Alan Jackson wrote a song about it.....

.......Way down yonder on the Chattahoochie......and we decided to see for ourselves what Alan knew that we didn't. 

So, off we went for a week to the Mtns. of North Georgia, for an adventure in a lakehouse on the Chattahoochie River.

With these fine girls and their parents.

The lakehouse we rented had it's own canvas covered tubes that allowed us to take a 2.5 hour relaxing float down the Chattahoochie, every day.  Some would fish as they traveled the river, others would race down the rapids with the greatest of ease, and some of us just kicked back and enjoyed the calmness of nature.  No bustling tourists, no crowded areas, nothing to bother you but a small mouth bass, tree trunk debris at the edge of a rapid, or a few extra large rocks that hurt when your feet pound into them.  

The neighbors even had a rope swing the kids utilized.  See how great I am with the camera?  Notice how lovely the leaves of that scrub tree are in focus and my child is blurry. Yes, I know, I'm working on it. :)

As for the adults....well, we spent every night at the table with this game. Love it!

Fun was had by all....in fact, we are already looking into a repeat next year.   Alan was right, it was hot, but the water was just chilly enough to bring a perfect balance to the summer heat!

I ask you, who doesn't love cupcakes?

It is no secret that we love the food network at our house, any kind of cooking shows, food challenges or competitions.  And one of new loves of all things food related tv are these new cupcake shows, do y'all watch any of them?  Who knew you could do so much with a piddly little cupcake? 

Earlier this summer we took our annual "fun" trip with the cousins.  Just a time to gather our kids together and let them enjoy each other....it's a really neat time, everyone enjoys it....especially the nightly swim shows in the hotel pool by my brother in law and myself. :)  Sadly, I have no pics of that....in fact, I don't have many photos of the trip because we were too busy to be bothered with a camera.

However, when we trekked out one afternoon in search of this place (which my cousin tipped us off too), I knew I would need my camera to document the monumental event.

Dreamcakes....where a cupcake costs $3....or if you're in search of a deal you can get an even dozen for the low low price of $33.   Naturally, if you know my sister, you know she is always on the look out for a deal, so we went with the dozen. Not to mention it evened out nicely, Dreamcakes happened to have 12 different flavors....so we opted for one of each.  Because, really, when you are on sensory overload by the sight (the colors and designs), the smell oh to be immersed with the aroma of fresh baked goods) and not to mention the fantastic flavor combinations (banana cupcake with peanut butter frosting, chocolate cake with mocha frosting, white velvet cake with vanilla bean frosting) and oh so clever names of the cupcakes (curious george, caramel sea salt mocha, cinnamon sugar mama, over the moon, paparazzi, maple bacon)  who can decide?

This gal looks sooooo much like her mama....love that big smile.  Wanna see what she's smiling about?

A dozen tasty cupcakes, that's what!

Yes. We ate the whole box.  Between about a dozen of us. And it was divine. Completely divine. No, I don't have a favorite, don't ask me to choose.....unless you are willing to buy me another dozen and let me taste them all again!! :)   So here's the link---Dreamcakes---just in case you feel like shipping me a box....for my birthday, or Christmas, or just because it's Tuesday day. :)

Can you smell it in the air?

Football Season is HERE!!  Yahoo!  My favorite sport, my favorite time of year.  And also the time that you may want to skip on over my blog for the next few months if you don't care to hear or see football related posts.  I'm just sayin'.  I love it.

College ball will be here in just a matter of days----I'm on the countdown!! 
High School ball is in full swing....and we started the season with a big game against a local rival. 

A local rival that is a much bigger school than we are in classification (but not in heart). 
A local rival that was favored to win (but they've been favored before). 
A local rival who tried to create some drama to throw us off balance (but only pumped our boys up even more). 

That local rival lost to us on Friday night.

 Ah, the smell of sweet victory....it was in the air on Friday night. And come what may, that one should last a while!!  It's always nice to get a win, especially in those games.

Thought I'd share a few photos with you:

Baby Girl and her cousin enjoy cheering in the victory line!

Middle Boy, engrossed in the action, ready for the next water break.

Elder Son, looking stellar in his uniform. 

Yes, it was just another Friday night for some folks. But for us, it was a long night, full of action, overwhelming emotions, and excitement beyond compare!  Congrats to our "boys of fall"!

Yes, I realize we've already started another school year.

