Sunday, April 17, 2011

A Good Day

Today has been a good day.  Slept in till about 8:00 this morning and then got up and got ready for church.  We decided to go to Sunday School and the worship service at First Baptist Church in Hondo.  We have attended three different churches in the area and this is the one that feels most like home.  So we decided if we were going to give it a fair chance we needed to attend Sunday School and see if we can connect with some people.

One of the first people to greet us was Alan.  He is the man we met that Saturday we were out checking out when the service was.  He shook Ron's hand and then while shaking mine he said "that's the last handshake you get from me, I give the ladies hugs"  and that is just what he did and then he turned to Ron and said he gives the guys hugs too!  We both laughed and made us think of Gerald - we so miss his big hugs!!!   Sunday School was pretty good.  We laughed a lot, shared prayer requests and studied God's word from II Corinthians 1:1-11.  We talked about how we receive and give compassion to others and how it looks compared to how Jesus shares compassion with us.  What a great reminder to be open to sharing with others when they are struggling whether it be in words or deeds or a listening ear.

We then went into the Worship service.  It was such a great time of worship in music.  We so enjoy the music - all aspects of it, the blending of voices as we sing hymns and praise chorus'  The sermon was good.  It is refreshing to hear a pastor preaching from the Bible, using scripture and stories to share what has been laid on his heart.  (That has not been the case at all the churches we have visited here in Texas).  The sermon was on choices.  We make choices/decisions all the time.  And the question he asked at the end of the service: "Are the choices/decisions I make a reflection of God's teachings?"  Makes me stop and think and evaluate how I react and do things.

After church we stopped at the Lions Club fundraiser and picked up BBQ'd chicken for lunch.    The lunch was a fundraiser for the club.  It was held at the Hondo City Park #1.  You drove through the park, paid your money ($7 per plate) and then drove a little further and were handed the dinner in a to-go pack.  And then we drove home and ate lunch.  It was pretty tasty.  Though I think Ron is getting tired of beans and coleslaw, neither of which is his favorite.  Now on the other hand I really like coleslaw and beans.  I did give Ron half my chicken since he gave me his beans and slaw.

We both took naps later in the day.  All in all it was a great day and now we are rested to start back at work tomorrow.

Have a great day!!!

The Middle of April Already

Thought I had better pop in here and give an update on what we are doing.  I have been struggling with what to write about on my blog since we are stationary right now.  And I don't want to bore people but I think some of you like to know what we are doing.  So here is an update of what we have been doing the first 17 days of April 2011...

...Ron was sick for 4 1/2 days.  He got the crud that I had had in March.  He spent 3 1/2 days either in the bed or sleeping on the couch, drinking lots of liquids, taking Nyquil, Dayquil, hot water with lemon and local honey.  I knew he was feeling better when he started complaining about what I was watching on TV :).

...We have gone on a few day trips.  We drove around for about 3 hours the other day and never was more than 20 miles from the SKP park.    We went on paved roads, gravel roads and dirt roads.  Saw a house out in the middle of what we thought was nowhere and then drove right through the middle of one ranch just from following the turns in the road.  We saw some beautiful flowers (pictures to follow later) and even a yellow butterfly (no picture).  Saw a brand new baby calf, estimate it was just a few hours old.  She was just the sweetest honey brown color.  We saw lots of deer.  Even one fawn that just stood by the fence for the longest time.  She was beautiful.

...And we have eaten out way too many times.  Ron has wanted BBQ since we have been here and yesterday he got his wish.  We ate at Heavy's BBQ in Hondo.  I had a beef sandwich with beans and coleslaw and Ron had a 3 meat plate with brisket, ribs and sausage with beans and coleslaw.  Ron shared his beans and slaw with me as they are not his favorite things to eat.  Today the Lion's Club was having a chicken dinner fundraiser.  for $7 you got a bbq'd half chicken with beans and slaw.  We can honestly say this was a first for us.  The fundraiser was at Hondo City Park #1.  You drove in one gate, drove up to the table, ordered the number of meals you wanted, paid the server (in our case a young girl of about 10) and she brought us two to-go dinners and we drove out of the park.  And then we drove home and ate.  The food was great and it put a new name on drive through diner.  Ron ate his chicken about half of my chicken and I ate his beans and slaw along with my beans and slaw. 

And how many different ways can you make coleslaw...I think I have had it four or five different ways since we have been here in Texas.  From creamy to some with like an oil/vinegar dressing, one with lots of pepper and one with lots of carrot strips.  All have been tasty, even the one with lots of pepper.

