A New Beginning!

It's been a long time since I've done any maintenance around here.  As you can see, I've made a few changes and remodelled things a bit.  It's amazing what a new coat of paint and some rearranging can do for the place.  Now, what will I "furnish" it with?
Well, I am looking forward to sharing some of the things that God has been dealing with us about.  Becky and I have been taking some long, hard looks at some things that we have been taught in church and have compared those to what the Bible really says.  Let me just say that it's not easy to change unless that change comes in the light of God's Word.  Even then it doesn't just happen, because you often worry about what others will say.  I'm past that, now!  When it comes to what God's Word says, there is no need for concern.  It is THE source of truth and there's no argument.

Of course, there are the things that happen in our lives on any given day and I'll let you know what's going on there, too.  I also tweet, or twitter, or whatever you want to call it, and those will keep popping up on the Twitter feed on the right side of the blog.

Let me finish pulling some more things together and I'll start posting again later tonight or tomorrow.  Until then...make yourself at home.

Happy Anniversary

On this date, 59 years ago, my parents stood before family, friends, and God and pledged their lives to each other. Life hasn't always been perfect for them (especially some parts where I was involved) but they took their vows literally, and have remained faithful 'til "death do they part."

We wanted to do something special for them, but they have pretty much everything. We thought about taking them out to eat, but they really prefer home-style cooking instead of fancy foods. We knew they love Cracker Barrel, so we decided that was the place to go. The only problem was...there's not a Cracker Barrel in Lufkin and the closest one is about 90 miles away. Ok, that wasn't really a problem because we love Cracker Barrel, too, and we're talking about my parents who are celebrating 59 years of marriage! So we loaded up and made the trek to Tyler, filled up on great food and had a great time laughing and talking about whatever topic popped up. It was a great day together and my only regret is forgetting to take pictures.

I know this is a short post but I just wanted to let you know that the attack on marriage in our world today hasn't had any effect on one particular couple who continue to defy the odds and remain faithful to the vows they made to each other and to God. Way to go, Mom and Dad! Maybe Cracker Barrel will open a restaurant in Lufkin before number 60! If not, I'm sure we'll head back to Tyler next year.

Carving Out Time For...Carving

Boy, time has gone by again! We're almost finished with the first month of 2010 and I honestly don't know where the time has gone! I guess that's a good thing, because I'd rather be doing things that make time seem to fly by instead of sitting around twiddling my thumbs, bored out of my skull.

Speaking of doing things, I've taken up a new hobby that I hope might turn into a way to earn some money at some point. I grew up loving knives. I got my first pocketknife when I was 6 and was completely hooked from then on. Let me just assure you right now that I wasn't allowed to carry it around and use it unsupervised until I was older. It did make me an avid "whittler" and I used my ever-growing collection of knives to carve some pretty mean spears and large toothpicks. Impressive, huh? Well, now I'm learning how to use professional carving knives to turn blocks of wood into things that are a little more interesting to look at than just sharpened sticks. At least, that's the plan. I found a local group of carvers that range in experience from beginners eager to learn to masters who truly know this craft! They have taken me in as part of the group and are so willing to pass along their knowledge.

So far, I have taken a block of wood and carved out a donut. Simple sounding, but a great exercise to learn how to use the knives and how to "read the grain" of the wood.

Believe me, it was harder than it sounds. I've also learned how to sharpen the knife and I can tell you that it's a totally different edge than a standard pocketknife. These are literally razor sharp and will actually polish the wood as they slice through. Needless to say, I'm having a blast learning this new art form, and I'm really enjoying the fellowship as I get to know some wonderful people. Maybe by the time I learn how to carve well enough to sell some things I'll have figured out how to combine the carving with my leather working, which is also going well. I'll fill you in on that next time. In the meantime, please, take a minute and share about your hobbies whether they are ones you have enjoyed for years, or have just picked up to help reduce stress in the new year. And if woodcarving is something you would like to learn, here's a link to search for a local carving club in your area. It's not very expensive to get started, and most carvers I have encountered are eager to pass on their knowledge of this fun, rewarding craft.

What A Day!

Today was one of those "get up early and meet the deadline" type of days. My Mom had an appointment with her eye doctor for a routine checkup. The problem was...the appointment was for 10:30am and the doctor is in Houston. That's roughly 130 miles away which translates to about 2-1/2 hours of driving. Since I like driving, it's no biggie. It also didn't hurt that we've developed a tradition for every trip we make to their doctors in Houston. The appointments usually end around lunch time, so we stop at Pappas BBQ on the way back home. More about them in a minute, but first, let me tell you about some of the people I got to know in the waiting room at the doctor's office.