But I still wanted to document our end of year teacher gifts in May.  Besides, I may want to do it again next year for a new crop of teachers and I will have no way of remembering such things without my second brain dump here on the blog. :)  Not that I can even take full credit for the cute idea....it came from another blogger friend, although she used monkey towels with another clever homemade tagline....but it was such a neat and inexpensive way to thank a teacher----and everyone can always use a beach towel!!

And before next year's graduates arrive, I would be very remiss for not mentioning one of our most favorite graduates of 2010. 

As a measly little 7th grader, it was a HUGE deal to have a senior girl, especially a beauty like Whit and her fantastic football playing boyfriend, pay a little attention to you....in front of your friends, no less.   Elder Son forged a great friendship with the pair and I was thankful for them to have been a part of his high school career.  I think we had like 16 graduates to buy gifts for this year ....and this gal is the only one that Elder Son specially requested he buy his own gift for her.

How does a 1st grader become as tall as his teacher?

Apparently, he grows up....that's how.  

This is a photo taken of Elder Son with one of his former teachers who came into town for a Graduation Ceremony---(at the very end of May--see, I am digging through my photos from May-August to attempt to document we did exist during that time period even though we vanished from the blogosphere).   Her super sweet and adorably cute son, Joshua, was adopted the year she taught my son, Elder Son, in 1st grade.  

We spent a lot of that year praying for Mrs. P and her future children....and those prayers paid off with blessings beyond our measure.  Not just with this fine young man shown here, but later came another beautiful addition in the form of a spunky, gorgeous, cupcake of a little girl. 

Elder Son will always have a special place in his heart for this lady.....she's an all time favorite on the teacher list!  As well as the friend list for me! ;)   Even if she's short. 

What's even sadder is that Elder Son has grown a couple of inches since this photo was taken.....somebody make it stop.

If you give Middle Boy a vacuum....

.....your carpet might not get completely cleaned,

but abstract art will certainly arise. :)

Junk, mostly.

I bet y'all are tired of all the birthday hoopla going on around House of Bowling. Seriously, we don't need anyone else in our family born during the month of August....enough is enough.  Hopefully a better variety of posts will soon follow after this week of birthday bonanza. Heck, I might just put up a post about summer break....or not.  I tried the other night to sort through photos on the laptop....and there were so many happenings since May that have just been neglected by this blog owner,  I don't think she'll ever be able to catch up.  So, she might as well just trudge forward. Onward troops, isn't that what they say in the military? 

I realize I took sort of a bloggy break this summer, and I'm not going to lie, it was a nice change.  But I'm glad to be back among all of you friends in blogland.  It can be a really cool place. 

Truth be told, blogland serves as my second memory bank.  Okay, that's a lie, it's my primary memory bank.  My brain is apparently full up with such nonsense as "the best band in the history of college parties is the Velcro Pygmies or a close second, Mel and the Party Hats".  You know, REALLY important pieces of information that everyone is envious that I have stored for future reference.  What future reference exactly I'm not quite clear about.

At any rate, I find myself digging through photos that remind me of precious stories that I've yet to tell, yet to put on the blog, the memory bank if you will......not so much for you, but rather for myself.  I also realized not only had the blog been neglected, but the inbox on my computer had suffered a hard break this summer as well.  I opened it up last week to find over 792 unread emails. Yes, it had been a while.  So, I apologize if I have not responded to an email from anyone lately, or last month, or since Memorial Day, or what have you.....I'm blaming it on the Velcro Pygmies.

Gosh, those Thursday nights at the War Eagle Supper Club certainly were fun.

Because she is special, we threw her a surprise party....

Since my sister and her family would be in town for Baby Girl's birthday party, we decided it was a good time to spring a surprise party for our mom as well.   And boy was she surprised.....and a little miffed that we got her so good she had even already changed into her "blue jeans and around the house shirt" instead of leaving her good clothes on for a Saturday night! :) 

Here's the special lady with her three wonderful children...looking from left to right I have labeled the photo for your easy viewing:

the son, the daughter, the mom and the favorite. :)

Yellow roses are her favorite.

We made a great big 70 out of various mini doughnuts from none other than Krispy Kreme.  I neglected to get a picture of the clever arrangement...but just ask any of the kids who were there, it was pretty cool. :)

And Baby Girl and I fashioned this nifty hand painted birthday sign for Granny.....which we had to put up and take down three times throughout the weekend because she kept coming to the house unexpectedly and we didn't want to ruin the surprise!!

I am truly amazed that my mother is 70, or almost 70, her birthday isn't until the 26th. 