...We have been participating in some of the activities here in the park.  I have played Bingo a couple of times, haven't won but have had fun.  We have gone to the ice cream socials a few times and yesterday I went to a yard sale here in the Park...I sure miss going garage saleing...Ron sees no need to do that since we don't have room for anything.  But I think it's still a lot of fun to go and look.

...Today we attended First Baptist Church in Hondo again.  We went to Sunday School and felt very welcome.  In fact, one of the men, Alan, shook Ron's hand and then told me he won't give me a handshake anymore...now it's hugs...made me feel like I was home.  The service was good, such great singing and praise time.  And the message was good - from Luke 23:32-33; it was on decision's we make.  One thing that Pastor Dennis said really struck home with me "even if we don't make a decision we are making a decision, it is just not a yes or no decision." 

I was hoping they would have a Good Friday service but they are not.  I always enjoyed the Good Friday service at Northwood and sharing in communion.  I will check the paper this week to see if there is a Good Friday service we can attend.

...We are so enjoying our jobs.  This last week Ron hired a helper for the summer.  Mario is 18 years old and just lives down the road from the park.  He is working on Tuesdays, Wednesday's and Thursday's.  He seems like a hard worker which is good.  I have been going through the Office Procedure book updating directions and making them easy to follow.  As well as making any changes that have been instituted since they were written.    Two weeks ago we did rearrange the office.  Yes I enjoyed moving and rearranging things and Ron was such a willing helper.  I will take some pictures of the changes and get them posted soon.

Prayer request ~~~

Last week I had my eyes checked for new glasses and found out that I have a double cataract on my right eye.  This was troubling since I only have one eye and to think I need to have surgery on it is very scary.  I talked with my doctor from Bellingham last week and he said I need to get it taken care of sooner than later.  So I have talked to a couple of people and gotten a couple of names of doctors in the area.  I will be calling them this week to talk about what I need and then make an appointment and go from there.  Please pray that my anxiety will not climb during this proc.ess and that things can be taken care of quickly and correctly and that the financial aspect of it can be worked out.  Since we don't have insurance the financial piece alone causes extra stress.

Guess that's all from here in D'Hanis, TX.   If anyone has any questions about what we are doing or you have suggestions on things we should make sure we see while here please don't hesitate to drop us a line.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Screams

Screams...I have been told, more than once, don't scream like that...but isn't a scream supposed to get someone's attention.  So if you hear me scream, you will know something is up...good or bad.  let me share a few of my screams:

When I was 10 or 11 my mom took me to the horse races.  She let me pick one $2 horse for each race.  There were 10 races - $20.  The deal was I could keep any money I won on the races and I didn't have to pay her back.  So I chose my horses.  I don't know how y'all choose your horses when you are at the races but I have always chosen by the colors they are wearing and/or their name (kinda how I choose my wine).  It was the last race and I had not won once so I was pretty frustrated.  But I chose my horse.  He or she, not sure which, was a brown, shiny thing wearing a deep purple.  I love purple, it is my favorite color.  The one thing that I would love to have  is an amethyst ring, but I digress.  Back to the races.   It was time to start the race.  My horse was in the middle of the pack.  Didn't come out leading but wasn't in last place.  And then has he/she made the last corner, he/she took off.  I started jumping up/down and yelling "go! go! go!" and the closer he/she got to being the winner the louder I yelled.  And then he/she beat out the other horses.  I screamed "I won, I won, I won!!!!"  (and I promptly peed my pants - please no teasing, just sharing all the wonderful details).  I was screaming so loud, we were outside ya know, my mom told me to "quiet down, people are looking."  "I don't care, I won, I won!"  You would have thought I won a million dollars, I didn't.  I won $45!  I was so excited.

Another time was when I was in the hospital, I was 18 years old, newly married and having my 4th eye surgery.  I remembered the shots they always gave before you go into surgery.  I was dreading it (I hate shots....I had 124 shots in 23 days when I was 10 years old...shots are no fun!  I started crying the closer it got time for the nurse to come in and give me my shot, ya know, the one that dries your mouth out before you go into surgery.  The closer it got to the time I was to go in, the louder my cries got.  And then this red haired nurse who was wearing this blue sweater came into my room.   She stood at the foot of my bed and yelled over my screams/cries "shut up!  You are not sick!  You can take the shot or go into surgery without it!."  And then she walked away.  I did take the darn shot and I don't think it even hurt that bad.  

