So much for doing a better job at updating!!  It has been hot and sticky here!! 

We have been working in the garden -- 22 tomato plants, 6 squash plants, 8 pepper plants (jalapeno and Bell), 2 cucumber vines, a watermelon vine, and a cantaloupe vine.  Believe it or not, there are watermelons and cantalopue on the vines!  I hope they are sweet and delicious. I can't wait!!    The tomatoes are not ripe yet, but we have been getting a lot of squash.  We seem to have squash every meal!  Oh, well, when that is what you have, you eat it, or throw it away.  We do give a lot of it away.  Kenneth takes some to work and we take some to church, and also give some to our neighbors. 

Well, we actually have quite a few flowers this year.  My calla lilies are blooming (yeah!!), Black-eyed Susan's are blooming well.  I have quite a few geraniums that are just doing great!  I think they are my favorites this year, as I only paid 10 cents a plant for them.  As Shu would say, Woo Hoo!!!!!   I will have to get one of the girls bring their digital camera over here and take some pictures to you all can see what I am so proud of!!

I think the city is going to put a damper on things, though.  They are going to start rationing water so we can only water our yards twice a week for about an inch of water at a time.  Hmmmmmmmmmm!  That wll not work for as many plants as we have!  Well, we'll see what happens.

I will be glad when we get all our windows put in and I can finish painting the house.  It will look so nice!  I don't like dribbling the work out so long, but we are not going into debt to do the windows, but are paying for it as we go.  That takes a little bit longer! 

Sunday's are so looooooooooonnnnnnnnnnngggggggggg!  When we don't have church on Sunday evening, the day is too long.  I prefer going to church!   Oh, well. . . . . I guess we don't get everything we want, do we! 

Starting September 10, I will be coordinating a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University class at our church.  It runs for 13 weeks.  It is really great!  If you ever get the chance to attend one of these, or even a 'live event' with Dave Ramsey himself, it is well worth the time and money.  He has "been there, done that" and his take on finances is awesome!  We went through the Financial Peace University this year at our church, and our plans are to be completely debt free sometime next year!!!!!   That will feel so good!  Can you just imagine what you could do if you had no debt!  Just think about it!  It will be awesome -- and liberating!

Well, I will hush for now -- love all you guys!!

Well, so much for getting better at updating!!!!!   Where do I start?  On Thursday, March 30, I went to OKC to see Carlene (yes, I actually drove the whole way all by my lonsesome!).  I traveled 408 miles and still had a quarter of a tank of gas left!  I had the wind to my back pushing me along!  I thought that was neat -- 27 mpg!  We went to Tulsa for the Gaither Tour an Friday, and it was so good!!  I think I cried through the whole thing.  The Isaacs sang a song, "Yours and Mine", about the relationship between mother and child -- it was very good!  The concert was at the Mabry Center on ORU campus.  It was packed out, and it was very crowded.  We stayed at the Marriott Hotel that night and, guess what?!?  We were on the 10th floor which is the concierge floor.  You had to use your room key in the elevator to even get on the 10th floor!  How's that for being snooty!?!   Then, the next morning, we ate breakfast in one of the hotel restaurants with --  David and Barbara Green!  They are the owners of Hobby Lobby.  THey are really sweet and down to earth people.  The next day, Saturday, we shopped at consignment stores ( I love those places), and a couple of malls.  Foley's had some really good sales.  I got a spring jacket for $7 -- that is my kind of shopping.  Sunday, I went with Carlene and Brad to their Financial Peace class, and then around 12:00 Carlene and I went to pick up Pearl Riley (Norma Jean's sister) who was riding home with us.  We had a good trip, but did not get nearly as good a gas mileage, as we were facing the wind all the way home.

The Tuesday after I got home, we had a Women's Ministries salad supper and fashion show from Coolwater Creek.  That was interesting. 

Now -- for the biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigggggggggggggg project.  I am painting the house!  It will be the same colors (my girls think I am boring!!!).   I have taken a good long while in doing it -- in between working and everything else I have to do.  Ryan came and pressured-washed the house and got a lot of the loose paint off.  Then I had to use good ole elbow grease and a hand scraper and do the rest of it.  Whew!  That is a tiring job, especially since the whole house is wood -- top to bottom!  This past Friday, Daddy and I put a window in the south end of the office.  This will, hopefully, give me a cross-breeze and help me stay cool!!  It really makes the back of the house look nice.  I have put on a gallon of primer -- how many more do I have to go? (TOO MANY).  I ordered new windows for the north side of our bedroom, and those will come in some time in the next two weeks.  Anybody ready to paint??   The end result will be worth it, but it sure is a lot of work.

