Friday, September 1
For months we have been planning a Taz trip through Nebraska, the Dakotas, Wyoming, and Kansas, but our recent medical situations and appointments got in the way, so today we reluctantly contacted all of the hotels we had made reservations for and cancelled them. Taz and travel (except to doctor appointments) will just have to wait.
Instead of a healthy dose of wind therapy today, we drove out to Yantis to join church friends for lunch at the senior citizens center.
++++++++
Saturday, September 2
According to our plans BD (before doctors), we were supposed to be on the road to Wichita, Kansas, for the wedding of one of our former students. With that travel now off the table, we just stayed at home. Barbara's arm was giving her fits and nothing can be done about it until the 6th of the month at the very earliest, so she rested as much as possible and kept her left arm in the most comfortable position she could find.
A few days ago, Sophie came over to do a deep cleaning of our sun room, a room that for the last few years has been nothing more than a closet with a view. We decided to see what we could make of it and start using it again. We took out the furniture we had bought for it and I washed and sprayed everything I could, while Sophie tackled the walls, floor, and ceiling.
Today I armed myself with a large spray bottle of 409 and washed the siding and outside windows. We should be able to fully enjoy this room soon.
++++++++
Sunday, September 3
Since we couldn't be in North Platte, Nebraska, as we had hoped, we woke up early and headed to our newly cleaned and refurbished sun room to do our devotionals and start the day.
And then we got dressed and headed off to Yantis for Sunday school and the morning service. Our children's sermon today was about God's commandment to serve Him with all we have, including our financial resources. Since Barbara is still in mega pain, she stayed home and we adapted our children's lesson so that I could deliver all of it.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5: The Greatest
Commandment
JIM: This morning Pastor
Craig will continue his sermons on stewardship, which is carefully managing and
using all that God has given us to do God’s work in our daily lives.
In one of Moses’ final
messages to the Children of Israel before they were to enter the Promised Land,
he told them, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul, and with all your strength.” This
means to love God with all you are and all you have, including your money,
because it all belongs to God, and He has given it to you to manage and to
share His word.
When I was young I
didn’t have any paying jobs and I didn’t receive an allowance. My brothers and I had chores that we did
around the house, but that was because we were being taught that family members
had responsibilities to each other. But,
to teach us that we also owed to God, Mother and Daddy would give each of us
ten cents each Sunday morning to put in the offering plate at church.
On the day after I
finished the sixth grade, I got my first real job, delivering newspapers. Every morning I would get up at 5:00, roll
the newspapers, stuff them in a bag, and then set off on my bicycle to deliver
them. On Saturday, I would ride to each
house and collect the payment for the papers I had delivered. I still remember that first Saturday when I
finished my collections, came home, and counted the money and set aside what I
had to pay my boss for the papers. After
making my payment, I had $5.00 left over for me, the most money I had ever seen
for myself. When I told Mother about it,
she said, “Don’t forget that one tenth of that money belongs to God. Since I now had a job, Mother and Daddy
wouldn’t be giving me that ten cents each Sunday; it was now my responsibility
to give a whole fifty cents (a lot of money back then) back to God. After all, it all belonged to God anyway, and
I still had four dollars and fifty cents for myself, and that was enough for
me.
We hope your parents
are already teaching you this lesson, and pray that you will learn it well as a
child so that you can follow God’s commandment to pass His lessons down to your
children and grandchildren in the future.
As adults, Mrs. Little
and I faced a couple of rough years where we were supporting ourselves and our
son Jimmy Clint. Money was almost nonexistent and yet our pastor who we loved
and trusted, talked to the congregation one Sunday on giving God what’s His no
matter what! Well, this really tugged at our hearts since we weren’t
tithing....after all, we were barely able to pay our bills and Jimmy Clint’s,
too. Barbara decided to go talk to David, and he stood firm. He said Barbara,
you and Jim can do it! God will see you through. I tell you what, if, after a
year, you find that I’m wrong, then I’ll give you all of your money back. And,
you know what? He was right...even when we had nothing to give and gave anyway,
we found that somehow God gave it back to us.
