Game Day in Aggieland

This was Rebecca's weekend to travel to College Station with Jeff to see the Aggies take on the Baylor Bears. Before the game she stood in line to get the autographs of the Lady Aggie volleyball team. It was very hot at the game. They both came home a little sunburned. Most importantly, they walked in the door tonight with Double Dave's peproni (yes, that's how they're spelled) rolls. Starting the diet next week...yea, right...

Oh yeah....the Aggies won -- 34 - 10. Whoop!!!

Fightin' Texas Aggie Band

Birthday Girl

What a great birthday we had today in the Holmes house. Abigail was very excited and shocked to see one of her presents was a bunny. His name is Bubbles and he is so adorable. It was fun sneaking around to bring him home while she was at school.

Looks like a perfect fit

So sweet!

Abigail and I had lunch at LaMadeleine today,
one of her favorite places to eat. (Mine, too!)

Yummm....bread and tomato basil soup.

These are a few pics from last night after Katherine's volleyball game. We ate at the BEST restaurant in Watauga. It is actually a gas station/convenience store, but the food is incredible. Lots of good pasta!

Happy Abigail Day!

In honor of my baby's birthday today, I thought I would share some of my favorite pics over the last year or so. Abigail Grace is 10 years old! I'm trying to avoid cliches like "Where did the time go?" and "She grew up so fast!" but...where did the time go? She grew up so fast! We joke around that Abigail was born acting like a little adult. Abigail would probably correct us and say, "Actually..." I'll post more pics later of birthday presents being opened. Typically we open presents at breakfast on birthdays, but this morning is "See You At The Pole." To avoid a 6:00 a.m. birthday breakfast, we let her open them last night.

Hangin' out in Katherine's room

Catching snowflakes

Sad clown before Fall Festival

Abigail and Faith

Staring contest with King

Hope you have a wonderful birthday today, Abigail. Happy 10th!

Up, Up and Away...Almost

We had a fun surprise happen to us this morning. Our friend, Glenn, invited us to see a hot air balloon owned by a friend of his. We drove over to a grassy area behind the North American Mission Board building. Amazing! I had thought we might just stand around and look at the balloon, but Abigail and Jeff were able to get in for a brief lift off.

Hold on tight, Abigail!

Here we go.....the balloon was actually anchored down by ropes to a truck and a tree,
but they went several feet off the ground.

At one point the wind caught it and the basket kept tipping back and forth.

Time to deflate and pack it up.

We are definitely putting this on our list of "things to do." Can't wait!

For Your Information

It's official. According to my recent poll, the best location for a "Happy Place" is on the beach. Since I wholeheartedly agree with this research, I'm thinking our Blog Groupies (or maybe I should say "Blahg") need to plan a trip to the beach. Keeping in mind that we are still in hurricane season, we might have to postpone the trip for awhile. Just to start you on your way though...

White, sugar sand beaches...clear, blue water...hammocks swaying from palm trees...the smell of suntan lotion...a stack of books...swimming with dolphins...naps in the afternoon...aaahhhhh...

That was almost a trip in itself. Hope to see you all in a happy place soon.

The heavens declare...and so do butterflies

I woke up to an amazing sight this morning. As I passed the front window of my house, I saw the most beautiful sky. As most people know, I am not a morning person. In fact, I find most things to do with morning rather difficult to take; however, sometimes God just wakes us up in the most marvelous way. I quickly grabbed my camera and went outside. Of course, the picture doesn't do it justice. Oh, it would have been so nice to grab a cup of tea, pull up a rocking chair on my wrap-around porch (right...) and just sit for awhile.

This afternoon my attention was grabbed by this beautiful butterfly, feasting on the lantana in my back yard. It paid me no mind as I was trying to take a picture, almost flying right around my face as I tried to get a close up. Once again I was drawn to the Creator, who would fashion something so intricate and lovely for us to enjoy.

I'm thankful for these little moments in otherwise "same old, same old" days -- days when I'm not feeling my best, or thinking of everything I didn't get done today. I'm grateful to a God who draws me to Himself, even when I'm only thinking of me.

Question Answered

Well, this certainly answers Abigail's question earlier today: "I wonder how a hole got in the dog food bag?"

It's Back at Last!

Finally! After being recalled in February, Peter Pan Peanut Butter has returned to the store shelves. I found it today at Tom Thumb. It may have been restocked for awhile, but I got so tired of going by the empty shelves at Wal-Mart that I may not have noticed its return. We've been "making do" with a store brand, but it just hasn't been quite the same. I know it has tons of fat grams, but it's also a good source of protein, right? To confess, I couldn't wait for my breakfast tomorrow of peanut butter toast. I dug in a spoon tonight and had just a little with some Honey Chamomile Tea. Yum.

My favorite peanut butter returns, a hint of fall is in the air, hopefully the 3 meds I'm on are clearing up my sickness...I just might feel the blah-ness lifting. Which is really good, because I haven't found the happy place yet.

