Here She Comes Miss America!

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted on my blog. The above picture is of my girls, with their cousin. She has been clogging half her life. She's very good! This was the night she was crowned Petite Miss American Clogger. This was a very special night. We were glad we were there to share in this moment. I'll be back soon!

We are back from our Rudd adventure! We enjoyed seeing the sights in VA and PA. The picture at top left is of an Amish Farm. Isn't it beautiful? The top right picture is the'fam' aboard the Strasburg Railroad. The picture below is from our first stop at Natural Bridge, VA. We had a great time. We walked the trials at Natural Bridge, visited the wax museum, toy museum and the Caverns. Then we headed toLancaster, PA to see the Amish farms via the Strasburg Railroad and a buggy ride. We visited the Train Museum. Out of all the children, Shawn liked it the most (haha). I made a mistake of letting him take pictures. He took over 100 of the Train Museum. The only part of it he missed taking pictures of was the rest rooms. Our last day in Lancaster, we went to see the drama, Psalms of David. It was awesome. They acted out scenes from the life of David; They showed how the Psalms have inspired songwriters for so many songs written today and many, many years ago. After that we headed to Harrisburg (Near Hershey). There we visited Chocolate World where we took a trolley through Hershey. We went through a simulated factory tour (3 times) to see how Hershey makes their world famous chocolate. It was great. On Friday, we went to Hershey Park for the day which included ZooAmerica. We all had a great time. We enjoyed it. The girls enjoyed this part of the trip the most. A great time was had by all.

I couldn't get too far past Father's Day to write about my Daddy. As you can tell by his smile, he was a happy man. He always had a smile even when he was sick. He passed away February 13, 1993. I think of him everyday. Because of his faith in Jesus Christ as his Savior I know I will see him again. My Dad was a truck driver, but when he would come home from a trip, he would get his 6 hours (that's all he said he needed), then he would get up and spend time with us. If he wasn't on the road, he was at my sporting events and my practices. He would play catch with me in the yard and pitch for the neighborhood softball games and shoot hoops with me in the back yard. He taught me the hook shot. I love my Daddy very much and I know he loved me. What he taught me goes a lot deeper than just a hook shot. He taught me the importance of good character, treating people the way you want to be treated and to be honest in all things. What a great man he was. I know he's enjoying Heaven especially since Mama arrived on February 20, 2006. They're singing and praising the Lord together again. I thank the Lord for my Daddy this Father's Day. I am so glad to have had him in my life for 23 years. He impacted my life so much.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LEAH!!

My friend Leah T.'s birthday was yesterday (I will not release her age). I just wanted to give a shout out in her honor. Leah and I are such close friends even though we live so far apart. We still talk frequently on the phone and visit each other about twice a year. During my Mama's illness, she was there for me. She helped me through so much. When my Mama died, she and her family drove 10 hours to be here with us. Leah T. has a special place in my heart. She is such a kind, humble and geniune person and I count it an honor to have her as a friend.

I thought I'd show you some pictures of my 'baby' graduating from pre-school. I can't believe that she's starting kindergarten this year. I cried when I saw her in that cap and gown. She had a blast at her commencement program. She walked right up to the mic said her lines and sang her heart out.

HEY EVERYONE!

Hello everyone!

I have been so busy. I can't believe that it's been since Mother's day since my last post. Tonight me and L.A. went to see our friend Kim graduate from high school. We became close to her at our previous church. She's been through so much in her 18 years. I am so proud of her. She accepted Christ a few weeks ago. We were able to go to her church for her baptism. Kim wants to become a nurse and work at Duke's Children Hospital. She loves children and children love her. My children always want to know when she's coming over to spend the night. I took a picture of her and L.A. tonight, but of course my camera batteries died so I was not able to download them. I did attach a picture of us taken at a birthday party. Congratulations, Kim on your Graduation.

Happy Mother's Day

I would like to pay tribute to my mother today. I do miss being able to pick her out a card and give her a hug and kiss. Even though I'm not able to see her on Mother's Day, I am forever grateful for the 37 years I had with her. When I think about missing my Mama, I think about what I miss the most. That is a her love that only my Mama can give. I remember when my oldest daughter was 3 years old. She would quote Johnny Bravo (in an Elvis voice) saying "Nobody loves ya like ya Mama". It was so hilarious but so true. Nobody will ever love you like ya Mama. She made me feel so special. My Mama loved me so much. I loved her too. I loved being her baby. She taught me how to live and how to die. I will never forget on her birthday (Feb 8,2006) when I gave her birthday card to her she began to cry and said "I'll be waiting for you". She passed away 12 days later. I know that I will see her again. I am so glad that I know Jesus Christ as my Savior. Without Him I don't know what I would do. I have a hope in Him that I will see my Mama again. But until then, I will cherish the memories that I have of her and my Daddy. The picture above is of my Mama her last Christmas with her grandchildren.

I would like to also say how thankful I am to be a mother. I have the greatest daughters in the world (see their picture above). I cherish my relationship with them. I love being a mother. I pray that I will be the mother to them that the Lord wants to be. I am so proud of them. They are smart and beautiful, but even if they were dumb and ugly, I'd still be grateful.

In all things, praise the Lord. I am truly blessed!