The Maypearl Pipes

Italy Football Game

2011-08-27T11:52:00.001-05:00

The Italy game didn't go well for the team. One of the Italy players broke his leg too. Maybe the next game will go better.

Friday Night in Italy

2011-08-27T11:36:00.001-05:00

Lynne and I ate supper at the BBQ place in Italy before the game Friday night. It was pretty good but I've had better.

Christmas Morning 2010

2010-12-25T16:03:00.010-06:00

Santa came! Santa came! Of course, the boys were still asleep so we had to go wake them up. They don't get as excited about getting up early for presents on Christmas morning as they used to.
They boys opened their stockings first. And no, they weren't in the stocking, they wouldn't fit.

Lynne played elf and handed out the gifts.
Mom likes tape so Jesse had to get the scissors out.
Andy decided he didn't need scissors and did it by hand.
Don't worry Will it won't bite!
All 3 boys got ITunes cards from Santa.
Lynne isn't too sure about this gift from Will...
but it was just a candy dish he got at the youth Christmas party. We had a great time with the boys and enjoyed our Christmas morning together.

I cleaned several train videos off my old cell phone when I got my new phone

2010-09-25T18:01:00.003-05:00

Miss Marcy at the Alligator Cafe in Dallas

2010-09-15T17:11:00.005-05:00

On Friday, September 3rd, Lynne and I went to The Alligator Cafe to eat some cajun food. Luckily for us, Miss Marcy was there that night to perform. The Cafe has live music on Thurs-Sat night.
The food was great as usual. And this time the music was great also! I shot some video with our camera but the audio is not that great. Go to Miss Marcy's web site for some better audio and to order her CD.

The Flipped Camper

2010-08-18T16:21:00.003-05:00

We headed to Belton last Sunday to take Andy back to UMHB. We were supposed to meet MiMi and PaPa at 11:30 for lunch at Cracker Barrel but we got caught in a traffic jam just outside of Troy, Tx. An hour later Lynne took this video as we drove past the scene. That will ruin a vacation quick. I like how at the end of the video it looks like our car rolls over!

Frenkie's Italian Restaurant in Hillsboro

2010-07-26T19:19:00.015-05:00

Last Saturday Lynne and I went to Hillsboro for lunch. We decided on Frenkie's Italian Restaurant on the square.
The waiter met us at the door to take us to a table. I think it's a good sign when the waiter's Italian accent is so thick you have trouble understanding him. Must be my Texas ears.

We got fresh baked bread with our salad before the food arrived.
Lynne got a Stromboli. It looked very good and half of it got taken home.
I went for the basic Spaghetti with Meatballs. Very good also. The meatballs were nice and spicy. We definitely got full.
After we ate we went across the street and took pictures of the Hill County Courthouse.
It's a beautiful building. They did a great job rebuilding it after the fire.
The bell that was in the tower when it burned is on display in the yard.

We then drove a couple of blocks over and visited the old depot. The Chamber of Commerce resides here now. Lynne talked to the lady working inside while I took a few pictures around the building.

Kolache Depot Bakery in Ennis

2010-07-15T17:20:00.014-05:00

Last Saturday morning we were sitting around the house wondering what we could do for the day. So I got on the internet to see where we could go eat lunch. Ennis isn't too far away so I looked on their Chamber of Commerce website to see if they had and restaurants listed.

The Kolache Depot Bakery was listed on the site. It looked like the kind of place Lynne would like, so we loaded up the car and headed for Ennis. It's on Brown St one block south of the main drag. We parked across the street by City Hall and walked over to eat.
This is the alley next to the building. Old alleyways can be very interesting.

There wasn't much of a crowd this Saturday morning. Two or three other tables were occupied. The older people at one table were just sitting there talking and drinking coffee. They were there when we got there, and there when we left.

Notice Jesse trying to get out of the picture.

Above is my meal. I had the BLT and a cup of Chicken Enchilada Soup. The bread on the sandwich was fresh made that morning and was wonderful. The soup had great flavor too. It took awhile but I did finish all of it.
Lynne had the Reuben Sandwich and a bowl of Baked Potato Soup. She said that both were excellent. Jesse just had a big bowl of the Potato Soup, he couldn't finish all of it. Will had a hamburger, with a fresh baked bun. You can check out the menu on their website to see what other good things they have.
The wall was covered with different names. The waiter said they are the names of the local Czech families.
We went home through Bardwell and saw this field of sunflowers on the way. It was a fun day out and we enjoyed the time in Ennis.

Saturday Morning Tomato Harvest

2010-06-12T10:39:00.001-05:00

We went to the garden and picked tomatos this morning.

Coach John Wooden was a good example for all of us.

2010-06-08T16:46:00.000-05:00

Oil

2010-05-26T17:19:00.000-05:00

I think my Saturn my leak this much.

Hate Car Payments?

2010-05-21T15:46:00.001-05:00

The Alligator Cafe

2010-05-01T20:20:00.008-05:00

Lynne and I went to The Alligator Cafe in Dallas tonight. She has the same pictures on her blog and you can read her comments there.

We arrived for an early supper so we didn't get to see the live blues performance. I believe Hash Brown was going to be there that night. The building is not that impressive from the outside. We agreed that it looked like an old Jack-in-the Box or some other fast food place.
These first 2 pictures are my meal. Above is the Chicken & Andoullie Gumbo that I ordered. It was fabulous! The best gumbo I've ever had. Below is the fried chicken Po'Boy. It too was excellent. The spices on the chicken were just right.
Above is Lynne's crawfish enchiladas. She said those were excellent too. The dirty rice and the beans were seasoned just right.
The Chef came out of the kitchen right after we got the food and gave each of us a slice of sweet potato and pecan pie. We had already ordered desserts but he just wanted us to try it. Now, I don't like sweet potato, but this was wonderful. All the ingredients blended together and made a great pie.
Above is Lynne's bread pudding. I thought she was going to melt when she put the first bite into her mouth. I won't say what she said it was better than.
Above is my banana pudding. It has to rank as one of the best I've ever had in my life. Real whipped cream on top by the way.
After over an hour of enjoying the great food we agreed that the food was some of the best Cajun food we've ever had. As we drove toward downtown Dallas and then home we were making plans for who we could bring with us the next time we visit.

Your Lilypad may be used as a flotation device.

2010-04-22T16:13:00.002-05:00

Chico and the Skunk

2010-04-10T17:12:00.001-05:00

Flowers around the house

2010-04-06T17:35:00.004-05:00

Easter 2010

2010-04-05T17:19:00.004-05:00

Lynne got her way and got all 5 of us to pose for a picture this year. And we're actually all smiling.
After lunch we went out to hunt Easter eggs in GranPa's yard. Lynne helped corral the kids at the starting line.