I sit around and think, wow, she had to be almost 50 when she had me. :)

Of course reality slaps me hard in the face when I see the crows feet anchoring my eyelids.  Most days I feel like I'll be celebrating my own 70th birthday real soon.....and I can only pray I'll look as good as mom.

He only has his youth for one more year.....

Happy Birthday to the most amazing husband, father of my children, and best friend a gal could ask for....plus he has a baby face as an added bonus! :)

Because she is the RAINBOW of our domain, every.single.day.

Baby Girl was able to celebrate her birthday with a party that occurred...well, on her birthday.   She loves art, especially enjoys painting, so there was no contemplation needed when I asked if she wanted to have her party at ALL FIRED UP this year.  A local paint your own pottery place....where she was the honoree for the day.  It was a first for us, we normally have always had birthday parties at our home.....however I have no pottery wheel in my basement to throw a few pieces together for 10 girls to paint....and besides that, we already had a big surprise event planned for another birthday girl, later in the evening, at our home (more on that in a different post).

But here is Baby Girl, in all her 9 year old glory, partying and painting!   

We, okay me, the mom, was a little behind in getting things geared up for Baby Girl's birthday this year.  Specifically my thoughts.  I seem to often have a problem with gathering my thoughts, birthdays aside. :)   Anyway, the point is I forgot to call my favorite cake ladies from The Dessert Box to get Baby Girl a knock out cake!  So we had to make do with some cupcakes made on the fly.

But surely I couldn't just make plain ol' cupcakes for Baby Girl's celebration.....so we made RAINBOW cupcakes.

And even some reverse rainbows as well.  Yes, time consuming, but oh so fun to look at and yummy to eat!!

All in all, it was a SUPER party, where we had SUPER fun painting, with SUPER friends and family, to celebrate one SUPER girl.....

my Baby Girl.

Baby Girl, the birthday girl.

Happy Birthday to our sweet little brown eyed girl!

Oh summertime, wherefor art thou, summertime?

It's back to school time....already.  I'm so bummed....I'm gonna miss having these 3 with me all day, every day....I must say they are quite a fun bunch of chaps!

P.S. Is it me or do they look like they are growing up?  Before my very eyes, and yours. Ugh. Sadness to follow. 

P.S.S.  By the way, how about this, a post with a picture...and not just a bunch of words! :) Maybe I'll get back in the swing of things soon....after a few days of mourning the ABRUPT passing of summer break.

A Panting Soul.

I promise I'm going to get going again on the blog...hopefully one day soon.  Of course, you may not care at all of our absence....it may have been a nice little break. :)   But we've just been enjoying the summer....and while I have tons of pictures and stories I could tell, memories of our summer of twenty-ten,  I've just been soaking them up for myself lately.  I'll get around to sharing them, pinky promise. :)

However, for now, you'll just have to survive on another H3 post. A new verse to meditate on for this month. And with it comes my own little post with jumbled up thoughts that may or may not have anything at all to do with what the Lord had intended, but it often helps me remember what His word says anyway! :)   Bear with me, here we go.

"As the deer pants for streams of water,

so my soul pants for you, O God."

~Psalm 42:1

Where ever you are, tell me, have you been experiencing a hot summer?  We have.  Especially the last few days.  I hear snippets on the radio or tv stating weird things like "heat index of 108" and true temps in the triple digits.  Seriously, we've topped 100, on more than one occasion.  Now, I don't know about you, but that's hot to me. Even the sun lover that I am can only take so much, before I curl up in the air conditioner with a cool glass of lemonade and watch countless episodes of Deadliest Catch....I already miss Captain Phil.

Anyway, back to the hot summer.  I worry about our animals.  Our beloved labrador and even that pesky feline.  Fresh, cool water is a necessity for them during these harsh summer months. Ever hear of the "dog days" of summer? Well, we, my friend, are among them as we speak.  And what I've noticed is that once you've been outside for more than 1.8 seconds during the dog days of summer, you're gonna sweat. Regardless of how much Clinically Proven Degree you swipe across the pit.  Just sayin'.

Have you ever noticed though that a dog doesn't really "sweat"?  Not as we think of sweating....their sweat glands are located in the pads of their paws....not the best place for secreting sweat when you're burning slap up in the throes of summertime in the south.  