Kenneth goes to Tucson, Arizona Thursday for manager's meeting.  This is his first one.  I will be home all by myself!  I think Casey and Kelbey are spending Friday night with me.  That should be fun!  Kelbey has never spent the night away from mom and dad. 

Everyone was here for Easter Dinner.  We had ham, broccoli casserole, green beans, asparagus, squash & onions, and carrots. 

Kenneth and I are going through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University classes.  There are 13 sessions, and we are at session 8 which will be next Sunday night.  If you have the opportunity, go through this class.  It is very financially enlightening!  Our goal is to be debt free at the end of the year!!!  We are having a "Financial Peace" garage sale at the church this Saturday, April 22.  This is one of the things Dave says to do in order to get some money to pay off some debts.  All the profit from the sale is to go toward paying off as many debts as possible.  This should be interesting.  I am going through every closet, storage shed, etc. to find things to put in this garage sale.  Everything not nailed down is going!!   haha

Well, I have talked your eyeballs out, so I better let them rest so you can read my next long update!!  Have a good week.  As Dave Ramsey would say, "The only way to walk in financial peace is to walk daily with the Prince of Peace!"  I think that works in all realms of life!!  See ya!

Well, well! It has been four months since I posted!!  I am so sorry.  There just do not seem to be enough hours in a day to get in everything I think I need to get in!! 

Work -- I have a minimum number of lines to type each day (500), and some days it seems to take me longer than others to get that done.  And here I am, wishing I could do more lines for more money!  Oh, well, are we greedy?  Always wanting more than we have.  Shame on us!

Hey, I think everyone should go through the Dave Ramsey "Peace University".   Our goal is to be out of debt in a year - including the house!  That will be great.  I think every young person should have to go through this class.  It will make you think about where you spend you money, your attitude towards money, and how to make your money work for you.  Great stuff!  If you have the opportunity to do this at your church, do it.  We have already paid off two debts - and it is a WONDERFUL feeling!!!!!!!!   Debt-Free here we come!

We are also wanting to do some things around the house this year -- new sewer line being the first.  When we get that done, we will have new water line, new gas line, and new sewer line!  Our plumbing should be #1 !!!  Then I get to fix my bathroom.  That will be great!  hmmmmm now to choose colors, etc.  so many decisions! ha That's the fun part, then the nitty gritty dirty work!  Ask Tom and Lavonia about that!!  Whew! It can be time consuming and very tiring -- but rewarding.

Also in the works will be a new computer.  Time is money to me, and when I have to sit and wait for it to do something, I am losing money!!!  Can't have that.

Well, we now have two cars once again.  Kenneth has a 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier, white, 4-door.  Maybe this will cut down on the amount of gas we have to buy each month.  I am really enjoying my Town & Country Chrysler van.  Steve gives me a hard time about it, but I really like it.  I even have radio controls on the steering wheel, and I did not even know it until my sister came to town and drove it.  She found them!  What can I say?

 Well, this is Saturday, and I need to get up and get the house cleaned, ironing done, etc.  I will try to be better at posting so you will know what is going on with us.  Okay?

Until next time . . . . . . . .

Howdeeee!!!!!   Boy, is it good to be back home.  I remember when I was a kid, thinking staying in a hotel was a great thing.  Now, I am glad to be away from that hotel!!  The past five weeks have been quite a journey, but I am glad to have it over with.  Kelbey is, too!!  We all are.  Eating out two meals a day for five weeks gets really, really, really, really, tiresome!

I missed seeing my family, missed sleeping in my bed, missed working in my yard, missed singing in the choir  -- hey, I just missed home!!   There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home, . . . . . . . .

Well, I am back in physical therapy, and I am sore!  I tried to work out two to three times a week while in Houston, but that was different.  What is a typical physical therapy session like?  Well, let me tell you.  The first thing I do is lay on a "traction" table -- I call it a "roller" table because a roller goes up and down your back.  It does feel good.  Then I lay on another table and the physical therapist tries to loosen up my shoulder muscles (they have their work cut out for them!!).  I then do several exercises -- 1.  Chin tucks which are to stretch my back neck muscles.  2. Knee squeezes (squeezing a pillow) for ???? ( I don't really know what for).  3 and 4 are both abdominal crunches and abdomen/back muscle exercises.  The next thing I do is sit in a chair against a door with some kind of contraption over the door, and I pull the ropes alternately, exercising my shoulder muscles in a different way.  Then it is on to the stationary bicycle for eight minutes.  The last thing I do is a couple of exercises with a yellow (I have actually graduated to a red one) stretchy thing-a-majig which works my shoulder muscles and scapular muscles.  This all takes about an hour, and then I am through!! 

