The Sometimes Sunday Several

Just the thought of a Thursday Thirteen makes me shudder, and truthfully five on Friday is a stretch, too. Maybe I'm just a free spirit. We'll see how long the Sometimes Sunday Several goes - haha! Let's see...

Favorite Christmas Songs

1. Holy Night - Martina McBride's version gives me chill bumps.
2. There's A New Kid in Town - I perfer George Strait (yes, I am still talking about songs! LOL)
3. Away in a Manger - any little kids choir verson will do.

Hey, that was kind of fun. Maybe I'll try again next Sunday.

In Memory

In this year that’s nearly done.
Many saints the victory won.

Some were young and in their prime
And some had lived a long, long time.

We were sad at every loss,
And yet, assured, due to the Cross.

I’ve heard our sorrow’s a selfish thing
And to that thought, some truth does ring.

The glorious place at journey’s end,
Our earthly minds can’t comprehend.

The Bible tells of streets of gold,
But still we long for them to hold.

Our loved ones have found joy and peace,
And from life’s burdens found release.

The truth in life we may not see
The reasons why each thing must be

But, we must submit unto God’s plan,
And know in heaven we’ll understand.

A trick to life is to watch and learn;
From everything some wisdom earn.

And though I shed many tears,
This is what I learned this year:

No matter how wealthy, common, or plain,
Our life’s best lived in Jesus name.

When we answer to His call,
Our lives are great though we are small.

So remember these with a grateful heart.
For who we are they played a part.

Willie Bruton
Cora Bruton
Pat Waller
Barbara Cockerham
Doug Bruton
Robert Walker
Caron Parker
Dolly Parker
Nila McMahon
Nila Walker

Busy October

We have had a busy October! Here are some pictures to catch yall up on all the fun we've had:



Here's Kim, Karen, and me at Williams Area Mary Kay Retreat. This is my favorite Mary Kay event of the year. It's in Hunt, Texas, which only about 40 miles from our house, but it's so nice and peaceful down along the river that it seems like a million miles away!



We've been teaching Lakota new tricks! (see how much she has grown!) We also got meet Mark's brother's wife, Sharon and his little girl Kelsey. Kelsey and Lakota played ball all evening. Ah, the energy of a puppy and a two year old.



Felina & Mark got to hunt a porcupine. Felina did most of the work and I kept the quills for keepsakes.



The Harper High School Class of 1991 had their 15 Year Class reunion. This picture is with spouses and kids at the BBQ on Saturday - We had a great time!

Uncle Don Sir Paramedic was passing through town for work and Mark and I got to eat lunch/supper with him and his partner, Pat. Lubbock to Austin and back in one day is a long way - glad they had time to stop by. By the way, I've never hung out with guys whose main concern is where to park the ambulance - that was interesting.

Not everything that happened this October has been fun. Our little town has lost more than 15 citizens this year. We've been to a lot of funerals and October was no exception.

Oh, yeah - I forgot to mention a trip to the State Fair of Texas and to see Mom and Dad. Lots of studying. Working. Builing a "doggy duplex". Football Friday. (No wonder we're tired! Ha Ha) Hope everyone is enjoying fall as much as we are!

Room with a View

I realize that this may sound a little "red-neck"
but my farovite spot on our place is the deck.

It's old dog Felina's favorite spot too,
and the home of Mark's manly-man bar-b-q.

It's a good place to watch the pretty sun rise
and to sit in awe of God's stars in the skies.

Scurry Cat thinks is the best place to nap,
especially curled up in some sucker's lap.

It's a great place to laugh, and to drink, and have fun,
And handy at times to sight in your gun.

It doesn't have flowers, because sheep like to graze,
but it's a good place to tan on warm summer days.

Another great thing is the hill country view
Rolling hills, deer, and wild turkeys, too.

So if you happen to find yourself down our way-
Come sit on the deck and enjoy your stay.

The Choice

The world below
Or God above
Choose to hate
Or choose to love.

Choose to fear
With each new day,
Or choose to seek
And find the Way.

Choose to dance
Or choose to sing
Or choose to whine
About everything

Choose to give
Or choose to take.
To let life pass
Or to partake.

Be both filled
And then poured out
Of all God’s blessings
Brought about.

The choice is yours
With each new morn,
Live for the purpose
Which you were born.

Life’s not magic
No hocus pocus
The key is where
You put the focus.