GranPa helped with the hunt.

The entire family got involved in the hunt. It was an enjoyable day for everyone.

T&P Building

2010-01-14T16:42:00.009-06:00

After we rode the TRE for the nieces 3rd birthday, we checked out the lobby of the old T&P building in downtown Ft Worth.

Bald Eagle?

2009-12-24T16:19:00.003-06:00

As I drove by the lake in Cleburne today I was watching the waves crash against the shore when a large bird that had been sitting on the shore took flight. It was larger than a buzzard and had a white tail and head. I said to myself, "Oh my gosh! It's a Bald Eagle!". I pulled over as quick as I could, grabbed my camera and took a picture. He had already flown a good distance away so it's not a great picture. But it still looks like a Bald Eagle to me. Click on the picture to get a better view.

Videos from the Christmas band concert

2009-12-18T17:03:00.002-06:00

The Castor Bean Plant After The Freeze

2009-12-05T16:58:00.002-06:00

Before...

After.

Thanksgiving at GranMa and GranPa's

2009-11-28T08:46:00.010-06:00

There were several cooks in the kitchen after we arrived. GranMa had been up early and gotten just about everything ready for lunch.

Jesse didn't want his picture taken.

But then I tricked him. They were busy putting food on the table while GranPa finished the mashed potatoes.
Aunt Sue wasn't there this year to mold the potatoes into a model of Devils Tower, so Jesse made us a volcano. We did go home that night and watch Close Encounters of the Third Kind so the boys would know why Aunt Sue does that. Aunt Sue had a pretty lame excuse for missing the Thanksgiving meal this year. She was laying on some beach in the Virgin Islands.
We watched the Thanksgiving Parade and saw Kermit the Frog.
When the spread was all laid out it was time to eat!
The steam rising off the dressing made Jesse's volcano appear to be smoking.
I think Andy has this same goofy expression in every picture I've taken of him at a family meal. At least Will is holding his Mom's hand and ready for the prayer.
The food was great and I got stuffed. After we finished eating, Jesse remolded the potatoes into the white cliffs of Dover. Aunt Sue may have competition in the mashed potato sculpting. We'll have to have 2 bowls next time she's there too.

Big Red Ants

2009-11-24T10:19:00.003-06:00

There is a big red ant mound in MiMi and PaPa's front yard. When I was a kid these beds were all over. I think the fire ants ran them off.

Playoff football game in Glen Rose

2009-11-18T16:03:00.019-06:00

The Maypearl football team made it into the playoffs and had a game last Saturday in Glen Rose. The band would be playing, and since we have 2 boys in the band we decided to go be supportive parents. Of course we had to stop and eat BBQ before we headed to the game. It was very good and the big slice of chocolate pie I had with it wasn't bad either. We then headed toward the football field via the scenic route. We stopped first at Big Rocks Park.
There are a lot of big rocks in Big Rock Park, I wonder where they got the name? The Paluxy River was flowing with cool water that day.
There was a group of guys there playing with, I mean driving their RC cars on the rocks. Doing a little rock crawling. You can see a video of that in the next post down.
No one was playing in the water that day, it was a little cool. We did see one guy in flip flops wade in. Now to head to the football field, after we stop downtown.
The Somervell County courthouse has a nice sculpture in front. Lynne flirted with the old man selling vegetables on the square and got a bunch for free.
There is a dinosaur track in the side of the pavilion in front of the courthouse. We need to make a trip to the state park sometimes to see some more. OK, time to go to the football game.
We got there a little before halftime. McGregor was home and Maypearl was on the visitor side.
The cheerleaders and the panther were leading cheers, getting the crowd fired up.
I though of Uncle Alan when I saw these guys. They had a pretty good setup down there.

Doesn't the band look excited. This was a slow moment. We were there to support them though!
We tricked Jesse into looking at the camera for this picture.
Alright, time to stop messing around and start the dramatic comeback. The season ended about 38 seconds after I took this picture.
Maypearl had a good crowd of fans there to support them.

The teams shook hands after the game,

the cheerleaders kept cheering,

and everyone sang the school song as the season came to a close.

RC cars at Big Rocks Park in Glen Rose

2009-11-16T20:28:00.003-06:00

These guys looked like they were having a lot of fun.

Buttercup is still with us

2009-10-31T10:27:00.001-05:00

Well, Chico hasn't killed her yet. Although she probably thinks he's gotten close a few times. She has to learn that you don't mess with Chico's food. He really doesn't like that.

My Castor Bean Plant

2009-10-20T15:36:00.005-05:00

I thought I'd put up a picture of me and my castor bean plant. It's gotten pretty big since I planted it in the spring.
These are the beans on one of the plants. Two of the plants have beans.
These pictures are a couple of weeks old. The plants are actually a little taller now.

Will and Jesse's Band Performance From 10-9-9

2009-10-16T16:18:00.002-05:00

Here is the performance from last week. I focused on Will and Jesse so you can't see much of the rest of the band.

Maypearl vs Godley, 10-9-9

2009-10-10T10:50:00.002-05:00

We went and watched the girls play volleyball for awhile before we went to sit in the cold football stands.
We were playing the Godley Wildcats that night. They are a good team and ended up beating us pretty bad.
With my little point and shoot camera it's difficult to get action shots in low light conditions. But here are a couple of the pictures I took during the game anyway.

The Godley band was pretty good. They are a large 2a school so they have a few more members in their band than we do. You can see Maypearl's band perform in the videos above. We got cold after halftime, so we came home. I don't know the final score but Godley won.

Bob Smiley and Tim Hawkins Concert

2009-10-02T20:18:00.009-05:00

Last Saturday night we went to Arlington to see Bob Smiley and Tim Hawkins in "concert". I guess that's what you would call it. Of course we had to go eat first. We rode with the Inmans and ate at Spring Creek BBQ.
A couple of other couples met us there. That's Laurie's plate above. You should have seen her gnawing on those bone, the whole thing was rather barbaric.

Wood.

The concert was at The MetroCenter at Fielder Road Baptist Church. This is a really nice facility. It's like a concert hall inside.
Their were several families from Church who all got tickets together. Some of them tried to turn away as I took their picture (Lynne). I was to busy laughing during the concert to worry about getting a good picture but I did snap a couple of quick shots. They're a little blurry, but you get the idea.

Bob Smiley

Tim Hawkins

The place was full and everyone had a great time. If you ever get a chance to see either of these guys you should.
Of course we had to get some doughnuts before we headed back to the Pearl.

Tim Hawkins Video Clip

2009-10-02T15:50:00.002-05:00

I'm hoping to put up some pictures of our trip to see Tim Hawkins last weekend. If you've never seen him there is a short clip above. You can find many more on YouTube.