So, dogs pant.  They pant a lot.  If you have a dog, or have ever been around any dog, especially outside in the summer, you will have noticed this panting.  Sure they do it when they get anxious, scared or excited too. A few months ago, if you remember the story entitled Man's best friend and a leap of faith, then you will rememeber our dog Sadie was panting incessantly....from the trauma of being hit by a car.  But most often, Sadie's panting (and that of other dogs) is a way of cooling off.  Panting is like their own personal way to release body heat and lower their temperature. 

I was reading a story in a book the other day that was talking about this very thing....various animals, sweating and the heat.  I wanted to share a bit with you....it's important and ties in so cleverly to our verse:

"Basically, all warm-blooded animals need some way to regulate body heat in warm weather.  This can be done through sweating, panting, bathing, or all three.  Most animals follow their instincts and seek rest, shade, and a nice, long drink when the temperature soars.  Not a bad approach. Frankly, we humans should do the same."

I couldn't agree more.  During the remainder of this scorcher of a month called August.....remember to pant, remember to bathe yourself, in the Lord.

A new school year is fast, and I mean fast, approaching.  Fall will show itself soon with a calendar filled to the brim with activities for families all around.  Hardships will come.  Many have already arrived. Many in the friends and family we share with here on the blogosphere and in our personal lives as well.  Work duties are calling out, even louder, because the vacation is over.  It's time to buckle down, get to the nitty gritty, gear up for what is to follow the dog days of summer.

Friend, can I tell you that the easiest way through this heat,
through the busy life that never seems to slow,
through the endless problems that surface in your workplace, in your church, in your home,
through the pain and sorrow that comes to us all through trials, death, divorce, broken hearts, gossip, burdens, etc.

The easiest way through every moment this life offers is to seek rest in Him.  To take our bibles, study and contemplate these words written so many years ago.....to take a long drink of this life giving water only He can provide. 

That's the only way to truly mend our souls.  To have our soul pant for the Father, as the deer to a stream of water.

Don't let the devil scorch you with the evils of this world.  And certainly don't allow the devil to scorch you in the afterworld. 

When the fires are burning around you...remember this verse: 

"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God." ~Psalm 42:1


Drink Him  in....and soak up His mercy. 

A schedule.

I love a schedule. I hate a schedule. Summer is a wonderful time for me to reflect on this love/hate scenario.

Seriously, I love the lazy days of summer, I do.

But I must say, there are those moments, when the wise old owl inside of me begs for the scheduled days to show their face again....to get back in a real routine.

It is then that I tell the owl to SHUT IT.

Being Free.

July rolls around and what first comes to mind?  July 4th. Family. Food. Fireworks.  Normally in that order. :)  I also think of Freedom.  Freedom to spend time with my family.  Freedom to eat as much as I want of blackberry cobbler, homemade ice cream, and BBQ ribs.  Freedom to watch the night sky lit up with all variances of color bursts in a display of American beauty. Freedom to attend church.  Freedom to pray to an Almighty God.  The one and only Almighty God.  Without fear.

And these freedoms I speak of...well, at times, myself and many others, take these for granted. We've always had this opportunity to live in the land of the free, home of the brave.  Freedoms that our service men and women have sacrificed their time, their families, their comfortable way of life, their air conditioned, king size bed, hot water, slow drive on Sunday afternoons, firefly catching with their kids, grilling hot dogs by the pool, having an afternoon nap because they splurged on the ice cream, watching all the cousins enjoy that brief moment of sparklers before someone gets burned by a fly-a-way spark.   Yes, all those freedoms that our soldiers have to miss out on, so we can sit back enjoying our American life, while they guard the heart of America.  

Man, I'm thankful for our freedoms.  I'm so thankful for the folks who have given so much of themselves to serve others, those who have sacrificed it all, so we can continue to say we live in the land of the free, home of the brave. 

But let me tell you what all of this has to do with our H3 verse for the month.....oh, yes, it's about freedom, but I bet you could have figured that out by now, right?  While the freedoms we have here in the good ol' USA are wonderful, they are nothing compared to the free life offered to us by the blood of Jesus.  

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

~John 8:36

Have you been set free by the Son?  If not, please do so.  One man gave his all for you.  Like many of our war heroes, He sacrificed his life, for your freedom....your freedom that doesn't just matter during your life in this country, but rather for all eternity!   

For July, and all year really, remember to thank those who serve or have served under our stars and stripes, remember to pray for them and their families. 

And for July, all year, the remainder of your life, remember the words held in John 8, verse 36.  Tell them to a friend.  Share them with someone, anyone, don't keep them to yourself......encourage others to know true freedom. Freedom in Jesus.  Forever.

