Band & Jennifer

Well, my chops are tired. I can't seem to remember fingerings. Or how to read music. Or how to keep time. I kept getting totally lost in band practice tonight. It was getting frustrating!! The music is good and if I could just hear my part it would sure be a lot easier.

I got a phone call today at the office from a high school friend. I knew what she was calling about even though I hadn't talked to her in years (since our 10-year reunion I think). One of our other classmates, Jennifer DeVault Bunch, passed away yesterday. Jenn had cancer - and fought hard. She was always sweet, very positive, wild about her hubby John and daughter Abby Lynn (4). She was a majorette and then our feature twirler in marching band. During concert season she was a percussionist. She got to march in President Clinton's Inaugural parade way back when, twirling as she marched. I know she will be missed, and I regret not talking to her more the last few months. She found me on Facebook early this year, and I'll be grateful for the few months we communicated. We've been out of high school now 15 years and we've already lost 3 - Ben, Jeremy, and now Jennifer.

Jumping June

Hello -
Thought I'd update since it's been a while. I had a great time at Mom's a few weeks ago. I got to visit with Mrs. Hearn - one of my favorite teachers from high school. I figured I should start on my "visit/do before Mom moves" list. Friday evening, Mom & I went over to Cowhorn Creek Retirement Center to have dinner with Aunt Chris, Johnny, Patrick, and Sam. The center has a nice big dining room with round tables that seat four. Mom & I sat with Johnny, and he regaled us with his preacher life - the wheres, the whens, the whys, etc. After a leisurely and light dinner (they serve slowly to allow residents plenty of social time), we headed up to Aunt Chris' room. Sam & Johnny played a bit of pool, while the rest of us visited. I hadn't seen Patrick in a long time, and Sam since he was a baby. We really enjoyed the visit. Then Mom & I went to the hospital to check on Uncle David and Alice Marie (his mother-in-law was in the hospital). David hadn't eaten, so we went to get him some food. By the time we got to Chik-Fil-A, we were hungry too (that dinner was really light). So we all ate and talked in the small chapel at the hospital. On Saturday, we went to Idabel, OK for Keith Lancaster's praise workshop. We were late, and left early (I wasn't feeling too good - mostly tired and had a headache) but it was really good. I enjoyed the time with Mom and look forward to her moving here!

The Hot Springs trip was adventurous. Not exactly the word I'd normally use when hanging out with mature women. But the meeting was good, everyone seemed to be doing fine and having fun. Until Thursday morning (the last day). That's when it got really exciting. LaVerne, one of my favorites and a real go-getter, had an "episode" at breakfast. She just got really tired all of a sudden. I wasn't there but Joyce got help (2 nurses and a paramedic were nearby) and they called 911. By that time, I found them and was wondering what was going on! I ran up to our room to get LaVerne's purse and mine, and made it back downstairs as they were wheeling her out on the stretcher. By that time, though, she was looking much better and almost pert. We got in the ambulance, they checked her out, and recommended that she go to the hospital. So we both got our first ride in an ambulance! Anyway, she was okay - her blood pressure was really high. I got her registered (clean out those wallets!!!!), called her daugher (hated having to scare her), and mostly worried. But she got released after about an hour, with a recommendation that she see her doctor when she got home (so I made sure she did that). We even made it back to the meeting after grabbing a snack since neither one of us had had breakfast. Joyce was so happy to see LaVerne that she got all teary. LaVerne, Joyce, Mary Ellen, and I headed back home with a stop at Cracker Barrel for lunch. The blueberry pancakes were yummy. I was a little hesitant to let LaVerne drive home by herself, but she was insistent. Her only concession was that she'd call me when she got home, which she did. Whew. She's still doing good, just going to her doctor, and a heart doctor next week to check things out.