To remind you that
everything we have is God’s because we love Him with all our hearts, mind, and
body, Mrs. Little has made you these packets with a card that says, “When you
think you can’t afford to give, give anyway. God can multiply anything."
Let's pray. Dear Jesus, we praise you for all that you do for us. Let us always be mindful of how much you do for us. In Your name we pray. Amen.
Let's pray. Dear Jesus, we praise you for all that you do for us. Let us always be mindful of how much you do for us. In Your name we pray. Amen.
Barbara decided this afternoon to update her Facebook cover page to reflect some of our activities...this is what she came up with...
This was the day that Barbara had to stop taking Ibuprofen, the only pain reliever she had, until Dr. Olvera does the pain relief procedure next Wednesday...it's gonna be a long few days!
++++++++
Monday, September 4
Happy Labor Day, America!!!
With Taz still parked until Barbara can ride without the excruciating pain in her left arm, we spent most of the day around the house. We did drive out to the Emory area this morning to see the Tapley families and borrow an electric stimulation unit from James and Sheila to see if that would help with Barbara's arm pain. When we got back home, I worked in the yard and the North 40, but we weren't serious about much of anything.
++++++++
Tuesday, September 5
This morning I drove to Yantis for prayer meeting and then joined YFBC member Jerry Nickerson and the builders group from Lake Fork Baptist church for projects in Alba and Winnsboro.
++++++++
Wednesday, September 6
Finally!!! After nearly a month of pain, misery, and medical diagnoses and misdiagnoses, we had hope that things were going to get better.
Sophie came over this morning to help us with some housecleaning, and this afternoon we drove to Tyler to get "the shot." We didn't realize it until we got there, but this was a regular hospital admission, and the entire procedure was considered a surgery. At this point, we didn't care how, where, or what it was called, as long as it worked.
Dr. Olvera worked his magic, and in a couple of hours we were headed back to Mineola. By 5:00 pm the pain had diminished by about 80 per cent and Barbara was smiling again...Hallelujah!!!
We went over to Autumn Wind to see Aunt TJ, and then I drove out to Yantis for the weekly praise band rehearsal. I returned home to find Barbara was nearly pain free, a wonderful blessing!
++++++++
Thursday, September 7
It has been obvious to all of the Mineola family that TJ's dachshund, Copper, has been in bad health for a long time, but TJ has steadfastly maintained that Copper was just fine. After observing Copper just lying around and unable to even eat, I took him to Dr. Bradshaw's clinic yesterday morning and asked him to run some tests and give us a diagnosis.
This morning Dr. Bradshaw let us know that Copper was on his last legs, there was no hope for improvement, and we wouldn't be doing him any favors by letting him continue this way. Coming from Dr. Bradshaw, who will go to almost any lengths to keep from putting an animal down, these were strong words, but they were necessary to convince TJ that it was time to let go.
We made arrangements to take TJ to the clinic for a last visit with Copper and to be with him as Dr. Bradshaw lovingly administered the medications that would put him out of his pain and misery. TJ handled it all quite well, and when it was done, we went to Jalapeno Tree for a meal and a celebration of Copper's life.
Tonight was the weekly rehearsal of the Lake Country Symphonic Band. While I was doing my trumpet tooting, Barbara was home enjoying an evening of pain-free relaxation.
++++++++
Friday, September 8
It's Friday...time to spend a few hours putting the finishing touches on our children's sermon for Sunday and getting the handouts ready.
On the bad news front, we received word today that our friend and Georgia volunteer missions mentor and leader, Nancy Fairfax, who has fought a long and courageous battle with cancer, is in the stage of actively dying.
++++++++
Saturday, September 9
Nothing exciting today. With hopes that we will soon be able to take in some wind therapy, I washed Taz and the car and got them all shined up. Later in the day, we made the mandatory weekly trip to Walmart to stock up on groceries and other things. Do we have exciting weekends, or what?!!!
++++++++
Sunday, September 10
This morning found us at the Sunday place to be, Yantis First Baptist Church, to participate in praise and worship, and deliver the children's sermon during the worship service.