Happy Anniversary to my sweet husband!!

Proverbs 19:22

"Every man longs for a love that is everlasting...."

I thank you for giving me that very love.

AU Football Camp + a free ride.

Elder Son and his friend & fellow teammate are attending Auburn's Football Camp this week.  It's Elder Son's 3rd or 4th year....he loves it.  Me?  Not so much.  I mean we discussed this before, here on the blog, in fact I think we've cried it out a time or two.  His first year when we left him, Baby Girl cried more than I did and wanted us to turn around to go back and get him.  She (just as her mama) did not understand why we should just drop him off on the corner of a college campus, neatly set up his bathroom supplies, bedding essentials and match up his blue shorts with his orange shirt, only to merely drive away and leave him there ALONE.....as if they knew how to take care of him, or as if he knew how to take care of himself, or as if he'd ever survive without his MAMA.

The sad news to Baby Girl and I.....he did indeed survive.  And has requested to go back to camp every year.....away from his little sister and his mama. Hmph. That's all I have to say about that. Actually, I'll say this.....in all fairness, Elder Son is growing up....and year by year it's been a bit (but really only a smidge) easier to kick him to the curb with a sleeping bag and a pair of cleats and holler "HAVE FUN"..."AND DON'T FORGET TO TEXT ME EACH DAY"....than I ever thought it would be.

Part of growing up, I guess you'd say, for the both of us.

Temple was super impressed with my behavior upon our departure this time around. He stated he was really proud of me for not crying.  I said, "what can you do when he's as tall as I am?"....

As for Baby Girl....she didn't shed a tear either.  But of course she was too busy enjoying the day,  and not having to walk all over campus in the blazing heat.....she's cute enough in her Hollywood shades to catch a ride.  

Mickey Mouse, a birthday party, swimming and spit.

This weekend, as you know, we traveled to my sister's for a lovely couple of days of family fun.  Which included a rat themed birthday party for my adorable niece and one of Baby Girl's BFF's. Or BCF's. Best Cousin Forever. They are quite a pair.

All was well on the homefront until the birthday party rat pack huddled up in the pool to devise a plan.  A plan that included a college aged cousin taking turns throwing all the little kids for a splash in the pool. 

Really it's all fun and games.....you know the story line....

Yep, it's all fun and games until someone almost LOSES THEIR SHORTS....

And the birthday girl spits all over the cake.

For the love of Pete, can we just use regular candles next year so she doesn't have to spew saliva to put the fire out?

If there were ever any doubts....

I was there.  I know I birthed her.  And I know she has half my DNA.  Many folks think she looks and acts very similar to me at this age....

But it was her plate at the birthday party that cinched it for me.  A girl after my own heart....why should we have to agonize over choosing between a good ol' grilled hot dog or hamburger....when you can just take both?

1, 2, 3...JUMP.

We've been staying a couple of days with my sister and her family.  Cousins playing together is always a big hit, and there's also a birthday party thrown in this weekend as well, so FUN GALORE!! 

Late night swimming last night followed up with a morning swim earlier today.  Last night I set a bad example by jumping in the pool with my clothes on because I was too lazy to go ALL THE WAY BACK INSIDE to change into a swimsuit....plus I like the surprise factor on my kids face when I barreled in for a splash. Well, this morning, wouldn't you guess that they all decided it was probably easiest to just jump in with their clothes on, because why bother with trekking back up the deck stairs into the house, walking all the way down the hall, just to find a swimsuit that was probably still wet or damp and cold from the previous night?  

I was watching from the deck this morning without the kids knowing I was there....it's fun to eavesdrop like that sometimes. Here's what I heard:

Cousin S:  "I'm not gonna change, I'll just jump in like this (she had on long black knit pants and a t-shirt)"

Baby Girl:  "Okay, on the count of 3.....

• 1
• 2
• 2 and a quarter

By this time, Cousin S is beyond ready to jump...but she's patiently waiting with her back against the rail ready to run as soon as Baby Girl says 3.....

and then I hear Baby Girl continue yelling off the countdown with this:

• 2 and two quarters
• 2 and three quarters
• 2 and A DOLLAR......

And she was in the top of her class? Maybe we should stick with ready, set, go.

Delightful. HE certainly is.