After that, it was time for the Associated Women for Christian Education conference (AWH, and other organizations like that from the other Christian schools). We had a nice dinner and I did icebreakers (got them moving around!). Lara Noah led singing (yeah!!!!!) and Kim did a devotional. We even went out to the Lily Pool, where Lara led us in more songs (yeah!!!!). On Friday, I had planned to go to the conference all day, but I had the opportunity to go to Beebe and interview their superintendent for one of my school assignments. So I did that, then went to the luncheon. I went by work for a while, then home but made it back for the dinner that night. We walked over to the Lightle House Inn for a scrumpious dinner - appetizers, an Italian dinner, entertainment by Joli & Paul Love (accompanied by Donna Jo Miller on piano), and the BEST EVER ITALIAN CREME CAKE. It was DE-lish. I savored every bite.

So other than that, it's just work and school. One of my coworkers, Amy, is pregnant. She's due Aug. 1 but figures she'll have him early (her first baby was 4 weeks early). But she's already started dilating and having a few contractions. The doctor gave her some medicine, told her to work only half days or less, and to try to make it through another week. If she had him now, she'd have to go to LR. So we're praying that she can hold off a while longer! The 4-H day camps are next week, so we'll all be pitching in.

School is going good. My online class is moving along. I even turned in my assignment due today EARLY. And I finished up the paper for the Ethics class and turned that in today. I've even gotten a lot done on my powerpoint to turn in next week. Now that I've finished the Ethics paper, I need to get started on my other class - the abstinence education class.

The last thing is my critter-sitting week-end. The Parnells live out near Letona and have animals that are more like their kids. When I started critter-sitting for them a few years ago, they had 2 horses, 2-3 dogs, and 2 cats. Now, they have 2 horses (Max and Cody), 1 dog (Lily, but she stayed at the neighbors luckily), 3 cats (Tigger, Baloo, and Jack), and 12 cows (Teddy the bull, Missy the heifer, Cindy the heifer, Matthew the bull calf, Milly the momma of Missy and Matthew, Rascal, Della, Sugar, Lisa, Sammy, Lady, and Amber). Sugar is my favorite. So, I go out and stay there (they do pay me), and the biggest job is feeding. I get the feed for the cows, go out to the barn. Check on the cats, give them some food (dry and the canned stuff) and fresh water. Then, I feed Max & Cody, spray them with fly spray. Then, it's on to Teddy who is waiting patiently for his feed and minerals. Then I feed the "girls" and Matthew - 3 small feeders for the young ones and 2 big things for the others. I put out all of the feed, THEN open the gate for them to mosey in. They are pretty serious about eating, especially in the mornings. They are fun to watch, and Sugar usually came over to me and let me pet her a while (she likes watching Jack too). I'd eventually get them all out of the feed area, close the gate. Then I might clean out the horse stall (Teddy got in there and messed them up good), and check the water for the horses and cows. Yeah, it's work, but it's fun too. They like me to talk to them (they are used to it I'm sure), and it gives me someone to talk to. I had planned on working on my paper and watching a little tv. I couldn't get the tv to work though. :-( I played online Friday night but finally went to bed. I kept hearing this noise though - like a pop. Took me a while to figure out - it was fireworks. Whew. Then early Saturday morning, the power must have gone off and come back on because the printer started "doing it's thing like when you turn it on" (whatever you call it!) and I couldn't figure out what that silly noise was. Saturday morning though, I figured the power had gone off because I had to reset the microwave clock....and then the computer wouldn't work. Nothing. Zilch. Sigh. No TV. No computer? I had homework! So, I drove home, messed around (painted my toenails - Passion), and got my laptop. Went back out there and started work. You know, with so few distractions, I got a lot done - finished my paper!!! Well, I did find a few books to read.... Saturday evening the neighbor across the road called. A couple of pit bulls had gotten loose in Letona and he wanted to warn me. He didn't think they'd get that far, but if the cows started getting spooked.... Then, the garage door wouldn't go down. I moved the car up - nothing. By that time I was tired, so I just looked the doors and went to bed. I was taking a last stroll before I left today when I scared a snake (I think it was just a king snake) and he scared me. Lo and behold, the garage door went down with no trouble. And I came home.