Friday Night Football 9-25-2009

2009-09-28T19:12:00.009-05:00

The Marching Pride is entering the stadium preparing to strut their stuff.
I was wondering where the bells were when I realized that Will was actually marching past me with a bass drum. I just happen to catch him in this shot.
The team and cheerleaders standing at attention for the national anthem.
Will just hanging out admist the drums.
This is Yola's grandbaby. I was practicing taking pictures and got this cute one of him smiling.
This was the night that Maypearl was trying to win a spirit contest sponsored by The Ranch 106.9 radio station. The cheerleaders used their pompoms to spell out MHS loves 106.9.
I knew that Jeff was wishing he could be there so I took shots of the score board every time a score was made.

Will was intent on his music. He did a great job. He was actually testing out the bells and making sure that they were set right.

Birds of a Feather

2009-09-28T19:05:00.000-05:00

The cattle egrets were enjoying the full pond the other day.

Antique Alley in Maypearl

2009-09-19T14:19:00.020-05:00

Lynne went grocery shopping in Waxahachie this morning. On her way how she saw sign that said, "Antique Alley- Waxahachie to Cleburne". I guess the event is getting "longer". I went back to Maypearl with her when she got home so we could look around. We parked on the street in front of Davids and walked over to the bank parking lot for the car show.
This is a Hupmobile. I was talking to Coach Ellis about it and he said it is only one of four still in existence. It's a pretty rare car.

I like that red and white Corvette.
I think these were my two favorite cars at the show. They are real Hot Rods. Made by the guys that drive them from whatever parts they could find. I've heard them called "Rat Rods" by some people.
This is the interior of one of the cars. It looks like your rear end would be sitting about 6 inches off the pavement in this thing.
This is the other end of the spectrum. High gloss paint and well polished. I would, of course, drive this too.
Flame close-up.
Here is an overview of the parking lot. A lot of nice steel at the bank today.
There were several people set up down town as well as several shops open to sell.
This building had been remodeled recently and was opened for sellers to use. It's also for lease if anyone is interested.
The plaza was set up with a bounce house for the kids, several booths, and a live band.
The band was set up at the back of the plaza. They started playing just before we left.
The Mercantile was open in the old bank building also.
The feed store was open too.

Fall Flood 2009

2009-09-19T14:09:00.005-05:00

We took these pictures Sunday night on the way home from Church. According to the news, it rained almost 10 inches in Maypearl over the previous 3 days.
Our car had a bad tire so we had borrowed the Excursion for a few days. It had plenty of ground clearance to make it through this little puddle.

Maypearl Homecoming 2009- Video #2

2009-09-14T16:27:00.001-05:00

This was the beginning of the second half.

Maypearl Homecoming 2009- Video #1

2009-09-12T16:19:00.001-05:00

This was in the parking lot before the game. But the rest of the game was pretty much the same way.

Fight Song Video

2009-09-01T16:21:00.002-05:00

I started recording late so I missed the beginning of the song.

Meet The Panther

2009-09-01T15:51:00.009-05:00

Last night was "Meet the Panther" night at the football field. The band had to be there a little early to set up on the field. They didn't bother to roll out the vibraphone, so Will played the cymbals and Jesse just had to stand and look good. Will is in the picture above and Jesse in the one below (it's like 'Where's Waldo').

Sierra J sang the national anthem before all the teams were announced. She did an excellent job.
They announced the administrators and the coaches first. They are lined up on the track in the above photo.
Coach Farda MC'd the event. He looked good, getting his strength back.
Brooke M, our youth ministers daughter, is the panther this year. She got to dance around the field with the cheerleaders.
There's all the athletes on the field with the band.
The band finished the night with the school song and the fight song. I'll upload a short video of the fight song later.

Moving Day

2009-08-17T15:10:00.012-05:00

Well, Sunday was the day for our little boy (he's a junior already) to load up and head back to UMHB. So we loaded up the truck and we moved to Beverly... Hills that is... No wait. It was the Excursion and we were going to Belton.
When we got there he had several friends to help haul stuff up to the room. Above is Ash, Andy, Pancho, and somebody elses Dad (he wasn't helping us).
Aren't we glad they grow up and mature so much when they go off to college?
The girls started putting things away in the kitchen. That is woman's work after all. Actually, Ash was making a sopapilla cheese cake for everyone. I wish I had a girlfriend who could cook. Oh wait, I do!
This is Andy's room. It just screams college dorm.
Wait a minute, they get a washer and dryer? And they don't have to put quarters in them? I guess for what school costs now days you get this kind of treatment.
There's my girlfriend! It's the Momma making sure all her baby's things are put away properly.
Even Jesse carried stuff in without complaining. Bah-hahahaha.
The crew got final instructions from the Momma before we headed of into the sunset. It will be interesting to see how well these college boys do buying groceries, cooking and cleaning for themselves.

Get a haircut!

Water Lilly

2009-08-07T20:54:00.001-05:00

The water lilly in our fishpond was blooming this morning.

Helping Missions

2009-07-28T20:01:00.002-05:00

There is a couple from our Church who will be heading to Ecuador to do mission work. There is a fund raiser at the Chick-fil-a in Waxahachie on August 1st. They get a dollar for every meal you buy. Pick up a voucher from them at the store before you order. They also have a web site so you can follow their work. Click on this sentence to visit the site.

Our trip to the Cats game

2009-06-24T18:13:00.018-05:00

We went to the Cats game a few Fridays ago. We had seats on the third base side, front row. I drew a circle around Lynne and the boys in the picture above. The game was supposed to start about 7:30, but we had a one hour rain delay.
The grounds crew put the tarp on the field and staked it down so it wouldn't blow away.
We stayed in our seats for awhile, but when the lightning got more frequent we went up under the roof for protection.
Most people where up there too. The lightning show was as good as the fireworks after the game.
Once the storm passed they took the tarp off the field and we got ready to play ball!
Jae Jung was the pitcher on the night we were there. He pitched the entire game for the Cats.
We had a great view of the game, and of the sun shining on the downtown buildings. We only had to duck once for a foul ball.
They pulled kids out of the stands and dressed them up as dots for the dot race. Here is one of the kids crossing the finish line.
Dodger, the cats mascot, gave Lynne a high five after he came in last in the dot race. I didn't get a picture of that but here he is on top of the dugout leading the cheering. Miss Texas was there to sing "God Bless America" during the seventh inning stretch. Next time you see Andy ask him about their "relationship".
The Cats ended up winning the game 1-6. It was a lot of fun and the cool breeze off the thunderstorm felt great.
We stayed for the fireworks after the game and then headed home. Hope we go back soon!

