technology, smecnology!

Blogging from Jackie's. My computer is still down, so here's a quick update.

Had a wisdom tooth taken out today. Glad Dana was here to drive me and dish out icecream. Now if I can just heal without a dry socket. To do again, I'd take better care of my teeth....

Hopefully this weekend, I'll have some answers to the computer problem; we think it's the modem.

Have a great weekend!

Amy

Computers are a curse!

First of all, sorry it's been so long since my last post - my computer will not sign on; saying I have no dial tone. Right - I do have one, so it's internal somewhere and I'll have to wait for Robert to come home and look at it.

I'm north of Dallas at my cousin's. Her brother whom I'm written about passed away, and the funeral was today. Wonderful service, testament of a life lived to the fullest. His mother turns 84 tomorrow, and this is her third child to bury, along with her husband. Bobby Aaron was 57 years old, and leaves a loving wife, son, daughter-in-law, and 3 grandkids along with his mom and siblings. Too soon to die....

WON, SPURS, WON!!

Those of you old enough to remember the Beatles remember that there were basically two types of girl Beatle fans. Some were screamers and jumpers, and the others were cryers and hair-pullers.
I was the cryer-type, and during this past Finals, with my Spurs, I discovered that I still am!!

Lastnight, while everyone was jumping, high-fiving, and yelling; I sat on the couch and soaked it all in!! I was just as excited as everyone else, I'm just not a jumper/screamer. My passion stays internal, personal, intense. ( Wow, that sounds deep.)

We hosted the game, so I was able to just stay in my nest and watch the interviews and such instead of driving home, which was nice. It was hard to sleep afterward, and I would be in front of the tv all day listening to it over and over if Andy were at work, but he's heard all he wants, and we'll do something else.

So, here's my last SPURS blog for a while; thanks to Tim, Tony, Bruce, Manu, Pop, and all the rest for giving us such wonderful entertainment for another season. Thanks for sharing your friendship, commitment, and passion with us, and for showing the world that good guys do win. Take some time off, and come back ready to do a back-to-back; it's the one thing left for this newly born "dynasty" to do.

It was truly fun.

Green, green grass...

Living in South Texas, you become numb to color in the summer. Everything is dull, blah, brown; the color ranging from the light color of the sand that burns your bare feet to the dark, deep brown of old mesquite bark. Leaves that survive hang limp, and the wildflowers bloom and quickly die. Tanks dry up and crack, the thirsty cattle trying to survive. It's the way things usually are, and it has the ability to make you think everywhere is the same.

Today, Andy and I drove to San Antonio to Home Depot - the grown man's Toys R Us. Along the way, I saw several tanks with nice, blue water nearly up to their tops. Cattle standing under trees with lush, full leaves and green grass beneath them made me realize how unusual this is for us in June. The Spring rains have given rise to the world as it should be - and it is beautiful. Wild flowers are fading, but the ones still standing are in profusion and standing tall with their faces to the sun. How long has it been since this was the case?
The summers of drought and scorching heat have numbed us to thebeauty of our climate. I know that July and August may return us to the dryness to which we are familiar, but for now, it is wonderful.

Thanks, God.

My psychotic daughter who can't make up her mind...

It was SO much easier when she was a baby. She was compliant and obedient and such a people-pleaser. No more - she won't let me tell her what to do, and yet we talk about almost nothing else. I am at quite the breaking point with her making decisions, because I want to know when the move is taking place and where she will be and what her job will be, and she won't make up her mind!!!!

Dana - it would be so much easier if she'd let ME choose her destiny!

So where are the Christians?!?

Pleasanton is growing - you can almost see it happening daily. Chili's, Best Western, Walgreens - not to mention the explosion of housing surrounding me! I'm not sure what's bringing them all here - some say Toyota, but for whatever the reason, Pleasanton is attracting folks from all over.

Now, for many years, every Spring I begin praying for new families to move here to help grow the Church stronger. Ray kind of teases me about it - he's aware of my ritual and asks me each year if I've started adding that to my prayers. (I know I do it in Spring because of school being out and people tending to move then.) Anyway -

with all this growth, we've not added many members. Oh, sure, we've grown little by little and I've very greatful, but it's not in proportion with the cities' growth. I mean, surely some of these folks are bretheren, right?? Do I need to go door-to-door to check?

It's not that I want us to grow huge or anything - I just like new families bringing new ideas and excitement to perk the rest of us up.... a hold-up from growing up in the Poteet church where we WERE desperate for new members regularly.

I guess we'll just have to convert some....

Now, it begins!

My visit with Shanon was perfect. Two friends, a couch, a couple of salads, and lots of wonderful conversation. Andy keeps asking what we talked about, and I keep telling him, "everything." Now, I realize it was the past, the present and the future.

The past is always full of wonderful, fun memories; Meredith "tattling" on Dana before she could even speak, Meredith's and Erin's weddings, late nights of games and cheese-dip.

The present - teaching, church wonders and frustrations, motherly concerns about our grown children, and being married 30+ years to the same wonderful men.

The future is the most scary; retirement, aging, health and what is in store for us and those we love the most. I have faith in one thing, though - Shanon and Mark will be in the future with us, and that makes me VERY happy. I'm so very glad she came!!


Now, to the SPURS -- I feel nauceous!! It starts tonight, and I am literally shaking at the prospect of the SPURS actually losing to these guys --- does that mean I have no faith?!?! What if "he" actually is unstoppable?!? Can it be???

You just never know

Lord willing, Shanon will be at my dinner table in a few hours. She is coming over to spend a couple of days with me, to "catch up on life."

We met when our husbands worked together at a prison unit in Huntsville, before children and home ownership. Andy and Mark were buds together, and so it was natural that we meet. Soon afterwards, the place next door became available, and Mark and Shanon became our neighbors.

Shanon loves to antagonize Andy during games - we spent many hours together with Mark and I putting up with their battles, while Mark usually came from nowhere and won everything we did.

Anyway, in 1981, we left Huntsville. I think in many ways, it was the saddest and one of the most pivotal days of my life. I drove off with Shanon and their baby on their porch, waving bravely while Dana and I left for Brookshire.

We've kept up through moves and life for all these years, and love each other very much. For me, other friends have come and gone, and I've loved them all; and I think my friendship with Shanon showed me how to cherish people, even from a distance.

Now, it's just the two of us for a few days - don't expect to hear from me until she's gone back west; I don't want to give up a minute with her while she's here!!

20 and a few more to come

Blogging from Floresville - Andy's office to be exact. Brought a chocolate cake over to commemorate 20 years of his coming to work for the District. ( 14 here in Wilson County.) Most of his gang are off today - they work 4 ten hour days - but his sweet secretaries and another officer are here, along with some folks from the court house.

We didn't know he'd stay here when he was moved over, and for the most part, it's been a good place to work. He's a good boss, I hear, and while retirement is coming, it'll be home for a few years yet.

Great - now he's taking my picture -

Well, have a good weekend -