I promise....these months fly by from 3rd to 3rd.  Do you not agree?  I hope you are still staying with us and focusing on each month's verse.  I know it's hard to memorize them all....but I also know the Lord doesn't ask more of us than he thinks we can handle. Although believe me...I question him about that ALOT at times. Like all during the month of May for instance!! :) 

Maybe not every verse speaks to you, and that's okay.  But every verse speaks to someone.  Somewhere. 

This month's verse, I think, will speak to everyone. It would be near impossible for it not to.....because everyone falls into one of these categories.  Daily. 

• You asked the Lord for a blessing of some kind and HE delivered. Naturally, he would.  He's in the business of bestowing blessings.  Sometimes though, have you ever noticed, HIS blessings may not come at the time desired by us, or in the manner we may have chosen, but they always exceed what we deserve.  
• You are currently seeking the Lord's guidance for future blessings. They just haven't arrived yet.  And some are going to just KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF!! 

And here's the verse to remind you of these moments in life: 

"Delight yourself in the Lord

and He will give you the desires of your heart."

~Psalm 37:4  

I know many of you probably already have this verse memorized.  We see it often in nursery decor, on baby announcements, etc.  It's definitely a popular verse, and rightly so.  But let's go deeper with it this month.  Let's really focus on allowing the Lord to give you the desires of your heart.  Certainly, for many women that desire is for children.....a baby to call their own.  Nothing is more precious. 

 But what about our friends and family who are waiting for the blessing of a spouse. I have several on my own heart that I pray find their mate that God has in store for them.

And what about the reconciliation of marriage as a whole, as God designed it? Divorce rates are ever climbing.  It's a scary world.

And what about those burdened with finding work to provide for their family during this economic time? So many without jobs. 

And what about our military families, their safety abroad and at home? Wives and children who have experienced many deployments of their loved ones, and those whose reality was the ultimate sacrifice. For my freedom and yours.

And what about your neighbor who's reached the last stages of cancer, hospice has been brought in, the family have all collected together? I hear of this all too often now a days. 

And what about just wanting to have some peace of mind?  Do you have concerns, worries, problems in life that seem overwhelming at times? All the time? Me too.

Do you have any of these same desires?  Do you know others who do? 

Oh, you get the idea.  The list could go on and on really.  Our desire is basically just whatever I am praying for.....whatever you are praying for.....whatever he/she/we/them.....are praying for......and the list of desires is endless.  So, this verse encompasses everyone.  Or at the very least, anyone who is praying to the Lord for their desires to be met.  For their heart to be heard by the only One who can heal it.

My focus for this month, and what I hope yours is as well, is not so much on the desires portion of this verse.  I know the Lord has seen my desires, even those I think I've managed to wedge deep in the crevice because they seem so selfish....yea, even those, he's seen them.  He knew they were there before we did. He knows our desires long before we speak them aloud.

Instead of worrying about presenting my desires so boldly....I want to focus more on the first half of the verse.....delighting myself in Him.  Spending time at his feet, daily.  Spending time on my knees, daily.  Spending time delighting myself in Him, His blessings, the small and big--from the breath he gives me each morning, to the coupons in Sunday's paper, the laughter of my children, to the safety of my husband, the health of my parents, to the popsicles on a hot day, the joy of friendships, the fun of flip flops in summer......for each and every moment.....DELIGHT in Him.  The one who makes every moment happen.  Not by chance.  But by His divine nature.

I chose this verse because I have a lot of unspoken requests on my prayer plate right now.  Some serious points I'm laying before the Lord and asking for help, for His help.  But I also chose it because it's summer.....and I love summer, in fact I'd say that I think summer is just DELIGHTFUL.  And it made me think of this verse. 

Go ahead....summer is here.  Delight yourself in the Lord.

He already gives us the answer as to what will happen next. He will give us the desires of our hearts.

Here's to a DELIGHTFUL summer for us all!!!  Don't take a break from soaking up the real SON this summer.

Gymnastics Banquet

A few weeks ago, Baby Girl and I attended her annual Gymnastics Banquet.  Unfortunately this event always coincides with her brother's baseball games.....so, not everyone in the family can attend to support her, but we're awfully proud of her just the same.

This year, we are happy to report that among other awards,  she received 3 awards for being in "Club 9.0".  This means that during this past competitive season she scored a 9.0 or higher at competition, not as easy of a feat as it may sound.   She received it in Bars, Beam and Vault.....watch out Floor---we're coming after you hard this year!!

Way to go, Baby Girl.....and congrats on having a great season!!