Orange Sunset

2009-06-24T17:46:00.003-05:00

My Castor Plant

2009-06-08T15:31:00.004-05:00

I planted some Castor beans this year just to see what they would do. The plants are almost 3 feet tall now. You can see from the picture below with my hand in it how big the leaves are getting.

The Amon Carter Museum

2009-05-30T19:44:00.009-05:00

We took a trip to FtWorth today to soak up some culture. Kinda like Ma and Pa Kettle go to town. We visited the Amon Carter Museum.

The Colonial Golf Tournament was going on in town so we could see the blimp over the golf course.

2009-05-28T15:18:00.001-05:00

I just set up Mobile blogging from my cell phone and wanted to check to see if it worked.

Links to the Band Performances

2009-05-27T16:25:00.003-05:00

Lean On Me- Maypearl 7th Grade Band

Brandy Station March- Maypearl 7th Grade Band

A Compilation of Disney Tunes- Maypearl High School Band

Brandon playing the marimba

Theater Arts Banquet

2009-05-26T16:37:00.006-05:00

We went to the High School the other night for Will's Theater Arts Banquet. He played Tommy Knackers in the performance.
Here he is with his "girlfriend" Darby, the possible heir to a fortune.
Everyone was shocked when the killer was revealed! The play was very funny and we had a good steak dinner.
Here is Will getting the award for "Best Toilet King" for his performance in "Beowolf on a Budget".
His friend David got the "Best Head Injury" award.

Spring Band Concert

2009-05-26T16:32:00.003-05:00

The pictures are blurry but at least I got some this time. The concert was in the Gym this time and went alot quicker than on the stage. All the bands were already set up so there was no changing out on stage.
I'll get some video up on YouTube later.

Fire Hall Update

2009-05-26T16:28:00.003-05:00

They got all the metal on the new fire hall in Maypearl. They started putting up rock and brick now. I'll get a picture of that later.

National Train Day

2009-05-10T16:12:00.003-05:00

In case you missed it, yesterday was National Train Day. There is some celebration today, but I can't remember what that is.

Proof That Lynne Loves Us

2009-04-30T19:44:00.000-05:00

She made her boys some cookies.

Phoebe Pheeding Time and Phlying

2009-04-24T14:21:00.003-05:00

The Phoebe nest outside of our living room window has been full of activity for the past couple of weeks.

We realized the other day that there were FIVE baby birds in the nest. No wonder the parents were constantly flying back and forth with fresh insects.

The day after I took that last video there were only 2 babies left in the nest when I got home from work. By sundown the nest was empty. Life goes on.

Lynne's New Blog

2009-04-23T14:54:00.002-05:00

Lynne now has her own place where she can express her thoughts. To go to her new blog click right here.

What I Like

2009-04-21T18:06:00.002-05:00

I love spring! The flowers and trees are in bloom and everything is pretty and green and there are baby birds hatching, baby animals being born, and it seems like everything comes to life. What i hate about this time of year is the fact that I am stuck inside. We are currently in preparation for the dreaded TAKS test.
I am notorious for taking my kids outside for lessons because we are all a little stir crazy this time of year. I love teaching them outside. They seem to pay attention just a little more and they do retain what they learn out there. I think that kids should have a class outside periodically because they get the fresh air and the beauty of God's creations.
As things start stressing me out this time of year, I tend to take lots of walks and most importantly, I bake. My oldest son came in the last two weeks with friends and I have fixed more cookies and sopapilla cheesecakes in that time than in the last year. But it is my therapy. I know that out of my baking, people will be happy and satisfied. That makes me happy. Happy mom means happy home.

Local Contruction

2009-04-20T14:28:00.006-05:00

The first picture is across the street from the Post Office in Cleburne. They are building a new performing arts center and these cranes have been lifting the walls and the steel into place for a couple of weeks. The next contruction project is not on that large a scale.
The second picture is of the new fire station in Maypearl. The old station downtown was really cramped and the trucks were parked two deep inside. This new building has plenty of room for the trucks and storage space.

My Midlife Stage

2009-04-16T12:21:00.004-05:00

This is Lynne. I leave the picture posting to Jeff so if the post is pictureless then it is me writing. I think I am at the midlife stage. I wouldn't call it a crisis. I wouldn't call it bad. I am just restless. I want to travel more than anything. I am craving it, I read about it, dream about it, and constantly think about it. Unfortunately, I married a "I am perfectly happy to stay at home and not deal with people" kind of person. I respect that because there are times when I am content to be at home and not around people. I am around people all day. I do understand. But... There are places, things, and adventures that scream at me to come find and experience.
I really did contemplate just going on my own and traveling some but there are a couple of reasons I haven't. One, money. It is probably the biggest reason. Two, I would feel guilty. It is something that God puts into Moms so that they don't venture far from home when there are still kids in the house. Sigh.
I am jealous of Andy and Jeff because they have gotten to go to Washington DC and see things that I can only dream about. I keep hearing that someday we will go there. Unfortunately, Will and Jesse are growing up and I really don't want to wait until they are out of the house. I want them to experience this with me. I have threatened to just take the boys and go on my own. Lauren has been to Turkey and Peru, Andy has been to Thailand, Melanie has been to Africa, Jeff's parents have been all over the US, and even my own parents have been to Hawaii. I did get to go to California in November and I clung to every second of it because I knew this was my shot at getting to go there.
You know in my last blog, I talked about "should haves". This is the point in my life that I don't want to look back and say "I should have done this or I should have done that." I want to just do it. No "should haves".
For now, I will just have to dream, think, crave, and wish about the places I want to go. Oh, the places I want to go.....