II
Thessalonians 3:6-13 The Stewardship of Self
JIM:
For the last several weeks, Brother Craig has been teaching and preaching about
stewardship, which is taking care of all that God has given us, and using it to
witness to others and build His kingdom.
We all know now that stewardship is about much more than tithing. Tithing is giving 10 per cent of our earnings
back to God, but stewardship is about giving 100 percent, or all that we have
and all that we are to serve God faithfully in all that we do.
Much
of what we have talked about is the stewardship of money and material goods,
but did you ever think that we need to practice the stewardship of our lives? God gave us our lives, and it is His will
that we turn our lives over to him. If
we say that we are children of the king and that Jesus is our Lord and Savior,
then we owe everything we are to him, and we should live every minute of every
day of our lives to serve him in all that we say and do. The only way any of us can do that is to have
faith and trust God completely with our lives, and allow Him to direct us
through His Word, and through instruction from trusted Godly leaders.
Showing
Jesus to others through our words and actions is our life’s work. Let us never be idle or lazy in the work God
has given us to do. This lesson is for all believers, young and old, but Mrs.
Little has some special ideas for how you children can use it.
BARBARA: Paul told the faithful Thessalonians that
they should not grow weary from doing good. That they should turn to the Lord
of peace to give them peace. The same is true for you children. There are times
at school that others might make fun of you for the way you talk, or dress, or
eat, or look. You know what I mean, we’ve each been in that place where our
feelings get hurt. That’s when we have to not grow weary of doing good
ourselves.
Or then,
there are those times when you see a friend do something wrong and you think,
“what will it hurt if I do this, too.” Maybe it’s to cheat on a test, or to
make fun of someone else...that’s when you have to not grow weary of doing
good. That’s when you don’t cheat or don’t do something wrong just because
others are
Then
there’s those times when Mom or Dad tells you and your sisters or brothers to
take out the trash, or clean the living room; but your brother or sister
doesn’t help you. That’s when you can’t grow weary and stop doing good. Maybe
there’s times when you don’t have any money and you think, I can’t do anything
good because I don’t have money like she does. That’s when you can’t grow weary
and stop doing good because doing good doesn’t have to be about money. It can
be a hug, a picture you have drawn, a smile.
The hardest
of all times to not grow weary of doing good though is when others have given
up. When they say, “What difference does it make? Who cares?” That’s when it’s
really, really important for you to remember to not be weary of doing good
because the Lord cares. He is the Lord of peace and in each of these times, He
will strengthen your faith and show you how to do good in your life without
becoming weary.
JIM: Our
special gift this morning is a small bowl of LIFE cereal and a MR.GOODBAR in a
bag with a label that says FAITH. This
is to remind you that through your faith in God, you will be given the strength
to face whatever life brings you, and not become weary of doing good.
Now, let us pray: Heavenly Father, when others do wrong to us or take advantage of us, when our resources are few and we have our doubts about the future, when others have given up, grant us your peace, wisdom, courage, and strength to continue following you and not become weary of doing the good that you want us to do. It is in the name of Jesus that we pray, Amen.
++++++++
Monday, September 11
Lest we forget...
Today was a day for some serious housecleaning, beginning with dusting (it seems that we have at least, if not more, dust in East Texas than we did in southeastern New Mexico, if you can believe that). We each have our specialty areas and try to stay out of each other's way. When I had finished dusting all the high areas in the living room, I moved into the dining room and kitchen to help Barbara. When I finished with the high shelves and door frames, I asked Barbara if she had done the windows...there was a brief moment of silence before she laughed and said, "Who are you talking to...you know I DON'T do windows." We both had a bit of a laugh and then I went to work...on the windows.
When we got home, I tackled mowing the North 40. Everything went amazingly well until about an hour and a half into the job, With only two strips left to cut, the mower refused to start after I had dumped the basket. I brought it back to the driveway, cleaned out the air filter and made sure the gas tank was full...still no start. Then I checked the oil level (these things won't start without plenty of oil), and pulled and cleaned the spark plug. When that didn't improve the situation, I started cleaning out the gas line, just in case some debris had gotten in and blocked the hose.