How Lakota Got Her Name

This is our new friend Lakota. Her daddy belonged to our really good friends and he was shot right after she and her 9 brothers and sisters were conceived. His name was Boker. For those of you, like me, who are not up to current on your sporting goods, Boker is a brand of knife. As you know we are into collecting Indian artifacts (arrowheads, knives, etc.). Well, Lakota is the name of a tribe of Souix Indians and it is another brand name of a knife. The really cool part is the Indian word 'lakota' means friend or ally. And that's how Lakota got her name.

She is a Border Collie and I am pretty sure she is smarter than Mark and I already! She and Felina are slowly making friends. Felina went to sniff around the new pen that was built for the puppy and then looked at her as if to say "Amateur, this would NEVER have held me in" - which is true! Now the cats, that's another story all together. No love lost either way!

Cheerleaders

This week I was invited by my young friends to watch the end-of-cheer-camp pep rally. It was really cute and short and a nice way to spend an evening. I really do love cheerleaders! I loved the Kindergarten group they were cute as can be, and most of them weren't in step at all! I loved the 5-6 grade group- they were good and even did a dance! I love the high school and college cheerleaders I've known and I've always admired their ability and athleticism. However, my favorite cheerleaders of all are the ones who will never be named homecoming queen!

This week I also got a card in the mail. It was from Mom, and a note on the front corner said, "just 'cause." Those are the best cards! It means some one was thinking about you on a day that they weren't obligated to do so, like they are on your birthday. It also means they took an effort to buy a card, look up your address, find a stamp and put it in the mail. It is a BIG deal! It was a card of encouragement about a goal I have. That is my favorite kind of cheerleader. Parents, scout leaders, youth directors, little league coaches, teachers, the list goes on and on.

I like to think of myself as a cheerleader. I really get jazzed cheering someone on! When they win, it's like it's your victory, too. It is a great feeling. That is why I go to other people's kid's little league games and cheer camp pep rallies, why I type Mark's college papers, why I cry at graduations, why I love selling Mary Kay, and probably why I LOVE football! If you aren't already, try being someone's cheerleader. It will mean the world to them and you come out feeling pretty awesome, too.

Remember, in the words of the principal in the movie GREASE, "If you can't be an athelete, be an athletic supporter!" (yuck, yuck!)

Gold Star Program

Hmm... (don't freak out, but..) I've been thinking!

Did your Mom ever make a chart or something with all the things she wanted you to do? You know like brush your teeth, make your bed, take out the trash, ect. Then when you would do it you would get a gold star and then when there were "x" number of stars you would get a prize. She was trying to develop good habits for you. Growing up in church I've always heard about having stars in your crown. Turns out God and Mom kinda sorta have the same reward system! Only His gifts are way, way better. Wouldn't it be great if your J-O-B had a system like this? Maybe, call 5 customers - get a star. Or, file this huge stack of papers - get a star. Or, even solve a problem or land an account - get a star.

I've been thinking of coming up with my own star program. I've thought of some habits I need to make and some I need to break. For example: drink more water, complain less, exercise more, pick up my shoes out of the living room, etc. When I get 1000 stars I may go to San Antonio shopping, or go get a massage, or ???

My questions for discussion are these: If you had your own star program, what would you be able to earn stars for doing or not doing? And what would your reward be?

What I learned...

Well, when you spend time with family you always learn more about who you are and where you come from. Sometimes that can be scary...Seriously, though, here is what I learned this year:

We learned from James that when someone says "get a camera, the fish is big", we should listen.

We learned from Scott Mc that when you catch a fish that big, it's hard to keep from grinning.

We learned from Randall that stunt driving is not a good profession or hobby.

We learned from Sharon that "happy hour" is a happy, happy time.

We learned that Scott G was brave enough to pass the "new husband" test and we are glad to have him in the bunch.

We learned from Frank & Judy that the distance from Whitney to Dumas is just a phone call and a lot of cell minutes away.

We learned that kids really do grow and change a lot in a year's time.

We learned from Aunt Ruby that splashing in the lake is fun at any age.

We learned that Jared and Peyton are not completely sane (night time cliff jumping) and why Kelly and Kandy must develop nerves of steel.

We learned from the son-in-laws that even though it's like a thousand degress outside meat cooked on the grill is worth the sweat!

And most importantly we were reminded that as different as we all are - it's great to have family!! Love you guys!

