HER ROYAL HIGHNESS

THE DADDY DAUGHTER GOLF BALL was held here in March, in conjunction with the TPC. The event was at the Hyatt Riverfront and was a very enchanted evening for KGB and her dad. She talked about it for two months leading up to it, and is still talking about it two months later. She said "Mommy, daddy twirled me three times!" I'm sure dad had a good time too. Apparently they danced all night. I'm sure that she was the prettiest princess there... I'm sure the place was full of pretty princesses. It's nice to see dads do something with the little girls like this. DB and LBB do flag football, scouts, outside stuff, etc., but KGB got a little one-on-one that night. I can remember, when I was a little girl, thinking that my dad could do anything. I will never forget when he told me that he could't throw a rock over a skyscraper. That blew my mind. Even more than when I found out about Santa, Easter Bunny, and those guys. I just knew he could if he really tried.
Still, for now, KGB's dad is up on a pedestal, and is certainly Prince Charming.

I THINK MY LITTLE BOY GREW 4" TALLER THIS WEEKEND....That's my boy, with both feet off the ground!

Friday night: Dad took LB to meet Mark Brunell and get his autograph. Mark is a professional football QB who used to play for the Jacksonville Jags, who is a great Christian guy, and made himself available on Friday night for meet & greet. LB got an autographed poster and had his Bruenll #8 Jersey signed.

Saturday morning: LB intercepts a pass at his flag football game. AWESOME!!!!!!!! Gets a medal for that one!

Saturday afternoon: Right after the game, Dad takes him down to Jags spring practice. There he meets and gets autographs from about 20 pro players and one player even asked him to hold his helmet for him while he signed LB's football. This is good stuff ya'll!! How 'bout that dad of his, by the way??? And you just thought his MOM was cool!

Later that day: Gets his 1st summer job (EVER). Mr Roy across the street said LB could mow his lawn this summer. He is so excited he can hardly stand it. We spent the rest of the day with very good friends swimming and cooking ribs on the grill. It's great to live in Florida:)

Sunday morning: Even after everything wonderful that has happened to my little boy up to this point, he still sits next to me in church and rubs my hand. He is soooooo sweet.

Sunday after church: He goes fishing with his big brother, RB. RB will be 24 on Saturday and he's pretty important to his little brother and sister. They were going to go deep sea fishing but the water was too rough so they stayed inland on the river mouth around the jettys. He caught some big fish. Apparently they had to let them go because they were too big??? I don't understand that one.

Sunday night: LB and his brother get home and we are cooking out (again) and swimming. He has some chicken and goes right to bed. He looked very, very tired. He also looked a little older, a little taller, and a little bit like the very special young man I know he will very soon be.

AMAZING GRACE

EASTER SUNDAY 2009

This Easter was absolutely incredible. It was incredible for a few reasons...First of all, sunrise service at St. Augustine Fort is something Dave and I have always done. We've been there together for the past 16+/- years. Each year, you never know what to expect. Though some better than others, it is always a very positive experience. This year was awesome because, right before our eyes, as the sun rose, three people decided to give their lives to Christ and were Baptized right there in the bay, with the sun coming up and the waves rolling in. It was amazing. Probably a little frigid as well, but it was beautiful.

Secondly, Cracker Barrel. After only 3 hours of sleep because of a sick little boy, a 5:45 wake up call, and a beautiful sunrise, what more could I ask for? I don't know if it's the rocking chairs, the way it takes me back, or the fact that the food is fabulous, but Cracker Barrel will always be on my top ten list. A little country restaurant, that I've gone to all of my life, and that can take me back home in an instant is truly amazing.

Thirdly, and certainly in order only chronologically, was Christ's Church....

I love that place. I've been going and serving there for many years. I love it. My kids love it. I've been very in touch with the Christ that lives in my heart for a while, and I tell you, He is awesome. I went there to volunteer only, because Myra had asked me to:) When I got there and she found out that I had gone to sunrise and hadn't been able to go to the 9:00 service, she insisted go into the main church and listen to Jason. What she forgot to tell me was that I would need to take some tissue!! I was touched watching Jason because he was so passionate about what he was saying. This (and possibly Christmas Eve) is the time that Preachers get their big chance...the chance to touch a lot of people at once. The chance to do what they've trained for and what they are passionate about. Jason's passion was about to cost him his voice. I was touched because his love for everyone in that service was Amazing. Thus, I needed tissue.