Now, checking the flow of fuel in the gas line means losing some of the gas, so I had the bright idea of recapturing it. The only thing I could find to drain the gas into was a red solo cup. Obviously, my little brain didn't think this one through. After a couple of minutes with gasoline in it, the cup started collapsing and gasoline was eating its way through it. Needless to say, I lost all the gas I was going to save, and after Barbara saw the mess and posted a picture of it on Facebook, I lost a lot of face. I never did get the mower started (found out later that dirt had gotten into the system and burned up the carburetor...a common problem with this model), but I did provide a lot of laughs on Facebook and at church!!!
++++++++
Tuesday, September 12
Today was a major wind therapy day. After I got back from prayer meeting, we got cleaned up, unleashed Taz, and just rode...and rode...and rode. It was great to be back in the saddle again and enjoying every minute and mile of it!!!
++++++++
Wednesday, September 13
This was a good day for a deep cleaning of the house. Sophie came over and got the kitchen and dining super clean while we worked around the rest of the house.
We were in Gettysburg in May to participate in the 100 Nights of Taps program at Gettysburg National Cemetery. Today we received these beautiful medallions that were sent to all participants.
++++++++
Thursday, September 14
Just another day in paradise...a.k.a. Mineola, Texas...nothing exciting at all to report.
++++++++
Friday, September 15
It was another slow day, but while we were spending some computer time, Barbara found this old photo of John, Jimmy Clint, and the daughters of our good friends, Gary and Joyce. April, Ginger, and Holly...the highest bid will get this photo removed from Facebook.
++++++++
Saturday, September 16
Not much to report for the day, but we had a wonderful time taking an evening Taz ride and joining our church friends for the September edition of Cross County Line's monthly gospel sing.
++++++++
Sunday, September 17
Wow, did we ever have a busy Sunday! The morning was full of activities as we got to Yantis First Baptist Church in time to practice our children's sermon, take some pictures of the kitchen staff at the Activities Center, and then return to the sanctuary for praise band rehearsal.
After Sunday school, we all returned to the sanctuary for the morning service, beginning with our children's sermon on Cheerful Givers...
JIM:
Pastor Craig will be talking to us this morning about different ways of
giving. Most of the time when we talk
about giving, we think of giving money.
For young children like you though, there isn’t a lot of money to
give. Maybe you get an allowance and are
learning to tithe a tenth of it, or maybe your parents give you a small amount
of money to put in the offering plate on Sunday morning to teach you the importance
of giving back to God. Both of those are
good things, but we need to remember that there are other kinds of giving that
honor and please God when you do them cheerfully.
For
instance, you each have the ability to give the gift of friendship to
others. When you are at school, do you
know someone who doesn’t have a friend to talk with? Maybe they are just shy and don’t know how to
talk to someone else, especially if they are new to the school. God has given you the ability to smile at
someone and help them feel welcome and not so much alone. That doesn’t mean that you need to spend all
your time with that person, but everyone needs someone they can smile at and
say “Hi” to each day to make them feel at home with others.
Another
great way for you to learn to give cheerfully is to give your time and effort
at church lunches and dinners. Some of
you are old enough that you can help some of us older folks by offering to
refill our glasses of tea, or take our plates to the trash when we are finished
eating. And sometimes the best gift for
us is to receive a big smile and hug to let us know you appreciate us.
Your
attitude about giving is much more important than what you give, whether it is
money, material goods, or your time and service. In 2nd Corinthians 9:6 we read
that “God loves a cheerful giver,” and I can promise you that a life of
cheerful giving will bring you much joy.
BARBARA: That
reminds me, Mr. Little, of a story I once heard about a young boy who went to
church one morning to get out of the cold. Really he was supposed to be selling
newspapers but not a single person had bought one. The preacher, much like
Brother Craig, delivered a powerful message about the Lord and His love for us
and how he gave us the greatest gift, His life! At the end of his sermon, the
ushers passed the collection plate and when it got to the little boy, he knew
he had nothing to give. But, then he thought, and whispered to the usher to put
the collection plate on the floor. Then the little boy did something
unusual...he place one foot and then the other in the collection plate and with
tears streaming down his cheeks, he said, “Mister, I don’t have any money since
I haven’t sold a single paper today; but if Jesus gave up His life for mine,
then I’ll gladly give my life to Him!