A Praise and a Giggle

One of my favorite people in the whole world is my father-in-law, Bobby Holmes. He can exasperate you one minute and have you laughing the next. He is the inventor of one of my favorite phrases: "If someone tells you how to grown corn, look in their corn crib." (I'll explain it to you later.) He is one of the most "content with his life" people that I have ever known. He finds joy in simple things, like growing a garden or playing with his grandchildren. He was diagnosed with cancer in the fall of 2005. He has been travelling to Houston every 2 weeks or so for chemotherapy. He has been blessed with wonderful people to take care of him through this illness.

Jeff called today from Houston to tell us that his dad had received a very good report from the doctor's office. The tumor has not grown any through this last round of chemo. What a praise! They are going to modify the treatment a little and he will start another round in a few weeks. This is an amazing report and a huge blessing.

That was the praise. Here's the giggle...

Jeff said his dad was happy to hear his good report for one reason in particular. One of his first comments was (and I'm paraphrasing here): "Well, I've got to stay alive until November 2008 because I've got to make sure that Hillary Clinton doesn't get in the White House!"

Today's Quote

I live in my own little world. It's o.k. They know me there.

The Blah

Once upon a time there was a Blah...a nothing...a nobody...named Billy. "I'm just a Blah!" Billy told his mother. "Yes, dear," said his mother, who was busy and wasn't really listening. That's how it is, being a Blah.

And so begins one of my favorite books, The Blah, by Jack Kent. That's my week described. Just don't feel well, a little off-kilter, can't really explain it kind of blah. Having a hard time accomplishing anything, start a couple projects, don't finish, what do I do now kind of week. Need to do laundry. Nope, don't feel like it. Really oughta clean house. Nope, don't feel like that either. Have you ever had one of those weeks? or two?

Goal for this week: Recover from blah-ness. Find a happy place. Stay there.

Happy Anniversary

Yesterday was our 19th wedding anniversary. I'm thinking we're starting to get old! From our very first anniversary, Jeff and I have always planned a "get-away", which was always made easier by the fact that it was Labor Day weekend. Smart thinking back in 1988, huh? On Saturday, Day #2 of "The Sickness", we knew that going away on Sunday was not going to happen. We were both disappointed, but here's the good part. When I told Jeff how sorry I was to ruin the weekend, he said, "Well, I guess that's where the 'in sickness and in health part comes in.' " How true. So, instead of being disappointed that our anniversary was ruined, I want to talk about the wonderful man I married. While I was sick, he did all of the things I normally do for the family -- cooking, carpool, laundry, etc. and did his own job, all while taking care of me. Most men would probably freak when even confronted with such tasks. This morning he drove Abigail to school and Katherine to the orthodontist because he says I'm still not safe to drive. (Probably true. Still a little woozy.) I know his own job has suffered, but he did what he had to do. And, I was well enough to go to Outback Steakhouse last night for a really delicious meal. Hopefully the next couple days I will be back to my normal, crazy self. So, you might ask, do I have any regrets after 19 years of marriage? Yep. I'm sorry I didn't marry him sooner.

Football and Fall...On the Way?

As most of you probably know, I am not a huge football fan, say...like Barb. However, I make an attempt to get in the spirit for my husband, who IS a huge fan. We have season tickets to the A&M home games. And, thanks to my sickness (and a volleyball tournament) we had to miss the season opener at Kyle Field. (A&M - 38, Montana State - 7 -- Whoop!) There is definitely a fun atmosphere when you go to the games. Jeff will take each of the girls with him to one game this fall. As you can see, in support of Aggie football, I've attempted maroon and white as colors for my blog. And, for those of you who might be interested, added a link for all your Aggie sports info. One of the best things about football season? It means fall is right around the corner. Oooo...candles, soup, sweaters, hot chocolate........sorry, I drifted off there a moment.

Here's my favorite player from last season
Our 12th man, Abigail
Or, as her dad calls her during football season -- Aggie-gail

Be Careful What You Wish For

Was it only a mere five days ago that I was bemoaning my life as a plate juggler and hamster on a wheel? Poor, sad girl...if I could only take it back. I guess the Lord must have a sense of humor because Friday morning I woke up to find myself so dizzy that I could not stand. The entire world was spinning around me. (Not the good kind of "the world revolves around me" either) I have been trapped in bed for the last three days. That I am sitting up now (and able to type) seems a minor miracle. While life went on around me (volleyball, school, work, parties, carpool) I could only listen from afar. And, I dared not even attempt anything more than a small shift of my body or the world would go spinning again. It's a very pitiful and humbling thing to be helped to the bathroom by your 9 year old child and know that if she walks away you're going to hit the floor. My condition is labyrinthitis, an inflammation of the inner ear canal. This condition goes away with time and symptoms are managed by motion sickness pills. Cause? Probably allergies. Or, a little nudge from above, from the Creator of time. Boy, did I have time. Fortunately, prayer can be a motionless activity and I had plenty of time for that. "Be still, and know that I am God..."