kids, I wish that'd been us.

Now, our friends are trying to adopt this little beauty, and I sit here wondering if I'd have the energy or courage enough to begin again. This little one just "fell" into their laps, and she loves them already - you can see they fit as a family. I'm really hoping itworks out for them and that they get this chance to raise her in their home. No little girl would be loved more.

It will be odd, though, needing a sitter at their age!! :)

Winter weather is coming! You'd think it was the blizzard to end all blizzards, but it's probably going to be just a little ice on the road down here. I'm excited that we will actually be using our wood-burning stove, and get to cuddle up and watch some movies, but it makes me realize how unaccustomed we are to actual winter weather. I've always wanted to be "snowed in", so I'll take it when I can get it.

I may even wear my coat to worship tomorrow!

Enjoy the changing of the weather!

I'm going to SaltGrass for dinner!! Yippee! Dana is meeting us up there, and we will feast to celebrate the beginning of my new year. I wish I didn't enjoy steak so much; food should not be so enjoyable period. I know God gave us taste buds to enjoy his creation of edible goodies, but mine work overtime and fight against my self-discipline! Oh well, enough angst for today - I smell it cooking already!

Have a great Friday night!!

Well, my 51st year is gone. It sure went fast, and there are some things about it I will never forget. Here are just a few:

I learned that it doesn't matter how old your child is, when they are hurt, you turn into a she-monster who wants to kill the person who hurts your child. All reason flies out the window, and it takes all the discipline in you to behave and let things work out.

I learned your kids remember things you thought were nothing and don't have a clue as to what YOU thought were the big things to learn. Thank goodness!!

I learned my daughter is really smart, and that a son-in-law grows more precious every year.

I learned a vacation can be fun even if you are throwing up and sitting by the toilet most of the time.

I learned a LOT about Shitz-Su dogs, except how to spell the name!

I learned being an elder in the church is a delicate position; one that needs to be taken on with nerves of steel.

I learned a husband of 30 years is one of life's most amazing gifts; the seasoning of lives together fills the heart so full you think it will burst.

I learned that "just" teaching is not what I want to do anymore; I want to touch souls and make an impact on lives like I never have before.

Finally, I learned that 51 is only pertinent when I have to fill out some form somewhere.

Happy Birthday to me!

When Andrew and I married, I was determined to have a "better" marriage than my parents. They fought all the time; loudly and passionately. My mom was not meant to be one of those "submissive" wives, and my dad really wanted one of those, so there lied the problem. I grew up with knots in my stomach, swearing to myself that my marriage would not be like that.

The result of that that determination was that I always gave in. I rarely ever really demanded my own way if Andy wanted something to be different. It made things much calmer, but it made me begin to wonder if I wasn't going about this marriage thing the wrong way. I never told Andy how I felt, so he went through years thinking things were hunky-dorey. Inside, I was becoming rebellious. I've been able to adapt to a better way of making my ideas known, and it's all worked out okay.

Until lately. I've totally lost the little submissive self I was, and Andy is on the sidelines watching me morph into this totally different woman than he's used to. I don't duck and run and say "okay, dear" like I used to; I stand more firm than ever. Sometimes, I watch myself from the other side and wonder who I am... I hope I'm picking battles worth fighting and not just being difficult for difficulties' sake. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks after all.

Today after morning worship, Andy and I had lunch with two couples from church. These 4 people are some of my favorites on this earth, and we had a wonderful meal. The food was the necessary evil to get us together, but the fellowship is what kept us at the table a long time after it was eaten. We talked about all sorts of topics - from adultery to tongue piercing to dipping snuff; and time just kept on going. Finally, one of the men looked at his watch and realized it was coming onto 3:00! We visited all the way out to the cars, and then headed home.

At 6:00, we were all together again, back at church, and visited more. One of the couples then went to eat with us again, so we stayed with them until 8:30.

My point, if I have one, is how lovely it is to spend the day with good friends; just laughing and picking brains and enjoying our commonality. No pretense, no false face or carefully chosen words; just being together and sharing lives.

I am truly blessed.

Sweet dreams -

In the movie, Princess Bride, "As you wish" were the words spoken to convey love by Cary Ewel (his character's name escapes me right now.) Often, I am struck by the things people say and do to show their love and affection for others.

For Andy, it's cleaning. When my dad was in a coma, and I was driving back and forth to SA with my mom, Andy cleaned endlessly while taking care of the "home fires" and two little girls. When both my parents died, he cleaned. When I've had surgery or anything like that, he cleans. It's his way of keeping things normal and secure, and I love him for that. It lets me know that, no matter how bad things look or feel, he is going to be there and life will be taken care of until I can handle it again. (By the way, I've NEVER handled house-keeping normally!) Nothing much rattles the man, at least outwardly, and he takes things as they come... and tries to keep my head on straight. I used to want him to comfort me in other ways, but this fits, and has for over 30 years. It's what we know.