Here are Max, Cody, and Teddy:

Oh, and did I mention that I'm now in the Searcy Community Band? Yep. Found a horn to borrow since mine's still in the shop. I remember a lot, but I forgot a lot of fingerings! It's fun though, even though my mouth has been a bit sore. We have a concert at Spring Park on July 3. Come listen...and if you ever played an instrument and would like to join we'd love to have you! Especially if you play any low brass instrument. We meet on Monday nights at 7pm in the Reynolds Center at Harding. There's even a group on Facebook.

Joy

I went to a new Bible class tonight - a women's study of the book of James. Consider it a joy to face trials. So maybe to you that means those big trials. Like cancer - I think of Barby Smith on that one. Or maybe a marriage crisis. Or losing a child. But hey, those little things that annoy you? Nah, you don't need to be joyful about being late because of traffic, or that stress-induced neck pain, or even someone that hurts your feelings. Right? Nope. It's those smaller trials that give us good practice at being joyful - choosing that attitude - and can make a huge difference. So to me, that means being joyful at being single, and not wasting my time wishing for what I don't have. So I'm trying but it's a trial.

School is wild!!!! I have tons of papers to write, using APA format of course. I like blogs and news articles so much better. I enjoyed the Christian Ethics class over the week-end and I met some neat people. Now I just get to write a paper! My P-12 curriculum class is online and so far, so good. I've discussed on Blackboard, I'm even ahead in my reading. Now, I just need to work on my independent study class - abstinence education.

I'm headed to Mom's for the week-end. Taking my joy and my school work with me. Then next week, I get to go to Hot Springs with 8 other people (7 women, 1 man). I'll be staying in a room with 4 other women (it's actually a suite and I've already claimed the lumpy couch), so I'll be needing lots of joy and patience!!!

I hope you have a joyful week-end.

JOY

My Next Exciting Adventure!

I'm looking forward to a nice, relaxing trip. It will certainly be an adventure to go ALL the way to Little Rock and spend two nights!! I know, sounds silly - but with gas prices....this way I can get a little shopping and a sushi & Sam's fix!!! I think I even have a hotel room to myself. Wow.

I know you'd love to join me, but you know those little ones need you to be the "mean Mommy" and keep them in line. One day, they will thank you for your time, your energy, your love, and your "expertise" while marveling at your continued sanity. Go ahead, make them make their beds up, clean the sink out, play in the mud, ride bikes all over the neighborhood, eat their veggies, and wear mismatched clothes. Let the dishes sit on the counter and go watch them play for a while. Wonder at their imagination. Laugh with them. Ask them open-ended questions about their play. Be a good example of loving life.

Have a good week!

Another Try

I'm listening to my newest CD - Josh Turner's Everything is Fine. I've been listening to it a lot lately - I like it more than I thought I would. My favorite songs:
Another Try with Trisha Yearwood
Nowhere Fast - duet with Anthony Hamilton
The Longer the Waiting [the Sweeter the Kiss]
I think I like the last one for the name. I think I can emphasize. And it's got a kind of Scottish/old timey feel. Nowhere Fast is a little different. I had not heard of Anthony Hamilton so I googled him. He wrote the song with Kelvin Wooten.

So, I've written about Dad and a little about Mom. Can't talk much about the family without mentioning my big sis though. I always looked up to Laura, even when she steered me wrong, got me in trouble, or made me look bad. But most of the time, she was always looking out for me, and helping me out. When I fell off the monkey bars at the playground across the street, I went straight to Laura first. When she saw all the blood, she said, "We better go see Mom." She's always been talented. I loved listening to her play the piano - Moonlight Sonata was one of my all-time favorites, along with Exodus (loved since I never hear her play anymore - hint hint!!!!). I didn't enjoy listening to the trumpet quite as much, but she was good - and she could even play harmony to my clarinet melody. She also has quite the talent for impersonations - I guess she probably peaked when she was in CD Franks Intermediate School though. Those are the ones I remember best. Laura made a good Don Juan, an excellent teacher, a "scary" make-up artist, and she can be devious although few people believe it. I love looking at Emily & Ethan and seeing little snatches of Laura (and definitely John too). Laura has a "one-track mind" and hands like Dad, but she's better known for her similarities to Mom. I call them both social butterflies and Emily is made in that same vein. But if you're around Mom & Laura for very long - you will start seeing it. I've never thought Laura looked like anyone in particular (people usually say how much I look like my Dad) but I always thought she was much prettier than me. She WAS blond of course, and in case you hadn't noticed, the blond dolls are all prettier than the brunette ones (or so I thought anyway). When she left for college, I really, really missed her. Yes, I missed the chauffeur too (I couldn't drive yet) but I missed my friend more. She's always been my best friend.
Various Memories:

