Rehearsal for the big day!

The day before the wedding we loaded up what seemed like the entire house and headed the three hours to a beautiful part of Arkansas, almost as beautiful as the part we live in!

I must say the Days Inn in Mountain Home is most accommodating.  They were fantastic and let us do whatever we needed to to get ready! We were mixing up pasta salad in the lobby - wish I would have remembered the camera for that. (Picture is really small because I didn't take it)


We headed out to Lydia's Weddings for the rehearsal.

Everyone is trying to figure out where to go - Nick thinks the sun is too bright!

This is Michael escorting me to my seat.  Every picture someone took of me, I am in some awkward stage of moving.

Tyler being the ever dutiful cousin, holding Kaylyn's bag, yet maintaining his macho image (Captain Morgan pose).

My Dad and Granny look quite nice in their matching white. The great place about Lydia's Weddings, lots of places to sit!

Jim was being his usual self so I had to step in and make sure we got through this rehearsal in a timely manner.  Notice Tyler (filled in as groomsman during rehearsal).

Michael saying, "Whoa, slow down Abby!"
Brother of the groom and sister of the bride.  Abby got there a little late so Michael is explaining how things go. Her first time in a wedding and she was not quite versed in how things went, but she caught on fairly quickly and didn't trip once!


The rest of the night was a blur.  We drove an hour back west for the rehearsal dinner and then back an hour east to the hotel.  A little time by the pool with family and then to bed.  I am surprised I slept that night, but I did (only about 3 hours).

Family

It has been forever since I posted. Things have been a bit busy around our house. Our youngest daughter was married on July 9th and the two weeks prior to and the week after are just a blur.  Over the next week I will be posting different aspects about the event.

The first is Family.  Family can be that in which you are born into and that in which happens as a group bonds as family, that would be my church family.  Both were instrumental in making the wedding fantastic!

My sister, brother, sister-in-law and nephews went above and beyond in helping with the wedding.  They helped prep all the food, cook most of it and serve and clean-up all of it for the buffet dinner at the wedding.  I will be ever indebted to them all...still makes me tear up when I think about all they did.

My nephew, he was also one of the ring bears and runs the household most of the time!

The twin cousins - often mistaken for brother and sister. Tyler doesn't quite have the olive complexion Kaylyn (the bride) has, but they have the same noses and smile.

My brother, the chef, and all his minions.  Actually his wife, Jill, might be telling him how to cut the veggies.

It was a busy kitchen.  My sister, wearing the Razorback shirt, was sporting a new haircut. Jim is instructing the boys on something, though I am not sure it had to do with cutting veggies.

This all took place Thursday before the wedding.  We had another prep party at about 10pm that night and again early Friday morning.  We then packed up the house, so it seemed, and headed 3 hours away to the wedding venue.  A destination wedding in Arkansas!

To follow will be rehearsal and wedding day prep.

Mission Trip and Wedding

I am headed out this morning for a 5 day mission trip with the youth from our church.  We will be working with boys and girls at a children's home in a large city in our state, also doing handy-man work there.  Please pray for an awesome experience for the children and our youth.  May God work on all our hearts as we minister to the children and they to us.  I am praying for wisdom to shepherd our youth in their walk with Christ.  What a great opportunity for me to be a part of this.

It is just 19 days before Kaylyn and Jeffrey's wedding.  There are days when I feel like we have it all together and then nights when I lay awake thinking about what we don't have done.  I know it will be a beautiful day, praying for good weather as it is outside, and God will bless this marriage.  Hopefully a week focused on something else will help me sleep better!!

I will post pictures of the trip when I return this weekend. Also another shower for Kaylyn and Jeffrey on Sunday - will put up some pictures from that too.

Camping, Shower and Baptism

I guess maybe I should have named this post Water!!  All the things I am going to talk about relate to water!

Camping:

Jim and I spent a few days in Branson, camping.  We went to White Water and had a blast.  I even went down the Free fall drop slide.  This was only by mistake.  We were going to go down the mat racing slide, but realized too late that we needed a mat, sooo.....  I said lets go and we walked up two more flights of stairs and I went straight down the free fall.  I didn't even scream, just kept my eyes closed tight until I stopped.  It wasn't too bad, but I don't think I will do it again.

We had a great time and relaxing too, though it goes by fast.

Saturday I went to a Bridal Shower for Kaylyn and Jeffrey in Harrison that Lisa, Jeffrey's mom, hosted.  It was great to meet some wonderful Harrison folks.  Here is Jeffrey and Kaylyn working on opening the gifts.  Loved the gifts they got, I think Jim and I need to have a 30th anniversary shower to get new glasses, towels, etc!