Thirdly (part 2), just when I thought I would be able to compose myself, Jason pulled out all stops. He came up front with a sign that read "Abandoned by Father". Then he flipped to the other side and it said "Saved by Heavenly Father". O.K. Teary now. I looked around and saw people who were hurting. I know they were hurting because I have been there. When my best friend died, I didn't know why, but the one place I knew I had to be was at church. I couldn't talk to anyone, didn't want anyone to talk to me, but I HAD to be there. I saw people there like that yesterday. I could feel them. The Christ in my heart began flowing down my face. Amazing.

This brings me to the most incredible lesson that I took from yesterday. One word can move me like no other. "GRACE". When my mother was dying, I was in Florida and she was in Tennessee and I was very pregnant with my little girl. My Aunt Nancy, who lives in Alaska, had come to Tennesse to stay with my mom and grandmother during this difficult time. I would call mom every day. Every day she said the same thing..."I'm going to fight this". I would hang up and cry. Then one day my aunt said something to me. She told me "The Grace of God is on your mother's face". "The Grace of God is on your mother's face". A peace came over me and I knew.....I knew. My mom died March 6, 2000. My little girl was born 3 months later. I named her Kali Grace. She's named after her grandmother. I'm reading a book about Grace right now by Phillip Yancey called "What's so Amazing About Grace?". In this book, he says that many people go to church in a search for Grace, and then leave because they found none. He says, (and I agree), that this is a huge problem with The Church.

I will finish by saying that Phillip Yancey should have been at Christ's Church yesterday. One by one, sometimes by twos, people would come up and have their "labels". Then they would turn them over to share what The Lord had done for them. You guessed it, I was crying like a baby. But I wasn't the only one. I think everybody cried yesterday. Some cried because they related to the stories on stage. I cried because, just as I was concerned about Grace not being around like it should be, I was surrounded in it. I was bathed by tears and AMAZING GRACE.

GOD BLESS

THIS KID'S MOM IS SOOOO COOL!!!

OK:) Here is the story about the haircut. LB asked if he could have a Mohawk. I said "Absolutely". How could he possibly need to rebell against that? I figured 1-he's a good kid, 2-he's making great grades, and 3-he'll chicken out. I got two out of three right. He went to RB's and got him a Mohawk!!! RB called and said "mom, did you say LB could get a Mohawk?" and I said "Absolutely". RB said "What?".
So this is what LB looked like when he got home. TOO CUTE right??? Apparently too cute for County public schools. Thankfully, after going to school like this on Monday and Tuesday, I get an e-mail from his teacher that his hair "violates the county dress code. He will be sent to in-school suspension if his hair is not normal tomorrow". His teacher, who, by the way, is an NFL Cheerleader and NOT distracting, could not seem to get her e-mail to work on Monday:) It would seem that his hairdo was disruptive to the class.
SOOOOOO, Mom is the good guy, everybody at scouts and on his football team got to see how cool his hair was, and LB only had it for two days.
Lesson Learned: Pick your battles!!!

HAPPY 10TH BIG GUY!

It's official. LB's a Tweener. He turned the big 1-0 last week, and, for his birthday, had a camp-out/sleepover. 4 of his best buds and his best 'lil buddy cuz came over for a night of food, fun, campfire, manhunt after dark, and sleeping in the tent.

The kids had a blast. They ran around the yard while DB and I sat around the great fire. It's great to live in FL (in the winter for sure). Look at these guys!! Shorts. Shoeless. T-shirts. Ginger Lynn did manage to eat one of the guests socks. Whole. She swallowed it. She's doin' just fine in case you were wondering.

The campers actually stayed out there all night. Oh yea, they came in and got DB to go out there and sleep with them around 11:00. I love my kids friends. I love that they like to come here. If I could just train Ginger Lynn to eat only the socks that don't have a match...

BIG BUNNY PARTY!!!!!!

Come one, come all to our Big Bunny Party at Christ's Church on Saturday, April 4th.
It's going to be a blast!!!!!!!!!!!
There are going to be plenty of fun things to see and do. Come join us in the celebration of The One Who Made Everything Possible.
For more information, visit CContheweb.com. I'll be there with my smile on 'cause I'm (as we say in the south) The Welcomin' Committee.... Hope to see ya'll there.... All of ya'll!!!