Tribute to Pop Roen

2009-04-12T23:50:00.002-05:00

Hi, this is Lynne again. I have been told I write too much but that is just the way I am so...sorry.
The day I was suppose to move into UMHB, my parents and I attended FBC, Belton. We had gotten to Belton the night before because it was a 5 hour drive and we were all excited about me going to college. Anyway, the first person we met upon walking in the door of FBC was this wonderful, grandfatherly man named Arnold Roen. He greeted us with enthusiasm and warmth. He also reminded me of my granddaddy back home. FBC had a program at the time where families in the church adopted college students so that the students would have a place they could call home away from home. Arnold Roen took one look at me and said that I was going to be his new daughter. I wasn't even sure if this was going to be my church home but that didn't matter to him. He went right then and signed me up as his adopted daughter. I thought "okay" and went on. That night after my parents left, the church had a social for all the college kids where they talked about the adoption program. It was then that I met Arnold's wonderful wife, Georgia. They immediately told me that they would pick me up on Saturday and I was to bring my laundry with me. (At that time we had to pay to wash and dry our laundry). I knew in just that short time, I had connected with two great people.
That first Saturday, they came to pick me up and upon arriving at their home, I was greeted by most of their family. We had lunch together and Georgia snuck off and washed and dried my clothes for me before I knew it. It was during this day that I came to refer to them as Mom and Pop Roen. Every Saturday I was at the college, they came and got me and my laundry and I would spend the day with them. Sometimes with their family, sometimes with their friends, but always with them.
Pop loved to garden and many times I would go outside and help him weed the vegetables or flowers while he shared stories of his past with me. I played with his granddaughters on occasion, and visited with his daughters. Mom taught me how to cook some very tasty dishes and they even helped me with homework. Their daughter graciously made my formal dress for the Miss UMHB pageant.
Mom and Pop made my years at UMHB bearable. They were my grandparents that I missed. My grandmother died during my freshman year and they were right there while I talked about it. They listened and gave advice that stayed with me even now.
Over the years since I graduated, I have sent a few cards and letters. I think about them all the time but there never seems to be time to stop and visit. Actually, the last time I think we visited them, my oldest son was maybe a year old. As we have driven through Belton over the years, I would think that it would be nice to stop and see how Mom and Pop were doing. But, we were either in a hurry or had an agenda that had to be done. This is what I call a "should have". It was a feeling that I should have acted on but didn't.
Today I took my oldest back to school because of car problems and as I was getting ready to leave Belton, I turned left instead of right. I drove out towards Temple trying to remember the name of a street. All the sudden the street name was right there and I had thought about Mom and Pop. I had this overwhelming urge to go see them right at that moment. So without hesitating I turned on to their street and amazingly drove right to their house. I was hoping they still lived there.
I knocked on the door and Mom opened it. She smiled and as tears ran down her cheeks she said, "I was just thinking about you." I asked how she was and she said, "I am doing better than I thought I would but I miss him so much." My heart broke. She then realized that I had not been told but Pop had died on April 5th. He had developed a heart condition 2 years prior and instead of having a life threatening surgery, he decided to live life to the fullest until Jesus called him home. She shared some things with me and we caught up on the family and then I left. I cried a good part of the way home because I had so many "should haves" going through my mind. Pop never knew that I had 3 boys, what they looked like, who they were becoming, and things that had happened in our lives. I had let "things" get in the way of keeping them updated. Mom Roen stated that there was no room for "should haves" because they were needless weights. She is right.
Pop Roen was 90 years old when he died and had lived a full and happy life, not only that he had been married to Mom Roen for 63 years. He had a lovely obituary written in the Temple paper. He was delightful, funny, interesting, knowledgable, wise, and a great man. He will be missed here on earth.

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

2009-04-10T15:43:00.002-05:00

Those of you not from North Central Texas may not have heard about the grass fires in our area yesterday. The fires closest to us were two counties away but we could see and smell the smoke.

The things that happen in my life

2009-04-10T11:56:00.006-05:00

Hi! This is Lynne again. This week has been interesting. On Tuesday we were fortunate to have another niece join our family. Sue Ellen had another baby girl--Rebekah and she is just precious. It was a high point for my day since we had been doing state testing at school all day and I was drained. Before that, the following happened and it might explain why my week was interesting.
I love teaching Language. I taught it for 2 years before some changes were made in the district and I ended up going back into Special Ed. All this year I have grumbled to Jeff and whoever else would listen about how I wanted to teach Language and go back to this thing I love to teach. In March, positions were posted of upcoming openings at the school. There as plain as day were 2 no 3 Language openings. I had people telling me about them constantly. I knew about them but somehow, something kept me from applying for them. It was like I couldn't bring myself to do it. One day, some things happened at school and I realized that I couldn't leave my kids in the Special Ed department because I had to be their super hero (Note that there should be a "dum dum dum" kind of sound about now) "The Defender". I had complete peace about this. A couple of weeks later a Language position came open at my campus and I got really excited. I decided to apply.
Now, my computer is set up so that my word icon is 3rd from the top so that I can just click and go. Well, I knew I had to write a letter of intent for the position but for the life of me, I couldn't find my word program. It was not anywhere on that computer. I looked and looked and then I heard a very clear "NO!" Not once but twice. I stopped and as I was processing the fact that someone said "NO!" I had a brief thought about defending people. I realized that (cue music) "The Defender" could not take another position yet. Instant peace. I emailed my principal and told her that I was NOT going to apply for the position and when I clicked send, I suddenly found my word program. It was like it just re-appeared.
It was God. That is all it was plain and simple. People think I am nuts but we all knew that anyway. But here is the deal. The voice I heard was clear. It was just like someone in the room with me. There was no physical human in that room with me, the door was shut, and so therefore I know that God was tired of me being wishy-washy and gripey and just came right out and told me the answer. No beating around the bush.
The peace that I have had since that time is nice. I know that it will not be an easy road because satan hates when we do what God tells us. I know that there will be times when I have difficulties and bad days but I will remember that God is in control always and forever. He just had to hit me upside the head with a 2 x 4 to let me know this time. If you don't have a relationship with God then let me know. I will gladly talk with you about it. You see, He is the reason I get up in the mornings and make it through any and every thing. Happy Easter.

Colleyville Eco House

2009-04-05T15:49:00.015-05:00

I'm a couple of weeks behind with this post, but better late than never. We took a trip to the Colleyville Eco House a couple of weeks ago on my Saturday off.

We saw this helecopter putting air conditioners on the roof of a new school in Mansfield on the way there.
We had to park about half a mile away and ride the shuttle to the house. They still had a little landscaping to finish up.

I liked this sculpture over the fireplace.

There was some cool tile in the kitchen.

Our tour was led by the architect who designed the house. I liked that because I think we got information from him that we wouldn't have gotten from some of the other guides.
The had a nice yard. The water in the pool is actually used by the HVAC system to cool the house at certain times of the year.
The counter tops were made out of recycled glass. Very pretty but also pretty expensive.

The media room had a stage where your kids band could perform.

These ceiling fans were cool.

On the way home we drove past Jerry World. That place is huge. Can you see the guys standing on the top?

This Week

2009-03-29T16:16:00.002-05:00

Hi, this is Lynne. Normally, Jeff writes but I wanted to put in my two cents today. This week is going to be a very special week for our family. Jeff and I are going to be celebrating our 20th Anniversary on Wednesday. Yes, we were married on April 1st. Jeff picked this date because he knew he would remember it every year.

As I think about all that we have been through over the past 20 years, it struck me that we have been married 1/2 our lives. We joke around that it seems like forever but really and truly, it doesn't seem like 20 years. I think that because we are friends as well as husband and wife, it has made the years seem so much shorter.

