Hold me back!!

For the past three years or so, Andy and I have worked on using the Dave Ramsey method of budgeting and getting ourselves out of debt.
While we haven't exactly been "beans and rice, rice and beans", we've made good progress on our average American debt of credit cards and signature loans. Because of that, my surgery expenses out-of-pocket were almost easily manageable, for which we are most greatful.

However, I am in the mood right now to SPEND MONEY!! Big, serious, use-of-plastic, taking big steps backwards spending. Furniture, clothes, yard, you name it, I want it TODAY. I mentioned to Andy last night I'd like to go out today and spend $10,000.00, and I actually think he thought I was part serious.

But I won't. You see, it looks like I have another surgery facing me, and the house needs a new roof. Those two things are daunting, and I will just have to use them for my splurge and delay gratification in other areas.

To quote one of my favorite childrens' story lines, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!!"

Tony and Eva's wedding

In spite of looks of disgust from my husband, I purchased the - not one, but TWO - editions of OK! magazine that had pictures and details of THE WEDDING. Yes, it was beautiful, in spite of the red wedding cake, but I'll be writing a well-worded letter. There were no pictures of any of the SPURS !! Over and over, we saw the lovely ladies from "Desperate Housewives", but no Manu, Pop, or even the Red Rocket!!

This is one fan who's majorly disappointed!!

Meeting "Dr. Jones"

A few weeks ago, I spoke with a lady from church who'd had her para-thyroid taken out about her doctor. My own tyroid is dead, so I needed to see a specialist, and she'd made favorable comments about him... when I asked, she told me what she'd liked about him, and that she would recommend him. Later, she called me, to tell me that she'd failed to mention that someone she knows felt like he was gay, and that she wanted me to know going into the meeting.

I met him yesterday, and there's no doubt in my mind - he's gay. So gay. I immediately liked him and felt very comfortable with him - he spent about 20 minutes with me - an eternity for a specialist these days. And now I wonder, is it a good thing I was told ahead of time? Would I have been so taken aback by his mannerisms that I would not have listened to what he told me?

Years ago, I would have been repulsed by this man. I would have seen only the lifestyle and not the person - a competent doctor. I would have not wanted him putting his hands on me; I'm ashamed to admit this, but I wonder how tolerant I can become. I'll probably see him once or twice more; it's not like I'm going to be socially in "his circle," but I don't want to become someone who accepts and approves of a lifestyle that I believe is wrong.

I really sound bigotted here, and I don't want to - this is just on my mind a lot. I've got to deal with these ideals on my own. Just venting.

My heritage, revisited

Twice, over the past several months, I've had an opportunity of visit with a couple of people who've known my grandmother and aunts. My grandmother died in 1970, at the age of 70, and so she's been gone a long, long time. When she died, it seemed to me as a teen that she was old - now I know how much longer she could've lived.

To sit and hear people talk of her - and yesterday, of her daughter (my mother's oldest sister Lee) is both comforting and interesting. The lady to who I talked yesterday, told me that my grandmother would go up to the school for something and wear an odd, knitted cap on her head no matter the weather. It would embarrass my aunt to death for her to do that, and I laughed at the thought that, even "back then," parents embarressed their kids. She (my Mamaw) had to have been a young woman then - and yet I only see her in my mind's eye as an elderly saint.

All this brings to mind - what is it my family and friends will say about me when I'm dead and gone? Will my granddaughters wrap lovely stories around them as I have these? Will they be proud to tell people, "Amy LaMore was my grandmother!" ? Will I leave funny stories and stories of good deeds for them to emulate? I can only hope....

Mondays

During the school year, Mondays are not my favorite. They are the start of another hectic week of work - and while I had a really good group of kids last year, I'm at that stage where I'm just tired of working. I know that sounds crazy, but I think it's a change I'm wanting. Those Mondays during school usually come after a wonderful weekend of being home with Andrew and my church family and relaxing.



My summer Mondays, however are just about my favorite day. After a busy weekend full of people, I am coming to love the quietness of Monday. Andy has gone back into his routine, everyone is back at work (save Dana, and she usually sleeps later) and so I have the morning to be by myself. It is a time I am truly coming to look forward to - and just about the time I begin to take it for granted, school will start. A little taste of retirement, I think.

I hope your Monday is going well!

Dana's Decision

From the time she was a little girl, Dana has said she wanted to live on her own. Having never had that - went from Daddy straight to Andrew - I thought that was a pretty neat goal. She's done really well for herself, and no mom could be prouder of a daughter.