Visit www.BigBunnyParty.com for details. Fun for Families and Kids Pre-school through 4th Grade. Egg Hunts (multiple for various age groups), Pictures with the “Big Bunny”, Bounce House ,Games, Prizes and More! LIVE Multimedia Productions !

INDEPENDENCE DAY

Dear Mom, Do you still get to see sunsets like this where you are? Do you marvel at God's colorwheel? I just want to write this so that you will know that I haven't forgotten you. I miss you terribly, in fact. I hope you know that.Your grandkids are doing great. LB is as sweet as he can be, and, well, KGB, let's just say I'm sure she's keeping you laughing. Sometimes I think I can hear your laughter. I hope I did alright by you as a daughter. I'm not at all sure that I did, and for that I am truly sorry. Happiness always seemed just out of reach for us. I hope that, when you think of me, you smile. I hope you're proud of the person I've become. I hope that The Lord can talk to you and maybe help you understand me a little better.It's been 9 years today. You're finally free. You are in a painless world now where you can garden, work crossword puzzles, and watch all of your grandchildren at the same time. Happy Independence Day mom. Love Angie

SEIZE THE MOMENTS TO TEACH...

There is another small child missing in Florida. Little Haleigh, 5 years old, was taken from her bed on Monday night. She just vanished. The police have an amber alert and all authorities are involved in looking for her. I am constantly praying for her and her family.
Tonight there was a special on the local news about the disappearance. My 9 year old, LB, watched it, and afterwards I noticed he was going around closing windows and checking locks.

DB is out with the boys and I knew LB was a little nervous. I took the opportunity to watch a movie with him called "Facing The Giants". For those of you who haven't seen it, it's one of my very favorites. It's about a Georgia high school football team that finds "With God, nothing is impossible". It has a lot of my favorite things, Football, God, Bible reading, Faith, and a happy ending. It was a good time to watch this again so we could discuss how powerful God is and how we have him with us no matter what.

I hope that my son sleeps well tonight. I hope that Haleigh is sleeping well tonight. I hope that she is back with her family when she wakes up.

Please take a moment to pray...

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

You know fitness superman Jack LaLane? His wife's name is Elaine. Elaine LaLane. Elaine LaLane. Say that. How much fun would that be? Elaine LaLane.

JUST A FEW DISNEY SHOTS

MERRY CHRISTMAS FLORIDA STYLE

DISNEYWORLD CHRISTMAS - Not for the squeamish...

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and we would like to invite you to share some of our Christmas memories...

For Christmas this year, my in-laws gave all of us, all 13 kids 'n grands, a fabulous three night stay at Disneyworld, complete with all the trimmings as only Disney can provide. The park was very, very crowded. It was difficult to walk without touching shoulders with someone else. Americans were the minority it seemed. The resorts offer a package of "Special Magic Hours" for resort guests only, and that was the time to go to the theme parks. We went to Magic Kingdom from midnight to 3:00a.m., and rode EVERYTHING:) LB said "This was the greatest night of my life!" His big brother was with him and they rode all of the roller coasters and "Scary" stuff. KGB opted to stay at the hotel with grandma. She said she was tired and went to bed.

Let me just say, at this point, I am not as young as I used to be. Oh, we stayed up until around 4 a.m, no problem. The problem was the entire next week...exhausted. The following night was Magic Hours until 1 or 2 (who could remember at this point) at MGM Studios. That is where the kids and I had our pictures made in the "City of Lights". It actually snowed in there at times. I told the kids, "enjoy, 'cause you're likely to see this only at Disney".

Our nephew, AB, who is four, was awesome. He had so much fun, and I had fun watching him have fun...The magic would just shine in his eyes. Little sis SB had fun too, and I'm sure when she's 4 her eyes will shine as well. Our older nephew and his sis knew their way around and were great tour guides. When you grow up and go to school in Florida, it's mandatory that you go to Disney with your classes I suppose.

We all had a blast, created memories that will last lifetimes, and we are all recovering quite nicely. It reminded me of the vacation that the kids and I spent in Tennessee with 35 of our closest family (no kidding) on two houseboats. The best vacations are where family gets together and just has fun.

God Bless you all and May 2009 bring you Peace, Love, Happiness, and Prosperity.