6.19.2011

Happy Father's Day

First I want to say thank you to my sweet husband for being such an amazing Dad to our two children. He gave them so much love and taught them so many life lessons through the years and continues to watch over them and support them...He is good Daddy! I am so blessed to be his wife and to have enjoyed that journey of parenthood along beside him. He is also a wonderful granddad...his grands love him!!!

I also want to thank two young fathers, Zach and David. Thank you for the way you love your wives, which is a HUGE example to your young children. Thank you for supporting your family...in all sorts of ways...financially, physically and most importantly, spiritually.  Thank you not only being involved in a church yourself, but showing them how important that is for them as well. Thank you for being a spiritual leader in your home. Thank you for allowing your wives to be stay at home wives, not always an easy job, but one of the most important things you can give your kids, your wife, yourself!

Thank you for loving on those precious kids, playing with them, being there for them and for also teaching them life lessons all along the way. We love you, pray for you daily and want you to know how much we appreciate you!!!!


Zach showing off Will to Owen, Clay and Larry


David holding Emma

6.14.2011

A little getaway...

Larry and I escaped from Abilene last week. The good thing is we got away, the bad thing is we weren't able to find cooler weather. I am so very thankful for the a/c in the pop up camper. If you know us very well, you know we are neither big fans of the heat. Why do we live in Texas? Hmm...good question! Normally we will escape to cooler country, but this week off came up very quickly and we made a quick and maybe not so smart decision to go to Broken Bow, OK to Beaver Bend State Park. Larry had been to this area when he and Zach took a fly-fishing trip there once...when Zach turned 16. So, a few years ago! Also, they went in November. November would be a better choice. Actually, I think September or October would be a good choice...there are lots and lots of trees...and thus I am sure the changing of colors would be incredible. Plus, fewer campers. This probably sounds like we are camping snobs. We don't mean to be, we just don't like a campground that is crawling with people. We go to get away...to enjoy nature noises...not people noises. Are we snobs? If so, I apologize. Camping to us is all about cool weather, quietness, enjoying God's country, hiking and fishing. You can do all of that at Beaver Bend, but in the summer it is HOT, HUMID, LOUD and they don't practice "Leave No Trace" there. They may try, but they aren't winning the battle. Larry and I were both so discouraged with the amount of trash that was left by the streams and rivers. Come on people, if you haul in a six-pack to keep you company while you fish, that is your business, but really...it was a lot heavier to hike in with it then it would have been to hike out with your 6 or 12 empty beer cans. OKAY, I am now stepping off my soap box. Sorry...I was really just going to post some pictures of our trip. This is a beautiful area---tall trees, lots of variety of trees and some pretty rivers (minus the trash!). We did not have good luck fishing but I did get THREE books read while we were there. That is more books than I have read all year. I love to read and was reminded on this trip of just how much I love to read. I wish I could be a disciplined reader...like have a book around my house that I pick up and read a chapter or two a day. But bottom line is, if it is good...I am worthless. I just want to read. :) I will post the book titles on another entry...just in case anyone is looking for some good reads.  Now, on to some of the fun "snaps" I took last week.

My sweet fly-fishing buddy

A red headed woodpecker-that was CRAZY loud and we laughed so hard at the amount of wood that fell on our campsite by this little guy...he was busy!!!
Hiking buddies

Can't you just imagine this with all the trees in blazing fall colors...ahhh.
 Pretty little water falls
 TALL trees-don't you like how I tried to give you a visual of really how tall the trees were!
I was intrigued by all the rock formations...layers upon layers of rock. Pretty cool!