• Her white high heels - I grew into them for a few months, then my feet grew more.


• The way she held her hands out when showing her engagement ring (she's double jointed and could make her hands do weird things).


• Those long eyelashes


• Fuzzy Wuzzy............as Dad said


• Our neighbors told Mom that I never ran home to Mom - I just ran to Laura.


• Summer fun - riding bikes all over the neighborhood, down to the 7-11 for icees, and to the Castle to rent movies. Her picks? John Wayne in True Grit or The Journey of Natty Gann.


• Dad bringing Laura to see me in the hospital. She brought me a yellow comb with my name on it in blue (hers was blue with her name in white). I also have some cards she sent me.


• When she came home for spring break her freshman year at Harding wearing John's class ring. She finally got the nerve to put it on in front of Mom & Dad while eating out.


• She had to look "just right" - fluffy 80's bangs and all - which required hair dryer, hot rollers, and such all over the bathroom.


• Her love for all of our pets - Tippy, Sam, Midnight, Tigger, Charlie, Tootsie, and various gerbils. Oh yeah, remember the tail coming off one of those gerbils?!?!?


• Celebrating Mom's birthday last year in Hot Springs

Thanks for being my sister and friend. Love ya!

Here's another of Ethan's early masterpieces- taken at Emily's backwards birthday party (which is the reason Laura's sweater is on backwards).

Random Thoughts again

Well, Sis said to update my blog. So here I am. I'll be honest, I don't have any good stories about little people in my life. I think Laura's covered my favorites anyway. So here are some random thoughts.

• Did you know that most women need 3 servings of dairy foods a day? Raise your hand if you get that. Dairy is good for you!
• Well, string cheese is a yummy way of getting some dairy food. Especially the low-fat kind. Try some of the zillions of new yogurts out there - especially FIZZIX - fizzy yogurt (Warning: don't let it get warm!!!). Or, if you are adventurous, try Kefir.
• And now, for those of you that just can't bear of the thought of "white water" - there is skim plus - skim milk with thickeners added so that it "feels" like 2% milk.
• If you are lactose intolerant, try eating aged cheese like cheddar or swiss. Most of that type of cheese has no lactase.
• Mooooving along...................(yes, I went to a nutrition training this week)
• I got my books for my summer classes. I've already starting reading for one. If anyone has an old textbook from human structure and function, I'd like to borrow it. I need to brush up for a fall class.
• I made up a menu for the next week. Healthy stuff that I wanted to try. I'm going to be adventurous.
• I should be cleaning right now. So I'm blogging in an effort to put off cleaning. :-)
• Yarnell's Triple Play ice cream is my current favorite. I had the pleasure of doing a survey for Yarnell's and my "reward" was a container of ice cream. YUMMY! It is, however, staying at the office. I can't hear it calling "KKKKKKKKkatie, come eat me!!!!" from my office.
• Cheerios has a blueberry yogurt burst cereal - I've only seen it at Sam's. It's good! Sam's also has good prices on a huge bag of dried cranberries, mixed dried fruit, and yogurt.
• How 'bout this weather? Sure was nice today.
• West Point is celebrating 150 years on Saturday - speakers, bands, musicians, dancers, storytelling, BBQ lunch & catfish dinner by Eagleview, and fun stuff going on. West Point News.
• I really like my mom - we had a good week-end for Mother's Day. She's always been a good Mom and now a good friend too. I'm excited about her moving here!!!
• Mom made a Holly Hobbie doll quilt for me when I was little. Also some doll clothes. I'm impressed since sewing wasn't her favorite thing. She always let me "help" make bread (my loaves weren't that tasty!) and cookies (we ate more dough than cookies I'm sure). She sang, and played the piano and dulcimer for us. Mom was always reading to us - We loved "The Little House" series. She stayed with me in the hospital every night, except the one night Dad stayed. I'm sure her bed wasn't too comfy but she hung in there with me for 10 nights or so. I always wanted her close when the "vampires" came to draw blood. Thanks Mom - for all the little things you've done through the years.