The kids and moms.  One of the few pictures you will see of me, I am usually behind the camera and hate to have my picture taken.

The last thing to do with water is Baptism, the shower didn't really have water but shower - water you get it!  Today we celebrated a baptism of a young lady in our church. It was at a friend of ours Mill Pond, old grain mill on the river.  What a blessing to celebrate this special day with her.

Before

During

 Coming up out of the Water - Baptized

All those there to share the moment with her! FUMC Youth!

What a joy to be present at this!  God is good all the time!

Memorial Day

I don't like to post without pictures, but I just had to put something here about our school district's Memorial Day celebration.  Because of all the snow and missed days in January and February, we went to school on Memorial Day this year.  It was that or go to school on Monday of next week and no one wanted to do that.  So... in order to celebrate Memorial Day and use it as a moment to teach the students about what it means, our school district had a District wide assembly on the football field.  We had the stands decorated in red, white and blue as well as the students.  Kiwanis handed out flags to everyone attending.

The celebration started off with a moment of silence and then all who had served or were serving in the armed forces were asked to stand, then those who had a relative who was or had served were asked to stand.  This was the amazing part - over 80% of the people there that day were standing.  I hadn't realized how the day impacted so many lives just in our small community.  Next was the Pledge of Allegiance. Our superintendent then explained to all why we celebrated Memorial Day, its not just a day to go to the lake.  We had our mayor, county judge, and state representative speak also.  Our High School Band played the Star Spangled Banner and other patriotic songs.

Another amazing moment was when the crowd gave a standing ovation two brothers who graduated from our school and are attending the Air Force Academy in Colorado Spring. They were there to speak to the crowd also.  What a proud moment for our school and me, I was youth leader for those boys when they were younger.  Brought a tear to many an eye as the crowd cheered for them.

The celebration was such a success, that we are looking at making it an annual event (though we don't plan on going to school on that day every year).  I am so thankful God put me where He did, in a community that praises Him and celebrates our country!

PS - I didn't take pictures because Dude Look Like a Lady and I were running the sound and had had a busy time getting it going that morning!

Empty Nest??

It is been over a week since I have been able to sit down at the computer.  I have been knitting like crazy and we have been gone from home every weekend.

This past weekend our soon to be son-in-law graduated from college!  We are very proud of him, especially since he started a new job on Wednesday!

The proud parents and in-laws!

I finished my first KAL and mystery project.  It is a beautiful shawl.  I don't have a picture yet of the finished project. Just finished blocking it and did wear it to church this morning.  I love the pattern and can't wait to make another.

When we were down in Russellville for graduation, my daughters and I went to a wonderful yarn shop.  Knit 2 Together! Stephanie is wonderful and it felt like being at home.  I got some Flounce yarn to make a scarf for Kaylyn and myself, some Classic Elite Lush for some neck scarves I am giving as retirement gifts and some yarn for a tobogan hat for Abby.  I can't wait to go back again in a few months.  I will post pictures in a bit when youngest daughter, Kaylyn is willing to model for me!

She found time to model.  This is her Flouncy scarf, this was so fun and fast to knit. Love it! Going to start mine soon.

 This is the Posh Neck Scarf  pattern.  I made three of these for retirement gifts.  Another quick gift idea.

As empty nesting goes, come July we will no longer have any kids coming home over breaks or during the summer.  Sooooo.... I decided it was time for another addition to the family, a four legged addition.  I put the bug in Jim's ear that it was time for a dog again in the house, it has been almost 6 years without one.  I had found several online at the shelter, but made him go because I would try to come home with all of them - I just couldn't pick one and not the others...so after a few visits he brought one home.

We decided to name him Joey because he looks like a baby kangaroo and actually jumps across the back yard when he is chasing something.  He is about a year old and is house trained.  Still likes to chew things, especially my yarn balls.  We have had to rewind a few skeins already.  Jim did a good job, he and the dog are both keepers!

What is that bright thing in the sky?

The sun if finally shining after being missing for almost a week and a half. I had to take a picture of the woods with the sun shining through!

With all the rain, I have been able to knit quite a bit.  All Sunday afternoon I sat and knitted while Jim read.  We are boring like that sometimes, guess we need to enjoy it before grandkids come along...

This is the mystery KAL I have been working on.  I get a part of the pattern once a week and I have no idea what it will look like finished, but I am loving it so far.

With everything happening in the world right now, destruction, death and devastation; this thought came to me:

• We have two choices today: 1. Dwell on what what others have done to us and we can't change. Or 2. Dwell on Christ who strengthens us! I am going with number 2.
• God created us all to live as one body in Christ - even the birds!

'nuf said!