I think the most memorable scream was when I was working for the Coalition for Child Advocacy in Bellingham.  It was January 1990.  Background: I have been writing to Oprah, Phil Donahue and Sally Jesse Raphael since 1985.  My letters were always the same:  you talk about child abuse and how bad the parents are who abuse their children BUT you never give those parents any resources to stop that abuse.  In the Fall of 1986 I, along with another friend and a Parents Anonymous (PA)facilitator traveled to St. Louis and appeared on the Sally Jesse Raphael. (That's another post in itself.)  We had a great trip but not too fun on the show.  So now fast forward to January 1990.  I was at my desk and my boss, Lynda, was at the computer just to the right of my desk, about 6 -8' from me.  I got paged to a phone call.  I answered it and Karen, from PA Seattle office, saying that the Oprah Winfrey show had called and they were trying to locate me to see if I wanted to be on her show.  I screamed so loud that Lynda spun her chair around and pointed her finger at me and said "IF you scream like that again you are fired!"  And then she turned around and went back to work.  I did go on the Oprah show (again that will be a different post).  I have never forgotten Lynda's response nor have I ever screamed that loud again.  And Lynda and I now joke about that scream!!!

Until this morning.  I had decided that since we weren't going to church this morning I would do some major cleaning in the motor home.  With me being  sick for over two weeks and then Ron sick most of this past week things have sorta not been done around here.  So I got the laundry going and started cleaning in the motor home.  I did the living room, we did the bedroom and then Ron was doing the dishes and I was cleaning off the table and benches in the dining area.  I had cleaned off the table and done the left bench and then moved to the right bench.  I picked up some papers that were on the bench and then I SCREAMED!  There was a dead mouse on the bench.  I also moved real fast.  I pushed Ron out of the way so I could get into the living room.  And then he yelled at me "don't scream like that."  And then he calmly picked up the darn mouse with a plastic bag and put it in the trash.  And then we both just laughed.  Guess I need to go to Hondo and get some mouse bait...don't like those things hanging around my home.

And that is how I came to be thinkin about my screamin skills.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Me from A to Z

I, Alice,  saw this meme on  FabGrandma and  decided I wanted to play along.

More About Me, Alice,  A to Z! 

A. Age: 53
B. Bed size: Queen.  We removed the little foam pad that was in the RV and put our regular queen mattress and a temperpedic topper on our bed.
C. Chore you dislike: cleaning the bathroom
D. Dogs: used to have one and we miss Charlie Brown.  Tried to talk Ron into getting another one a couple of weeks ago but he said no. :(
E.  Essential start to your day: Quiet time with the Lord
F. Favorite color: Purple
H. Height: 5′7"
I. Instruments you play(ed): clarinet
J. Job title: Office Manager, but the best title is Wife, Mom & Grammy
K. Kids: Jamie 33, Suzanne 27, Opal 3, Brandon 31, Danalyn 28, Max 12, Christopher 3, and Treyson due on 5/27
L. Live: In a 37' class A motorhome, currently in D'Hanis, TX.
M. Mom’s name: Margaret Jean, went by Peggy
N. Nicknames: Ali, Sweetheart, Grammy
O. Overnight hospital stays: several: 9 eye surgeries, appendectomy, gallbladder, total hysterectomy, 4x for emotional issues ~ glad to say I am now truly healed from the emotional and physical abuse from my childhood.  If you have questions I am happy to share.
P. Pet peeves: people who don't use their signals when turning, people chewing gum with their mouths open and smacking while eating
Q. Quote from a movie: ummm...can't think of any that come to mind
R. Righty or Lefty: Righty.
S. Siblings: 2 biological sisters and many siblings in the Lord, 2 besties ~ one on the east coast and one on the west coast
T. Time you wake up: On work days 6 to 7 a.m., days off - sleep in when I can
U. Underwear: Definitely!!!
V. Vegetables you don’t like: Haven't really found any I don't like
W. What makes you run late:I try not to be late.
X. X-rays you’ve had: too many to count.
Y. Yummy food you make:Chicken Gumbo, Butta Soup & spaghetti
Z. Zoo Animal Favorites: Elephants and monkeys...love all the babies.

Hope you liked hearing more about me.  Feel free to copy and input your own answers.

Me from A to Z

I saw this meme on  FabGrandma and  decided I wanted to play along. More About Me A to Z! 