goings on

April has been rather eventful so far, in a laid-back kind of way. I went to Ashdown to visit with Mom - we shopped, went out to Arden (where I got the van stuck in the mud at the cemetery - lucky we have relatives with tractors!), and watched "Enchanted" among other generally fun things together. The next week-end, I headed up to Pokey to visit the Tuckers. We had fun (watched "Enchanted" again), went to Jonesboro (Lowe's, the Mall, Whole Hog, ice cream), enjoyed our time together.

April 9th marked the day that, in 1998, my dad passed away. 10 years. My dad was the best dad. He made a yummy chocolate mousse in May 1993 - he had lost his job and was at home searching for another. Since Mom was in the end-of-the-school-year-mode, Dad cooked dinner and even made a great dessert. He was also the chef that made our white cake supreme birthday cakes each year (Mom was the expert 7-minute-frosting-maker). And I can't forget the time he made dinner - a one-casserole-dish. Mom asked if we needed rolls. "Nope - it's in there." Vegetable? "Nope - it's in there." Salad? "Nope - it's in there." What else? Here are some of my random memories:

• Dad wasn't very talkative but when he talked, you listened.
• He was extremely patient - he often, very often, waited on "his girls" - in the bathroom, getting ready for church, etc. He would get frustrated at times, though.
• He was always so proud of us - no matter how awful we looked in those awkward years.
• Dad kept this little black comb in his front pocket sometimes - so he could comb his hair (especially useful on those windy days).
• He loved ice cream - vanilla. That's why he got lots of gift certificates to Baskin-Robbins. And he could bite into an ice cream cone.
• We always enjoyed laughing at him when he washed the windshield - his tongue would stick out to the side.
• I always thought he looked nice - no wearing his pants down low under the big belly sticking out. He was good at shining shoes and kept his looking good. He was especially handsome on August 14, 1993 when he wore a tux for Laura's wedding. I thought he was, by far, the most handsome man there.
• He was really good at listening - must have been all that practice.
• He was always trying out new pieces of luggage since he traveled so much. We never ran out of shampoo - he always brought home the ones from the hotels.
• He called every night - no matter where he was or what time it was. That meant, on occasion, he got to just listen to us breathe and hang up on him (we were asleep). Luckily, he knew that meant we were okay - just tired.
• He eventually gave up trying to get into the master bedroom closet - it only opened on one side anyway. He bought himself a freestanding closet that went on HIS side of the room and pretty much covered up the window.
• He showed us how to run backwards (luckily he had a cap on that somehow protected his head when he fell down).
• He taught us to drive a stick shift (bless his patient little heart).
• He bought us nice jewelry (like the watch that I still wear!)
• Those fried chicken strips with curry gravy.
• That cute grin.
• We couldn't go to bed without Cheerios, milk, bananas, and coffee.
• His sipping coffee in bed (Mom was the early bird). He's just sit there, sipping coffee until it was gone. Then he'd get up. On Saturdays, after breakfast, he'd usually go back to bed.
• He always insisted that we go on a vacation every summer - and we did!
• His ever-changing vehicles from work - trucks, station wagons full of "stuff" and with that white powder from the plant (that also showed up on his work boots).

I miss you Dad.