Now
this made me think how when the collection plate comes down the aisle, I just
pass it on without a thought or I motion that I’m not going to put any money in
it today. But...why do I do that? Why don’t I take a second and tell God that
I’m not giving money today but I am going to give of myself?
To
remind you of these lessons, we have made you these extra special wallets which
holds some extra gum and 3 cards...Each of the cards will remind you to be a
cheerful giver...if you like, you can write your name on the back of the card
and place it in the collection plate one Sunday...to remind yourself that
though you may not have money, you can give yourself. And, who knows, maybe
you’ll get that card back from Ms. Mary or one of the ushers.
Followed by the praise band leading their part of the service...
Stacy signing the special music...
And a powerful sermon from Brother Craig. All present were moved and blessed this morning!
After lunch and our Sunday nap, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and ride Taz to Yantis for the evening service...
++++++++
Monday, September 18
We have been enjoying our renovated sun room so much that we decided we'd like to have a storm door installed. When Mother had the room converted from a screen room to a sun room after she bought the house, she left only the regular door, because it was also the "doggy door" for Spike and Bonita. Without a screen or storm door, we couldn't open the door without inviting all the critters in, so this morning we had John Spanko, who had built the sun room, come by and talk to us about putting in a storm door. He told us exactly what we wanted to hear, and said he'd place the order for us.
It's always a pleasure to hear from family and friends, and today we received some photos and a message from our "adopted" brother and sister-in-law, Jerry and Nancy Terpening, who were enjoying their visit to Mt. Rushmore (which is where we were supposed to be if it hadn't been for all the doctor visits)...Yeah, jealousy raised its ugly head for a moment, but we were really happy for them.
++++++++
Tuesday, September 19
I started the day by going out to Yantis for the weekly prayer meeting, and then stopping by Our Little Lot to do some yard work.
Meanwhile, Barbara decided to do some baking this morning, and whipped up a couple of batches of pumpkin bars to share with neighbors John and Wanda.
After I got home and we had lunch and a short nap, we drove to Quitman to meet with Dr. Smith, our cardiologist, to review Barbara's records, check on how she is doing in regard to the pain management, and schedule a heart cath procedure to see if additional stents will be necessary.
++++++++
Wednesday, September 20
We really got serious around the house this morning. Sophie came over and spent the whole morning re-potting all of Barbara's plants and getting them ready for display on the front porch.
While Sophie was at work in the garage, Barbara straightened the house, and I dug out all the bulbs in the flower bed on the north side of the house, broke them up, and worked the ground so I could begin replanting them...lots of energy expended around our place today!!!
For fun, we spent some quality time with good friends Jerry and Diane Nickerson as we met them for lunch at Sonny Mans', a new restaurant in downtown Mineola. Happy Late Birthday, Jerry!!!
Tonight was another trip to Yantis for praise band rehearsal.
++++++++
Thursday, September 21
After Sophie did such a beautiful job of re-potting our plants, we decided we needed a better way to show them off on the front porch. We hauled off the old cabinet that we had been using, and then made a Walmart run to find something we thought would work. We came up with a fold out bench seat and a table runner that were a perfect fit for the window and just the right height to show off the plants.
Today was ladies day out for lunch, so I took Barbara to Quitman to join Mary, Diane, and Claudetta at Speakeasy.
While the ladies were busy doing whatever it is ladies do at something like this, I drove up to Our Little Lot and took care of some odd jobs that been accumulating.
Tonight Barbara stayed home and worked on Journal/Blog photos and collages while I went to the weekly rehearsal of the Lake Country Symphonic Band.