I tell people that I married my best friend and I really mean that. Who else would put up with the good, the bad, the pretty, and the ugly and still hang around and love me. I could never picture my life with anyone else. He is the one who comforts me, holds me, listens to me, and takes care of me. I am blessed with a Godly man and someone who is strong in what he believes. I know that it sounds like a fairy tale marriage and in a lot of ways it is but believe me when I say that we have had our share of ups and downs but our love for each out weighs all that.

I wish I could say that we had this fabulous trip planned or this great party happening but we will celebrate our anniversary in our traditional way--dinner out without the kids two or three days after the actual day and snuggling on the couch while watching a movie or TV show later with the kids. What can I say, after 20 years of marriage......

The Blooming Redbud Tree

2009-03-28T19:44:00.001-05:00

Civic Disobedience

2009-03-16T15:45:00.002-05:00

He's a dog, he's a workin' dog, he's a hard workin' dog.

2009-03-15T09:51:00.002-05:00

That title was a song on Seasame Street when one of our kids was growing up. I think it applies to Chico this week. I took these pictures while I was off work on last Thursday.

He was protecting his tuft. There were three coyote intruders total.

The Band's Spaghetti Supper

2009-03-06T20:16:00.002-06:00

We went up to the school last week for the bands spaghetti supper fund raiser. Both of the boys played for our entertainment.

Don't Will look spiffy in that monkey suit?

Happy Independence Day!

2009-03-02T18:49:00.002-06:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Texas Independence Day! Today is the 173rd celebration of this event.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

2009-03-02T18:45:00.001-06:00

Dr Seuss would have been 105 years old today.

NJHS

2009-02-24T18:32:00.007-06:00

Last Monday we went to the school auditorium to watch Jesse be inducted into the National Junior Honor Society.
He's in that crowd someplace. You can see Will's friend David on the frount row. He's the one about a foot taller than everyone else.
Here is Jesse getting his membership pin from the sponsor. A little blurry, but I was to far away for the flash to be effective.
He then signed his name to the member book in blood. OK, maybe not blood.
After the ceremony all the kids pretended to be happy so their parents could take their picture.

Stiles

2009-02-18T20:36:00.006-06:00

I was reading my book last night (see "What I'm Reading Now" in the right hand column), and one of the characters was sitting on a "stile". That made me wonder, "What is a stile?". According to Wikipedia, "A stile is a structure which provides people a passage through or over a fence or boundary via steps, ladders, or narrow gaps. Stiles are often built in rural areas or along footpaths to allow access to an adjacent field or area separated by a fence, wall or hedge."

These first two stiles are crossing Hadrians Wall in England. There are many different styles of stiles.
This last one has a dog gate that you can lift up to let your dog through the fence.
And that is what a stile is. Since my grandmothers maiden name was Stiles, I can't help but wonder if there is a connection somehow.

2009-02-14T17:29:00.002-06:00

We were a host home for DNOW at our church. We hosted the 9th adn 10th grade boys again this year. It worked well for Will because he didn't have to pack up and go anywhere. In fact, he slept in his own bed every night. Piper enjoyed having people to sleep on at night. I think she thought that her pack expanded. The boys played cards, visited, got to know each other better, and chased each other up and down the halls with nerf guns. At night, the living room was wall to wall bodies. There were kids sleeping in the gaming nook, Jesse's room, and under the dining table. It was funny. Will wouldn't let anyone in his room. He likes his privacy. HAHA!!! Feeding this crowd was an adventure. I made the mistake of not getting to the grocery store on the first night so when they arrived at 1100pm the boys were starved. They ate popcorn, chips, cereal, and fig newtons (they were hungry!). They drank a gallon of sweet tea and 1/2 gallon of milk. The next morning I got up and cooked 2 pounds of bacon and 42 pancakes. They also went through a gallon of orange juice and a gallon of milk. Jeff and I went to the grocery store and I had asked the boys to give me a wish list of snacks. They really had a pretty fair list of snacks. Cheetoes, beef jerky, bean dip, Cheezit crackers, Ritz crackers, and lemonade. We bought that and then I made 4 dozen cookies. I made up 3 gallons of lemonade, a gallon of sweet tea, a gallon of unsweet tea and when I got up the next morning it was all gone. On Sunday morning, I cooked a pound of bacon, 30 sausage patties, 2 dozen eggs, and 4o biscuits. I also made a gallon of orange juice and had a gallon of milk set out for them by 815am. All this disappeared by 845am. I was totally exhausted when it was all over but I really do love cooking for the crowd. I enjoy watching people enjoy eating what I cook. I hope the boys enjoyed being here as well.

Game of Hope

2009-02-02T17:35:00.002-06:00

We watched channel 5 news today at 4:30 after I got home from work. They played this story and I thought it needed to be shared with everyone.

You can also see it at the channel 5 web site.

US Airways New A320

2009-01-26T18:21:00.003-06:00

Lynne's Dad sent us this picture in an email. I thought it was funny so I'm sharing it with everyone.

Four Posts In One

2009-01-13T19:39:00.007-06:00

Lynne finished her first crochet project. It's a pot holder. Just kidding, it's a sweater.
The ice storm last week made the countryside sparkle. It was pretty but way too cold for me.
Will had his friend David over to play Halo one night. He had just gotten new shoes, size 20! They were bigger than Piper.
Lynne, Lynn, Dawn, and Lanetta set up the baby nursery at Church on Sunday. You can see more of moving day at the Church blog.

Mexican Train Tostados

2009-01-01T18:33:00.002-06:00

Lynne made mexican train tostados for the family reunion today. Isn't she creative.

The New Cat

2009-01-01T18:30:00.003-06:00

She doesn't have a name yet, but this is our new cat.

Blanco River- Christmas 2008

2008-12-25T18:37:00.002-06:00

There hasn't been much rain this year so the Blanco River is running a little low.

A Short Train Show Video

2008-12-25T13:40:00.003-06:00

While I am near a high speed internet connection, I thought I'd upload this short video from the train show last week. We thought Lizzy needs the ladybug car.

Christmas Lights

2008-12-21T21:37:00.001-06:00

Christmas in Downtown Maypearl

2008-12-21T21:18:00.001-06:00

If you haven't been to downtown Maypearl at night to see the Christmas lights you should drive thru and check them out. It looks really nice, better than my picture.

Bethlehem Revisited

2008-12-16T19:27:00.011-06:00

Saturday night several families from our Sunday School class met in Waxahachie to visit Bethlehem Revisited. We went into Central Presbyterian Church first to see the quilt they have on display.