Family

This weekend is my family reunion. We are looking forward to a fun time even though in the last 2-3 weeks one has had a major heart attack, one has had a stroke, and one was in a car wreck and has a broken neck. None of these should have survived, but by God's grace all are on the mend. We also have two new husbands to break in- uh, I mean welcome to the family. Basically, we have a whole lot to be thankful for! A little while back I wrote a poem about my Granny. She is not well enough to attend the reunion this year, so I thought I'd share it with y'all.

My Granny

My Granny has a servant’s heart
It’s the legacy she’ll leave
Many stars adorn her crown
On that you can believe.

Her life of serving started,
When she was still quiet young
Her mom was sick an in the bed
Leaving chores and little ones.

So my Granny had to grow up fast
Be strong and take the lead
Of ironing, washing, cooking
For the family she must feed

Then there came September
Of Nineteen Forty-One
When she said “I do”, she knew
Exactly what she’d done.

JW joined the Army
As the men did in that day
When he left to serve they knew
A child was on the way.

Next they moved to Dallas
To partake of city life
President of P.T.A.
Good mother, loving wife.

Life was kind of hectic
She was almost forty-one
And that is when she found out
God’s blessings were not done.

I guess things are different now
From how they were back then
But if family needed help,
Sometimes they just moved in.

And if they couldn’t come to her
Then she would go and stay,
Take care of them ‘til they were strong
And then be on her way.

After sixty years of marriage
Bad health put him to bed
My Granny held on dearly
To the vows she once had said.

So when he needed constant care
My Granny went along
The thought of living someplace else
To her, it just seemed wrong.

I know it seems that work, work, work
Was all she had to do,
But my Granny knew a secret
That I will share with you.

It’s really very simple,
You don’t have to be too smart
The secret to a happy life
Is to be a child at heart

So she’d play with you for hours
Cross-legged on the floor
Pretty dolls and plastic men
Great fun you can be sure

That’s why the kids a walking
In the from-school-to-home parade
Would often stop and have a snack
Or glass of lemonade

I know I won’t inherit
Fancy cars or diamond rings
But I’ve come to see
The best things in life aren’t things

Of all the gifts she gave to us
The best we could receive
Is a servant’s heart like Granny’s
That’s the legacy she’ll leave.

Rub it in!!

The new sunscreen that comes in an aerosol type can is really very good. One word of advice... unless you want to look like reverse graftti, RUB IT IN!!! Yes, you can draw on yourself with the sunscreen. It feels very cool and you think that it has covered you, but you must RUB IT IN!!! We came back from our spur of the moment trip to Port Aransas with some very painful, yet creative sunburns. Mark looks like his back met up with Zorro and I look like, well there no good way to describe it... You must RUB IT IN!!!

The Heart of a Winner

This spring we attended alot of little league games to support our favorite player. Their dedication even in a "not-so-winning season" inspired me to write this:

Heart of a Winner

Where do you look to see who won when the game is finally through?
Do you look to the board at the end of the field where the lights shine 5 to 2?

Do you look to the stands to the cheering fans to see if they’re cheering loud?
Do you wait for the coach to give a high-five and tell you – you made him proud?

The place to look for the champion that always passes the test…
Is to close your eyes and look inside to see if you’ve done your best.

Because in the end it doesn’t matter whether you dropped or caught the ball.
The important thing when you look back is did you give it your all and all?

It’s true the game can be scary, but honestly, here is the thing…
Did you face your fear and move forward? You can’t hit the ball ‘til you swing!

Did you work hard and give your best effort? To winning there’s really no scheme.
Just learning the art of doing your part, and working to play as a team.

I know you’ve heard it before, it’s really just more of the same
It’s not win or lose that matters, it’s how you play the game!

So where do you look to see who won when the game is finally through?
Just look inside and know with pride the heart of a winner’s in you!

Amused as a Child

I chose "Amused as a Child" as the title for this blog because one of my earliest memories of humor revolves around this phrase. One time when I was about elementary school age, my mother & I were in a bathroom at Dairy Queen when we heard radio spot on the prevention of child abuse. Well, we both misunderstood and thought it said : If you were amused as a child you will probably amuse your children. For some reason we cracked up for so long and so loud that someone (probably doing the pee-pee dance) finally knocked on the door to see if we were done in there.

Well I'm glad to say I was amused as a child. I don't have children yet, but I enjoy amusing others so I hope reading this blog makes you smile. Life is funny.