A. Age: 53
B. Bed size: Queen.  We removed the little foam pad that was in the RV and put our regular queen mattress and a temperpedic topper on our bed.
C. Chore you dislike: cleaning the bathroom
D. Dogs: used to have one and we miss Charlie Brown.  Tried to talk Ron into getting another one a couple of weeks ago but he said no. :(
E.  Essential start to your day: Quiet time with the Lord
F. Favorite color: Purple
H. Height: 5′7"
I. Instruments you play(ed): clarinet
J. Job title: Office Manager, but the best title is Wife, Mom & Grammy
K. Kids: Jamie 33, Suzanne 27, Opal 3, Brandon 31, Danalyn 28, Max 12, Christopher 3, and Treyson due on 5/27
L. Live: In a 37' class A motorhome, currently in D'Hanis, TX.
M. Mom’s name: Margaret Jean, went by Peggy
N. Nicknames: Ali, Sweetheart, Grammy
O. Overnight hospital stays: several: 9 eye surgeries, appendectomy, gallbladder, total hysterectomy, 4x for emotional issues ~ glad to say I am now truly healed from the emotional and physical abuse from my childhood.  If you have questions I am happy to share.
P. Pet peeves: people who don't use their signals when turning, people chewing gum with their mouths open and smacking while eating
Q. Quote from a movie: ummm...can't think of any that come to mind
R. Righty or Lefty: Righty.
S. Siblings: 2 biological sisters and many siblings in the Lord, 2 besties ~ one on the east coast and one on the west coast
T. Time you wake up: On work days 6 to 7 a.m., days off - sleep in when I can
U. Underwear: Definitely!!!
V. Vegetables you don’t like: Haven't really found any I don't like
W. What makes you run late:I try not to be late.
X. X-rays you’ve had: too many to count.
Y. Yummy food you make:Chicken Gumbo, Butta Soup & spaghetti
Z. Zoo Animal Favorites: Elephants and monkeys...love all the babies.

Hope you liked hearing more about me.  Feel free to copy and input your own answers.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Eye Appointment

Had an eye appointment this afternoon.  I walked out in sticker shock ~ $302 for glasses...need the polycarbonite safety lenses, progressive bifocals and photo~grays = yep $302.  Can't believe they cost so much BUT am thankful I had the money in the bank to cover the cost.  Plus the $50 for the eye exam.

The eye exam was filled with lots of hmmms...try this...now this....need to recheck this....found out I have astigmatism (sp) and double cataracts...yep...two on the same eye with the same lens.  Now that wouldn't be too bad if I had two eyes but since one of my beautiful eyes is as fake as they make them (prosthetic) that leaves one eye.  Immediately my anxiety started to climb...my biggest fear is coming to fruition...having problems with my one and only eye.  And it is just not a cataract it is a double cataract with the lens clouding over from two different locations.  The doctor recommended an eye surgeon in Kerrville, about an hour and a half from here.  Now more fun to deal with (yes that is sarcastic tones coming from me).  So tomorrow I will call him and see if I can talk with him on the phone before making an appointment.

So feeling a little in shock I picked out new glasses...sure hope they look okay on me...do you know how hard it is to pick out glasses that you can't see without your prescription glasses on.  They are kinda square with a light purply/pink tint to the frames.  And the photo grays are gray in color instead of brown...thought gray would look better with the purply/pink color.  Sure hope so.  The glasses should be ready in 7 to 10 days.  I will have hubby take my picture with the glasses when they arrive.  And I had to pick them out without hubby's input ~ he is laying on the couch not feeling too well.  He woke with a sore throat this morning and barely made it through the day.  Don't know if he is going to work or not tomorrow.  I gave him some Tylenol and the bottle of Vicks and a clean pair of socks.  Sure hope that Vicks works tonight.

After sticker shock I decided to do a little retail therapy...found a couple of tank tops, a light blue and a purple one for me and then a couple of pocket t-shirts for Ron.    Would have loved to do more shopping but the heart just wasn't in it.  Maybe another day.

Stopped at Sonics and picked up some burgers and cheese poppers for dinner.  Not the healthiest but it was quick and easy.    And feeling frustrated and in shock after my appointment quick and easy was what I needed.

Am going to try not to worry too much.  Will call the doctor tomorrow.  This is when I wish I was home in Blaine with my eye surgeon who I know and trust.  Guess it is just time once again that I trust the Lord that He is in control in all this and that the doctors I am being directed too are the right ones for me.


Blog Address Change!!!!

Well I took the plunge and moved my blog over to WordPress! Below is the link to my blog. All of the blog posts I have written sinc...