Meet me in St. Louis

Growing up anywhere in Missouri gives one a chance to become a St. Louis Cardinal fan. We lived in Jackson MO until I went to college, but when my parents moved to St. Louis during my college years, we became even more dedicated to the Cardinals. We've been working on Justin, since he married into the family in 1998. He's at least wearing the attire as he watched his beloved Braves get beat by the Cards 6-3. We had such a great time during the game. The temperature was perfect, and we saw Pujols hit a home run in the first inning! Who could ask for anything more! Addie enjoyed the game, but liked the snow cone more. After the game, she was able to run the bases with Justin on the field. It was a great day at the ballpark. Before the game we took Addie up into the Arch, which she knows about from Little Einsteins. After the Arch and the game, we headed to Max and Erma's, a famous St. Louis restaurant. It was a great day.


On day two in St. Louis, we went to the City Museum and the St. Louis Zoo. I would not recommend trying both these attractions in the same day. It was 12 hours of straight walking and climbing, but was so much fun! The City Museum was unlike anything we've ever been to, it had play structures throughout, with hands on learning and climbing. The outdoor structure as you can see from the photo is about 4 stories high of climbing slides, into planes, and wire ladders. With me being claustrophobic and afraid of heights, Justin did most of this with her as I took pictures and video. Then, it was on the the St. Louis Zoo, which is FREE! We had a fantastic time there seeing hippos swim, all kind of bears, tigers, and sea lions, OH MY! The sea lion show was great, and we all had a so much fun seeing animals we don't normally see at the TN zoos. We may have to do our St. Louis trip each year, since we weren't able to do everything we wanted to do. Anyone like to join us?

Tubin' Time

My parents had a boat until I was about 8, and from then on we just had friends with boats. The last two summers we have rented or borrowed a boat for a few days. It's so much fun! I keep telling Justin we need a boat! (He says we just need friends with boats.) Maybe he's right, but I really do love being out on the water. Much to our surprise our little fish, Addie, spent more time on the tube than any of us. She LOVES to swim and loves tubing. At first we tried to be careful with her, and rode along slowly. Then we became more brave, and did not scare her no matter how many circles we drove in! It was really a great 3 days with my parents, sister, and Grandma on the lake. We will look forward to next summer and do it all over again!

When Satan Laughs

My dad has been a pastor for over 42 years. He retired in December after much prayer and consideration, because his Parkinson's disease had begun to affect his job performance. It was a difficult decision for him, who once believed he'd go to his grave from the pulpit. Making the decision all the more difficult was his deep love for his church. Dad and Mom decided to stay in the church as members.

At the time of Dad's retirement, the church had minor issues but was growing, active, loving, and trying to reach the people in their community for Christ. Since his retirement, an interim pastor and influential men in his church have begun to divide the people and cause great pain to the church and my parents. At first, I wanted my parents to stay and fight for what I believed was right for the church. Now, I am hoping they leave the mess, either by leaving the church, or just staying out of the way of the fiery arrows.

What saddens me the most is knowing how much Satan is laughing. He uses Christian people for evil. He puffs them up with their own pride and selfish ambitions, and makes them believe in their hearts its for the best. Meanwhile, the bride of Christ is torn to pieces, made ineffective for the gospel, and breaking the hearts of the ones who serve in it. On a personal level, it's heartbreaking because I see my parents suffer. This situation has further aged my Dad, and caused his Parkinson's to be even more cruel. There are times I want to call those who are responsible and fight for my parents and what I believe is right. If I did, would I be any better than those who started the whole thing? I really don't know. Tonight I will pray, and I will remember who God is. He is the God of the Israelites, and when they worshipped the golden calves days after seeing the Red Sea part, He still loved them. The God of David, who even after David murdered his mistress's husband, God loved him and restored him. God is the Restorer, the Redeemer, Sovereign and I'm glad it's in His hands and not ours.

All a man's ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart. Proverbs 21:2

Ghost Stories, S'mores, and Good Times

It was a good weekend, and a hard one. Justin's Dad lost his job after being with his company for 35 years. We spent most of the weekend helping them get their house ready to sell. We did manage to have some fun while we were there. On Saturday, we got to spend time with Wayne and Sherry at their home and eat a WONDERFUL meal prepared by them. On Sunday, we met our friends Greg and Jessica at the park down by the river in the UT Campus area. Addie and Connor (their son) got to have loads of fun running in and out of all the waterfalls and sprayers.

After our time with them it was our 2nd Annual Camping Trip with our nephews. Justin pitched the tent in Mimi and Pop Pop's backyard. We built a bonfire and made S'mores! They were so good, and they just taste like Summer to me. After the S'mores, it was time for all of us to share our scary ghost stories. For dramatic reasons, we always hold a flashlight under our mouths. Then, we giggle because we can see up each other's noses. Most stories were not so scary since they were told by 4, 6, and 8 year olds. Justin's story scared Luke so much he slept inside in Mimi's bed. Addie's stories are always funny because they include princesses and unicorns, which usually are not all that scary. A good time was had by all, and we did manage to get a little sleep. (I slept the best, because I made it inside to sleep.) Once again, I am reminded of how fast the Summer goes. It's really such a gift, and I hope we will always make summertime's special.