The Supper was inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper painted 500 years ago on the wall of a Dominican cloister in Milan, Italy.
The work is over 15 feet wide and almost 6 feet high. It was planned and put together with a Waxahachie dentist, Dr. Don Locke. Construction time was over 1,200 hours done in a 2 1/2 year period.

This copy was done by piecing 51,816 squares of cotton fabric together with a Singer featherweight sewing machine. Over 350 different colors were used, many of them hand-dyed. The squares finished out to 1/2 inch.
The quilts web site is thesupper.net.
Then we went to Bethlehem. There were camels in the Wise Men's caravan.
King Herod wasn't too happy with what they had to say to him.
We went into the Synagogue later and saw some kids doing their lessons.
Later we saw Mary, Joseph, and the Baby Jesus in the manger.
There were many merchents manning the boothes. This woman was making baskets.
And Jesse checked out the local livestock.

Holiday Train Show 2008

2008-12-16T18:55:00.011-06:00

We made our annual trip to Ft Worth last Saturday for the holiday train show. All the past shows we attended were at the Will Rogers Complex, but this year it was downtown at the Convention Center.

Lynne thought our niece Lizzy needed a ladybug car like this train has. I have a video of this train I'll try to upload later.
Jesse was our photographer this year. He took plenty of pictures.

After we left the show we walked through the Water Gardens since they were right outside the Convention Center.
These Bald Cyprus trees in one of the gardens were sending up knees through every available crack in the cement.

Lynne had never been here before and enjoyed the visit. I couldn't get her to walk down these steps though.

Christmas Band Concert

2008-12-12T18:17:00.003-06:00

When you have two kids in the band who both play percussion, and both stand on the back row, you should sit someplace in the auditorium where you can see them. We didn't do that. That's Jesse's 7th grade band above. You can't see him in the picture. We could see his feet tapping in time with the music but that was about it.
Quick! I see him! Take a picture before they close the curtain! See, there he is.
This is the High School band. If you look closely you can see the top half of Will's head. We will sit in a better location for photography next time.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T11:41:00.001-06:00

This is Lynne. Today I have the privilege of being with family in California. It seems kind of strange because I am so use to helping with the cooking and the preparation of getting the meal ready and for once I am not doing that. We were told that we are to just relax and kick back. That is really hard to do but I am doing it. The morning devotional that my mom in law told us about is that "Thanksgiving is not just a day but a way of life." Translation is that we should make thanksgiving a part of everyday not just one day a year. I like that because I know that God says over and over in the scriptures that we should give thanks in all we do, and there are verses upon verses about thanksgiving. I have learned over the years to start my prayer time with a time of thanksgiving. Without God my life would be a mess and so for that I am eternally grateful and a way to show that is to give Him the thanks He deserves.

This thanksgiving season I am grateful for: my husband, my boys, my family, having a job, being blessed with so much, and good health. I am grateful for friends who love me no matter what and for being there through thick and thin.

I am praying that everyone has a fantastic day!

Will's Play

2008-11-15T09:14:00.006-06:00

Will's theater arts class gave their performances the other night at the high school auditorium. The first play was "Princess", Will wasn't in that one.
He was in the second play "Beowulf on a Budget". He played the King. In the play the theater was robbed and all the props stolen, so they had to use whatever they could find as props. You can see that Will's scepter is a toilet brush, Beowulf's helmet is a bucket, and he is wearing protective "mail".
Will's friend David played the monster Grendel. Here he is after Beowulf chopped his arm off.

He gave a wonderful death scene.

The play was hilarious! It was one of the best school presentations I've ever been too. The last play of the night, which Will wasn't in, was Hamlet. They did the whole play in 4 minutes.

Last Home Game of the Season

2008-11-15T09:01:00.004-06:00

Halloween night was also our last home game against Palmer. It was also Senior recognition night. So before the game all the senior football players, cheerleaders, and band members were introduced with their parents.
And at halftime they introduced the Band Sweetheart.
We ended up winning the game to end another home season of football. The team did make the playoffs so they get to play a little longer. We don't get to go to games to support the band for another year.

Hot Dog

2008-11-15T08:56:00.001-06:00

I've been running behind on my posts, so here is one from Halloween. This is Pipper in her costume. The only member of the family to dress up this year.

Chico?!?

2008-11-13T21:12:00.002-06:00

This is what our dog Chico looks like. You would think that after raising him from the day he was born that I (Lynne) would know this. You would think so. I came home for lunch today and was driving down 916 which for us is a major road. Right before turning on to the road we live on, I saw a black dog and a small white dog. I turned onto our road and stopped. I got out and looked again. Sure enough I was positive that the black dog was Chico. I yelled "Chico, get over here. What are you doing this far from home?" The black dog ran over to me, wiggling all over (like Chico does), and the dog promptly laid down at my feet and rolled over (like Chico does). I opened the side door to the van and wrestled the dog into the van. Chico hates cars and so I did not find this unusual that I had to wrestle with the dog. All the way home I scolded "Chico". I noticed that the dog was happy about the car ride and was seeming to enjoy itself. I told "Chico" that he had been fooling us into thinking that he hated cars when in fact he was enjoying this ride. We pulled into the driveway and "Chico" got excited and started wiggling even more. I pulled up to the house with the intent on getting out and opening the door, when all the sudden our dog (the real Chico) got up from the porch and stretched. Suddenly it dawned on me that this was not our dog. Upon further glancing, I discovered that the dog in the van with me was actually a female and her back paw was spotted. She was quite anxious to get out and play but I made the loop in the driveway without stopping and drove her back to the group of houses that I had gotten her from. On the drive back, I told her she was a good girl and a pretty dog which pleased her and made her lick me. I stopped at the houses and opened the door. She did not want to get out. She sat down and starred at me. I had to drag her out of the van. As I drove back to the house she looked at me sadly and followed for a short distance. I am still not sure who she belongs to but she had quite an adventure today. I am just lucky that she was a sweet dog since I wrestled her around and had her in the van. I think I had better pay closer attention to doggy details from now on.

For GranPa and Aunt Sissy!

2008-10-19T18:23:00.004-05:00

See how many tomatoes I picked today? OK, I don't live in the land of fruits and nuts, so my sample is a little smaller. After reading Ann Carol's blog it inspired me to go check on our garden.
We took the electric fence down a little over a week ago and the cows have had the run of it since then. But I still find one or two Porters a week.

MASG

2008-10-06T17:38:00.003-05:00

Last Monday Will was inducted into the Maypearl Academic Student Government. They forgot the certificates so everyone just got a handshake as they walked across the stage.

Andy's New Blog

2008-10-02T17:24:00.001-05:00

For those of you who don't know, Andy has a new blog where he will be telling of the wonders of college life at UMHB. I'm sure he will discuss how he studies ALL the time. Click right here to check it out.