++++++++
Friday, September 22
We did some work on our children's sermon this morning, and then left at noon to go to Tyler for my turn in the doctor's office. At my last dermatology checkup, Mrs. Wilson found some suspicious spots that she biopsied. One place on my ear turned out to be a basal cell cancer, so today was the day for Dr. Meads to do some slicing and dicing. Dr. Meads uses the Mohs procedure in which she cuts away the cancer and then sends it to pathology to see if she got it all. It usually takes only one or two cuttings to remove the spots, but this particular cancer was widespread and well-hidden in the back of my left ear. It took four cuttings before the pathologist said it was all gone, and I ended up with what felt like five pounds of bandaging between my ear the side of my head.
When we got out of there, all we wanted to do was get home, get inside, and do as little as possible for the rest of the day!
++++++++
Saturday, September 23
Neither of us was particularly energetic today, but we mustered enough enthusiasm to finish work on the children's sermon for tomorrow, work on journal/blog photos, and get the bills paid...not a particularly noteworthy day.
++++++++
Sunday, September 24
Dr. Meads told me I couldn't play trumpet for a few days because of what the pressure could do to the area where she did surgery, so I wasn't involved with the praise band this morning.
However, Barbara and I presented the children's sermon on "Love Beyond Measure."
1st
Corinthians7:35 – Undistracted Devotion (Love Beyond Measure)
JIM:
This morning Brother Craig is going to teach and preach from 1st
Corinthians 7:35 about Undistracted Devotion.
Now, devotion is another word for love, and we know that God is all
about love. In fact, He loves us so much
that He sent His son to die on the cross so we could be saved from our
sins. Mrs. Little and I thought that
this would be a good time to try to demonstrate how great God’s love is for us,
and remind all of us of how great our love should be for God.
One
of our favorite Bible verses begins, “For God so loved the world…” We were thinking of that verse and wondering,
“just how great is God’s love, and how could we measure it?” This morning we have several things that we
often use in measuring other things, and thought we’d try them out to see if
they could help measure God’s love.
BARBARA:
Sometimes we use a measuring cup to measure things. If I were baking some cookies, I would use a
cup measure to measure out the right amounts of flour, sugar, and milk. Mr. Little, do you think I could use a cup to
measure God’s love for us?
JIM:
Don’t you remember that verse from the 23 Psalm? David wrote, “The Lord is my shepherd, I
shall not want…My cup runneth over…” If
our cup runs over, I don’t think a measuring cup could begin to measure God’s
love for us.
But,
do you remember when we were talking about getting a new door for the sunroom
the other day. I used a tape measure to
find the height, width, and depth of the space.
Maybe we could try this tape to measure God’s love for us.
BARBARA:
Mr. Little…the Bible tells us in Psalm 108 that God’s love for us is higher
than the heavens. Now that is a long,
long way! If God’s love is higher than
the heavens, there isn’t a tape measure in the world that can measure it!
I
just thought of something else, though.
You are wearing a watch to measure time.
Some folks here this morning might use their watches to measure how long
Brother Craig’s sermon will last. But
I’m thinking we could use it to measure how long God’s love lasts.
JIM:
Psalm 103:17 tells us that God’s love is from everlasting to everlasting. Wow, if God’s love is from everlasting to
everlasting, we sure can’t use a watch to measure it. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish,
but have eternal life.” How do you
measure a love like that? You know, we
don’t need to measure it…we just need to accept and experience it.
BARBARA:
And, since we talked about measurements, we used a ruler and fruit by the foot,
since 12 inches equals, a foot, get it, to make a cross, added the phrase, “He
loves you beyond measure”...and poof, we now have the perfect reminder of how
much God loves His people.
Jim:
I think it’s time for our prayer...Father, we pray that we all may come to a
better understanding of how high, wide, and deep your love is for each of
us. May each of us experience it, even
though we may never fully understand it.
And we pray this in the name of your son, Jesus…Amen.
We joined our Kansas/Texas friends Gene and Michelle after church for lunch in Alba.
++++++++
Monday, September 25
Barbara was supposed to take it easy for a few days in preparation for her heart cath procedure, so that's what we did today...absolutely nothing of consequence.
++++++++
Tuesday, September 26
I began the day by driving to Yantis for prayer meeting at the church. After I crossed the Hwy 154 bridge over Lake Fork, I pulled over to get this early morning photo of the sun rising over the lake...