I'm a people person and I love watching how others interact. I also love hearing about their lives! Mind you, I didn't actually talk directly to these people, but that didn't matter. The room was small and they were loud, and I soon found out more about them than they realized. One lady that really stood out was older and had a noticeable accent. I thought it sounded German, and I soon found out I was right! She sat down next to a gentleman and began to pour out some of her history. Her husband died 2 years ago and she moved back to the U.S.A. from Berlin. I also know that she has "2 dogs that act worse than 2 ten-year-old children." The poor man looked fairly uncomfortable with the conversation and he quickly found a way to escape to another waiting area. His seat was filled by a younger lady that I can only assume was her daughter. I'm basing the assumption on the fact that they were both talking about things like storing family heirlooms and how not walking regularly can take its toll on your muscles when you try to take a stroll in the country. I wasn't eavesdropping! Like I said, the room was small and they were loud. The next time you're in public, remember...others can hear you! Enough of the chit-chat about chit-chat. Let's get to the BBQ!

If you like great BBQ and you live in the Houston area, or if you ever visit, you have got to try Pappas. They are part of a company that have restaurants for several different types of food. They have Mexican, Cajun, Seafood and BBQ covered and the amazing thing is -- they do them all extremely well! That's my humble opinion, of course. OK, I've gotta stop talking about them or I'm gonna have to go back tomorrow! Anyway, after we finished stuffing ourselves with some REALLY awesome smoked turkey, we decided to do a little shopping. We made a stop at the Tandy Leather Store then headed for the mall.

Let me toss this thought out to you here. When you're in public, not only can people hear you but they can also see you. Before you say, "Duh," let me remind you that I observe people. This time of year brings out the joy in some, and they have a wonderful glow on their faces! Sadly enough, there are others who look like they were force-fed one of those commercial sized jars of mustard. Their facial expressions look absolutely sour. We met 3 of those type of people when were getting on the elevator to come back down to the first floor of the mall. While we were waiting for them to get off of the elevator so we could get on, I noticed that they looked like they were being forced to shop at gunpoint. I decided to try to lighten things a little by saying something to cheer them up. The first thing that popped into my head was, "Welcome to the second floor!" I smiled and said it. They walked away and I never could see their faces so I don't know if it helped them or not. At least Becky and Jaden got a laugh out of it.

All in all it was a great day! Hopefully, I've helped remind you of a couple of points like: (A) People can see you and hear you when you're in public so talk and act accordingly. And (B) if you ever see me and you have an unhappy look on your face, there's a pretty good chance I'm going to say something dumb...so brace yourself! (So much for talking and acting properly in public! Oh well!)

A Wonderful Weekend

Is it me, or does the weekend just seem to go by too fast? I'm a firm believer in the phrase, "Time flies when you're having fun," because we had a blast this weekend and the time just flew by!

The McMillans came in Friday afternoon and stayed the weekend. Damon and I built a fire in the fire pit, and the adults just spent time relaxing, talking and laughing around the fire. We roasted hot dogs, made gumbo, and just enjoyed taking it easy! Of course, the kids were ready for the "war" and their planning paid off. The girls had made belt pouches and insignia, they had all prepared their "uniforms" and the homemade rifles capped it all off. It's nice to be able to escape the hustle and bustle of life and just enjoy some R&R with friends. Since it was kind of a lazy weekend, I'll keep the words to a minimum and share a few pictures of the kids in their uniforms.

A Texas Thanksgiving

Today has been a very good Thanksgiving for us. I'll admit that there was a little too much eating, but it was seriously just a little too much. Compared to what was available and what could have been eaten, it was only a little.

Jaden and I also spent time finishing the rifles. The McMillans will be here tomorrow, so everything had to be finished today. Jaden has been a huge help with sanding, painting, gluing, and just about anything else that needed to be done. He is so eager to help and he learns quickly. He's also very appreciative and supportive. When I started doing this project, I had some trouble getting the blank cut out and was not really pleased with how it looked. I knew I could fix the boo-boos in the finishing process but it would mean extra work. (It turned out that I had made a basic mistake and had forgotten to change the saw blade to the correct one for the thicker wood. Once I did that, the rest came out fine.) Jaden took one look at it and said, "I'll take that one!" Later, when we were sitting around talking about the rifles, Jaden said, "I like the first one you did. I always like to have the first of whatever you make." That one is now his, and is the bigger rifle in this picture. The smaller one is for Owen, the McMillan's 4 year-old.

I'll try to get some pictures of the kids playing "Army," but I can't promise because when we get together with Damon and Maggie, we lose track of time.

I hope you have had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and remember that Thanksgiving isn't just a day...it's a lifestyle. Psalm 106:1..."Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!"

Thanksgiving Giblets

As we get ready for Thanksgiving, I can't help but realize just how many reasons I have to be thankful. Don't worry...I'm not going to list them all here! I do want to take a second to remind you (and myself) that every day should be Thanksgiving. God deserves our thanks and praise every minute of every day! Even that wouldn't be enough to honor Him in the fullness that He truly deserves!

I've been working on the rifles for the kids, and I'm thankful that I am able to do something that I really enjoy for our friends! I'm also thankful for true friends like the McMillans, Devin Patrick, the Chamblees, the Roberts, and many others! The fact that we have one true friend is something to be thankful for, but to have more than that is beyond awesome!

Yes, the rifles are coming along and should be finished tomorrow. I'm going to keep this short today and leave you with some pictures of the rifle project. I'll update again tomorrow. 'Til then, have a very BLESSED Thanksgiving!