Aquarium Video

2008-10-01T15:46:00.004-05:00

David wanted to see the shark video, so I stopped by GranPa's house and uploaded them today.

Day Three

2008-09-29T16:49:00.010-05:00

On the way out of Tulsa on Sunday morning we decided to drop by and visit the Oklahoma Aquarium.

We saw starfish.

And turtles.

It was feeding time for some of the animals. The otter above is eating his lunch. The lady below is feeding the beaver. I didn't know beavers liked bananas.

Lynne decided she wanted to feed the stingrays so we got some food for them. Stingrays will splash you if you don't feed them quick enough.

I'll try to post video of the shark tank later. But I did get a good picture of this one swimming above us.

They also had a fishing lure collection in the building.

After we finished up we loaded into the car and headed back to Texas. We had a great time in Tulsa.

Tulsa, Day Two

2008-09-25T16:44:00.007-05:00

Ok, Ok! The concert was mainly for me. But Lynne does like the band too, and really enjoyed the concert. We got back to the hotel late and went to bed. The next morning we did what any married couple in a hotel without kids would do. Sleep late. We finally got up, ate breakfast , and decided to go to the zoo.

Tulsa has a very nice zoo. They have lions, tigers, and bears. Oh My! It was a nice day and alot of people took advantage of the weather to come see the animals.

You know you're in Oklahoma when you see signs like this everywhere.
The Grizzly was enjoying the sunshine. I just realized I put 2 bear pictures up, but they are the best pictures I have of the zoo.
We finally got hot at the zoo and decided to leave. Across the street was the Air & Space Museum, which was air conditioned, so we went there. We took in the Planetarium show while we were there. That's the first time I had been to a Planetarium in many moons.

We ate a nice quiet supper, walked the mall, and enjoyed the evening with no kids bugging us.

The Lost Dogs in Tulsa, OK

2008-09-22T17:16:00.012-05:00

I was checking out The Lost Dogs web site about a month ago and noticed they were going to be on tour in about a month. The nearest they came to us was Tulsa, Oklahoma. Lynne happened to mention that her birthday was the Wednesday before. So I took my wife to Tulsa for her birthday!

They were playing at a place called the Gypsy Coffeehouse. The place was full of artsy types and what would have been hippies 30 years ago. We got there at 9 o'clock and were told the band was running late and would be there about 10:15.
They finally got there, set up, and started performing about 10:30. Our table was about 10 feet from the band! There were only about 30 people in the place, 20 of which came to see the Dogs.
That's Terry Taylor on the left. He sings and plays guitar for the Dogs and is also in a band called Daniel Amos. Derri Daugherty is on the right. He plays bass and sings with the Dogs. His other band is The Choir.
Also singing and playing lead guitar was Mike Roe. He is also the lead singer and guitar player for the 77's, my favorite band.
Playing drums and assorted percussion on this tour was Steve Hindalong. He also worked with The Choir. The Dogs played an acoustic set that lasted about and hour and a half. It was excellent. It could have gone on all night in my book. But the band finished up and mingled with the crowd for awhile.

The Dogs are camping out on this tour! They are traveling route 66 in this motor home and spending their night at campgrounds. They said during the concert they are ready for real beds.

Maypearl on Alert!

2008-09-15T18:39:00.000-05:00

This morning on the way to work, we entered the city of Maypearl and immediately noticed police cars with their lights flashing. I just thought it was someone getting a ticket but then Jesse said "Why do they have their guns drawn?" I looked down a side street as we drove by and was in the process of saying, "I don't think they had their guns out..." when I saw a task force officer with a very large shotgun crouched down behind his car. I then noticed the snipers on the roof of the Busy Bee. I saw a friend of ours who has a business downtown talking with an officer so I called him. He said that he was in the process of trying to find out what was going on. I went on and dropped the boys off but not before we noticed the ambulance and paddy wagon at the Exxon and that the school was pretty much surrounded by sheriff deputies They stopped the cross country team from running and sent them back to the school. I went on in to my building and my assistant came in. Her husband and son work for the sheriff's department so I asked her what was up. She didn't know and the guys wouldn't answer their phones. At 800am the entire district went on lock down (code red). We sat in the dark with our doors locked until about 830 when they told us we could go about our day. My friend from downtown called about that time and said that a man had broken into the police station and stolen the police chief's gun and was holding him hostage. He did try to fire upon the policeman but the safety was on and so nothing happened except the clip fell out of the gun. At that point the man took the gun and ran out. They believe there is still a bullet in the gun. The goofy thing was that the man gave the police chief his driver's license right before all this happened. When he left he didn't get his license back. They know who he is and are now looking for him. They told us that we may have to lock down again if they suspect he is still around. The deputies are still patroling the area heavily.

The Stanfords are Back in Texas

2008-09-06T18:25:00.003-05:00

After 16 hours in the air the Stanford family finally arrived back in Texas Saturday morning. And what was the first thing the Dad wanted? A Whataburger. So some of us from Church waited in Venus for them to arrive from the airport.

It wasn't a huge crowd. Most people were going to meet at his Uncles house to greet them later. It was good to see them again after their 3 year abscence.
Their son also went over to the Exxon and got a pint of BlueBell ice cream. That makes 2 real good reasons not to leave Texas!

Bloomin' Grove vs Maypearl

2008-09-06T08:23:00.002-05:00

Well, I left my camera at the house so I don't have any pictures of the game or Wills band performance. The band sounded better last night. I think the kids have been practicing. And the bass drums didn't run into each other as much. Oh yeah, we won the game 18-28.

First Football Game of the Season- Maypearl vs It'ly

2008-08-30T15:34:00.010-05:00

It's that time of year again. But of course, we're there for the band. You can see Will above with his bass drum (3rd from left). They're waiting to play the fight song and then the national anthem.
There comes the team, running thru the giant banner onto the field. They had a huge inflatable panther last year. Maybe it has a hole in it.
Here is the opening kickoff. It'ly beat us last year but we won the year before that.
Look, the mascot is on the field! No wait, it's just a dog. You know you're in Maypearl when the game is stopped twice for a dog on the field.
The It'ly band played first at half time. They were pretty good.
The Maypearl band finished off the halftime performances. The bass drums were excellent. (Will is second from the left)
One of the band members for It'ly collapsed on the track after coming off the field. The ambulance showed up later and took them away before the second half started.
We ended up beating It'ly 27 to 13.
It was a good game. The first goal of the season was accomplished, beating It'ly.
We waited by the band hall for Will and then headed home. Got home about 11:30, and I had to get up and go to work the next morning. I love (read as: need) my job.