Since we knew that the rest of the week would be really busy, we got to work on our children's sermon for Sunday. Pastor Craig got the scriptures and theme to us and Barbara searched out the possibilities for handouts for the kids.
When we weren't working on the children's sermon, we were trying to get caught up cataloging photos and making collages for journal/blog publications...and getting ready for a short trip to Dallas this weekend.
++++++++
Wednesday, September 27
After weeks of waiting, it was finally time for Barbara's heart cath procedure at ETMC-Tyler. We left the house early this morning (missing out on our usual participation with the church youth group for See You at the Pole activities in Yantis).
and drove to Tyler to get checked in.
Even though ETMC-Tyler is a great place to be for medical treatment, even it has its days when nothing seems to go right. The scheduled procedure was delayed...and then delayed some more, so we took advantage of the downtime for some silly time...
It was finally Dr. Smith's turn at bat. After going through the cath procedure, he inserted two stents and then we went into recovery mode, which took much longer than we expected...
After one false start at leaving the building (Barbara passed out in the wheelchair as I got to the front door) our departure was delayed further. I was waiting for the nurse to wheel her out, but when I looked up, I saw him do a quick 180 wheelie and head the other direction. We waited another hour or so in recovery until all the vital signs cooperated with each other and made our way back down to the parking area and got the heck out of Dodge...or Tyler, as the case may be.
All was well after that...we had a safe trip home, ate some supper, and got a good night's sleep with no complications from the procedure.
++++++++
Thursday, September 28
We woke up feeling great and ready for a bright new day...which was good, because we had a busy day ahead of us. First up was a trip to Naturally Nails to have Leslie make us presentable to the public, and then a short visit with TJ at Autumn Wind...
Next, we loaded the car for an overnight trip to Dallas. We recently accepted an invitation from Snowball Express to distribute free passes to military, and military veterans for the opening day of the Texas State Fair, and thought it would be good to tie that in with visits with family. We drove to a Homewood Suites property near to Heather, Andy, Alexander, and Abby's place, checked in, and then joined the kids for dinner when they got through at their respective schools.
While we were waiting for the kids to arrive at the restaurant they had chosen, we took some photos of us clowning around with some sculptures...
When Andy arrived we all lined up to place our orders, and the place went dark. There was an area-wide power failure, and no one had a clue as to when the power would be back on. So, we regrouped and had a three-car family parade for a few blocks to go to Liberty Burgers, where we had a great meal and a grand time together.
Everyone but us had school the next day, so we broke up the party for them to return home, and we drove back to Homewood Suites for a night of rest and relaxation.
++++++++
Friday, September 29
We took our time getting up and around this morning (but not so much as to miss the great buffet breakfast at the hotel). After breakfast we got our luggage packed, got dressed for the day, and prepared for a new adventure.
The drive from Plano to Fair Park was, by Dallas driving standards, pretty much normal, but it reminded us of why we prefer living in a small town.
We got to the fairgrounds way ahead of our scheduled work time, but that gave us plenty of time to tour the grounds (my first time ever) and see what there was to see at the "Best State Fair in Our State."
We handed out passes for a couple of hours and then Leah, Ryan, and Kaiden came over from Fort Worth to join us for an evening of fun.
When we had seen all their was to see and done all we wanted to do, we headed to the parking lot to load up and go to Fort Worth for the night. Leah drove Kaiden in their car, and Ryan drove us in our car (since we don't do well at night and had no idea how to get to their new house), and somehow we all got where we were going at the same time. And just in time to take a quick tour of the new house and then head for bed after a l-o-n-g day for all of us.
++++++++
Saturday, September 30
It was a busy morning with the Fort Worth bunch...breakfast, visiting, celebrating Kaiden's birthday (a little late, as is our custom), and a euphonium lesson for Kaiden with Gramps.
We had a family lunch at Panda Express, said our goodbyes, and headed back to Mineola, where we took TJ to Wally World for a few "necessities," and then headed home to unpack, finish our children's sermon for tomorrow, and crash for the night.
++++++++
From us to you,
Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams/Gramsie