I only hope I give him as much security in my coping as he gives to me.

Andy is waiting on me to come watch "Deal or No Deal." It's become one of our favorite shows, just to watch the thought processes the people playing go through; and to decide at what point we'd "Deal!" I think it's great fun - I've always liked game shows, but this one is one of my faves because the host enjoys it so much! It's a harmless hour to take away the cares of the day and look in on the good fortunes of the ones who choose wisely when to stop. It sure beats a lot of what's on the other channels!

Have a great Friday, and we'll talk again soon.

Back to work today; guess it was time. It was no nice having Dana here the past week, and I really wasn't ready for her to go back, but darn it, she did. Although with my procedure last week my plans got changed, it was really for the better. I have a couple of other things I have to deal with to really start this year off, but one glaring question keeps echoing in my head:

"Why does Coke have to taste to good!?" I'd have a much easier time kicking it if it just wasn't so lovely to the taste buds and refreshing to the palate.

The kids come back to school tomorrow; some will have gotten way over the limit in gifts, and some will have gotten none. I wonder if my little girl who was taken away from her mom will be back, and if Chris and his sister moved like he said they were going to. Lots to catch up on... I guess I'd better go.

Have a good evening.

Just what is a good life? Is it decided before we are born, do we have control over it's outcome - it it "the road not taken"? Can we recognize it as it happens, or does it surprise us in realization when we are old and see it in hindsight? Can our parents set it in motion for us by all their dreams and wishes and opportunities they give us? What about those people who have it "better" than we do... do they really?

Right now, I sit at the age of looking back. I think I've had a wonderful life, even though there are certainly things I'd like to erase and do again, although for the most part, it's been "easy." One good thing my mom drilled into my head was that looking back and wondering "what if" is only a futile exercize - it changes nothing and leaves us with regrets we have no control over. I hope Dana and Erin know that. I also hope they know their dad and I love them with all the love we have to give, and that we did our best.

Now, it's up to them. Today is Gregg and Erin's wedding anniversary, and I hope they always love each other like they do today - there is nothing like young love. They have a life of decisions to make ahead of them, and they'll make smart ones, because they look to God for their guidance.

Dana has the world ahead of her, and that is scary. I'd love to make her decisions for her, but I can't. If only you could go a little ahead down the road and see if things are what you think, and then turn back if they weren't - but that is what faith is, and she has great faith.

So, I sit back and watch. It was so much easier when they were little, and I could make them mind me!! Well, most of the time, anyway.

So begins 2007 -

Just what is a good life? Is it decided before we are born, do we have control over it's outcome - it it "the road not taken"? Can we recognize it as it happens, or does it surprise us in realization when we are old and see it in hindsight? Can our parents set it in motion for us by all their dreams and wishes and opportunities they give us? What about those people who have it "better" than we do... do they really?

Right now, I sit at the age of looking back. I think I've had a wonderful life, even though there are certainly things I'd like to erase and do again, although for the most part, it's been "easy." One good thing my mom drilled into my head was that looking back and wondering "what if" is only a futile exercize - it changes nothing and leaves us with regrets we have no control over. I hope Dana and Erin know that. I also hope they know their dad and I love them with all the love we have to give, and that we did our best.

Now, it's up to them. Today is Gregg and Erin's wedding anniversary, and I hope they always love each other like they do today - there is nothing like young love. They have a life of decisions to make ahead of them, and they'll make smart ones, because they look to God for their guidance.

Dana has the world ahead of her, and that is scary. I'd love to make her decisions for her, but I can't. If only you could go a little ahead down the road and see if things are what you think, and then turn back if they weren't - but that is what faith is, and she has great faith.

So, I sit back and watch. It was so much easier when they were little, and I could make them mind me!! Well, most of the time, anyway.

So begins 2007 -

Happy New Year!!

Andy and I just got home from a fellowship at church, and it was a blast! Not too many folks were there, but those of us who attended ate ourselves silly and played games until the magic stroke of midnight. It made me think about when I was growing up in the church; how serious and sour everyone acted - like it would be a big sin if you laughed out loud in the building or carried on like we did tonight. That is way too bad, because we would've been condemned like crazy for the loud and crazy noise we were making. There's something so sweet about being able to collapse in a man's arms in laughter and know he isn't going to think anything about it nor is anyone there. Is that the "sweet, sweet Spirit " we sing of? I doubt it, but it is a wonderful luxury the world can't comprehend. I was with Andrew, and when 2006 turned to 2007, we found each other and kissed, as we have for 30 years, save one.

Lots of dear ones have come and gone in the years we've lived here, and who knows how many more years we have, but tonight was a blessing I won't soon forget. My brothers and sisters in Christ were with me to mark another passage of earthly time, and I hope they all - as well as you - have a wonderful new year.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Sweet dreams.