Now, she's made the decision to box up her life and head to Houston. My nemesis - the one place on earth I gripe about going, and now the people I most treasure are all going to be living there. The good things about her move are wonderful things, and I know God is working in her life to make this happen, but HOUSTON?!?! Maybe this is God's way of making me repent and look for things to like about the city - other than family being there.

I'm happy for my girl - that school is lucky to be getting her, and I know a marvelous church family awaits her with open arms; not to mention Gregg, Erin and Roarke have her close by.

Please pray for her as she transitions into this new phase - I'd appreciate it a lot!!

Memories

The other night, we were eating with the Huttons, and the topic of our earliest memory came up. Andy, Robert, and Jackie all have very early memories, but mine doesn't come to mind until I am about 4 or 5 years old. I know that I have a lot of memories of that time in my life, because my mom did a lot with me; taking me to school to help sort beans with the cafeteria ladies while she gathered school news for the local paper, and stuff like that, but before then, there aren't any memories.
So, when does your earliest memory pop up? Let me know....

Oh, my word!!!

I watched "The Departed" today for my daily movie time. It won Scorsese a Best Director Oscar, and almost everyone in it was nominated for something as well as Best Picture. If nothing else, I wanted to say I'd seen it, and Andy wasn't interested, so I just went ahead by myself.

Do people REALLY use the F-bomb that much?!?! I mean, the movie would have been half as long just omitting that one word!
How many times does the brain hear it before it becomes desensitized to the sound of that? Even pretty boy Leo DeCaprio spewed it frequently, so unlike his nice guy Jack in Titanic.

Well, now I've seen it. It's in my collection, but it will probably gather a nice layer of dust before it's watched again.

I shoulda listened to my husband!!

Oh, brother!!

I HATE to look dumb. Usually, if I think there's a chance of that happening, I just close my mouth and let it pass. You know, "better to be silent and thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt?" or something like that.

Well, let's just say I'm not always successful at stopping myself.

We have a group of families that began attending our church a few years ago when their congregation "died." They are all the same age and sit together, and I've come to love them all. Recently, one of the women had serious surgery, and I was discussing her case with a friend. She asked me how this lady was related to the others, and as I tried to clarify, my mouth revealed my ignorance.

It seems that, while I've known all these folks all this time, something very basic never dawned on me. The conversation went something like this: (names changed for privacy)

"Now, is she Joe's mother?" "No, she is Paul's and Bob's mother." Is that Bill's wife?" "No, her husband is deceased. You are thinking of Ron's wife." "Isn't HER name Sue?" (Now at this point, I should have just shut up, but....) "She is Ron's wife and Paul's mother."
"No, she is Sue. Joe's mother is Mary." "But I thought Ron's wife was Mary." THINK, Amy, THINK! "Her name IS Mary, but so is Joe's mother!" By now, we both have headaches, and I have come to the awful realization that, even after knowing these three ladies all this time, it NEVER - EVER dawned on me that two of the three had the same name.

Is that pitiful or what....

Missing my girls - and Gregg, too!

Both my sets of kids have been out vacationing lately, and I sure have missed talking to them. I try not to call so much that I'm a bother, or cause them to roll their eyes upon seeing my name on the caller ID, but this inability to just up and call when the mood strikes has been hard on the old mom gene.

Erin and Gregg had a great time on their trip... I'm so glad to know they are able to go and do these trips now before too many responsibilities limit their flexibility. And Dana has had a nice long break from the trials of job hunting to clear her head and relax. Now, we'll see what the week holds for her.

It appears my computer is agreeing to work with the new modem, THANKS, Robert!! I've missed my computer time very much, such a part of my daily routine it had become. It'll take me a while to get caught up, but I will. How spoiled we have become to the technology!

Well, hopefully until tomorrow -

Sleep well!!

Perhaps tomorrow

Well, we're here at the Hutton's, bringing in the 4th of July - in the rain. So much rain the streets are blocked off and the yards look like lakes. After so long in a drought, one hates to complain, but REALLY - we've all had enough of the deluge.

Got two opinions on the old computer - we need a new modem, so we bought one today. Hopefully, I'll be writing from the comforts of my own space tomorrow or whenever we can get it installed.. I've really missed writing and reading the several blogs I keep up with - and I can't wait to become prolific once again.

Dana's in Denver with friends and Gregg and Erin are in NYC for a few days. I'm so happy they are out seeing and doing fun things. Can't wait to hear all about their adventures.

Enjoy this 4th of July - and remember to count our blessings that come from living in this land of the free!!

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 -