Last week I had to get all the medical bills/invoices together and copy them to send to the lawyer.  I cannot believe how much everything costs.  Medical costs can break a person!! There ought to be a law against that! 

Today, I started back to typing. It is about time I made some money!!  Last week, I just worked around the house and yard.  I had to pick tomatoes!!  Boy, those things are going crazy!  Last fall, Kenneth put rabbit manure on the garden area, and then this spring he tilled it in really good.  Everything we planted out there really did well.  We actually had a pretty flower garden in the back yard this year. 

Also, last week, my dad had cataract surgery on his right eye, so he and Quinton spent Tuesday and Wednesday nights at our house. 

Even though I did not work for five weeks, and was spending money right and left in Houston ( hey, I had to eat!!), Kenneth got an unexpected bonus that took care of all of that and then some!!!!!  Isn't God good!! He certainly has been good to our family.  I don't know what I would do if I did not have God to lean on!  If I thought I had to face this life without God, I would go crazy!!  You would have to visit me in the crazy house!! 

Well, I guess I will close for now.   Everybody go have a good week, okay?

Well, I thought I would update now, as I do not know when I will be able to do so again.  Shonda and I leave for Houston tomorrow afternoon at 4:25, have one stop in Dallas, and go on to Houston, arriving at 6:25 or so.  We do not have to change planes!!  I like that.

Well, these past couple of weeks have been emotional ones for me -- I am close to tears at all times!!!!  I then have to remember that I gave Kelbey's problems to God, and refuse to dwell on them.  He already knows -- I can't tell him anything new!! -- so I have to leave it at that.  The human side of me still is emotional about it all.  

Kayla has been preparing Kelbey for this day for a good while, but you never know what is going on in the mind of a child (Cyndi -- remember this!!!!).  When they got in the suburban yesterday morning at 5:30 to leave for Houston, Kelbey started crying and said, "I don't want to have heart surgery!"  Oh, boy.  talk about tugging at your heart!!  Pray for Steve and Kayla that they will have wisdom to deal with this, and a peace they cannot explain!!  I know God is able.  Pray for Casey, too, as he has a strong bond with Kelbey -- this has got to be tough on the little guy!

Becky asked about MRI and PT -- I started Physical Therapy Tuesday.  Guess who I saw?  Troy Hounshell -- a guy Kevin went to PT school with!! Interesting.  Anyway, I went three times this week.  I have been sore all week!!!  They have given me exercises to do while I am in Houston.  They want to prolong the torture!!  It really does not hurt at the time, just the next day!

I am waiting for Covenant Imaging to fax me the report of my MRI.  I had that done on Tuesday, as well.  I spent approximately an hour and twenty minutes flat of my back, could not move, not even my hands!!  I was afraid toblink! haha  Wow . I don't sleep on my back for a reason!  Anyways, I made it!  I did an open-air.  I don't think I would have tolerated very well being in a tunnel -- as it was, the machine was only a couple of inches from my face the whole time.  I got the bill for that today!  Whew -- that is expensive.  I am glad insurance is to pay for this!! $3000 is a lot of money for pictures of the cervical and lumbar spine. 

Well, I am trying to get laundry done up so Kenneth will have some clean shirts and clean towels.  Just the stuff you do when you are going to be gone for a while.  Plus, I need to type a little bit today, too. 

Oh, well, I guess I would be bored if I did not have anything to do!  (I would spend the time working in the yard!!!!!!!). 

We had a guy come look at our roof, and he said there was a lot of hail damage, so we have turned in a claim to insurance. 

Want some tomatoes?  Our vines are loaded!!  They taste so good - much better than those store-bought imitations!  The zucchini is putting on good, too.  The okra is not putting on a lot, as of yet.  I have cooked a little bit for Quinton and Daddy for lunch one day, and that is all I have gotten. 

Well, I got the fax of my MRI -- There is some disc protrusion at two places in the lumbar spine, but nothing major.  That is good!  The cervical spine (neck) has some disc protrusion at C3-4 and C4-5.  I don't know if that is enough to explain the neck pain or not -- or if it is just muscle pain.  I will have to wait until I get back from Houston to talk to somebody about this.

Well, is this enough to read for a while?  Keep checking carepages.com!

Pray for Kenneth -- he will be here working (?) on Wednesday. 

Talk to you guys later!!